Once a pillar of strength and continuity, Steelers’ offensive line could be due for makeover

Ben Roethlisberger helplessly waving his arm at the sailing ball and chasing it down 20 yards into his own end zone serves as the defining moment of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff “run.”

But Maurkice Pouncey’s overshot first snap of the wild-card game against the Cleveland Browns also provides a snapshot of the state of the team’s once-revered offensive line.

What once was a steady, durable and efficient unit has become, arguably, the Steelers’ weakest link. A combination of aging stars, free agency and declining play have converged to make this offseason one that could result in a near-total makeover of the line.

“It’s kinda been surreal thinking that this might be out last year together,” ninth-year right guard David DeCastro said earlier this month. “You never know with the business side of it.”

DeCastro was referring, specifically, to Alejandro Villanueva, who, after six years as the Steelers’ starting left tackle, is a free agent. But DeCastro could have been speaking about the line at large. It was one of the most stable groups — regardless of position — in the NFL during the 2010s. But what had been a gradual attrition could come to a head in the coming months.

Three of the five season-opening starters are pending unrestricted free agents, and another (Pouncey) is said to be considering retirement.

“I love that guy,” Roethlisberger said of Pouncey after the playoff loss to the Browns, a game in which Cleveland took a lead it never relinquished 14 seconds in on Pouncey’s airmailed snap. “He is one of the best competitors and teammates I’ve ever had. It’s been so much fun to share a football field with him.”

Pouncey’s resume is worthy of Hall of Fame consideration: a five-time first- or second-team All-Pro who has been named to the Pro Bowl every season in which he played one full game.

He has been the Steelers center since being taken 18th overall in the 2010 draft. DeCastro joined him as the Steelers’ starting right guard after he was a first-round pick two years later. Villanueva’s time as a starter coincided with Ramon Foster’s decade-long run as a stalwart on the interior and the eight years Marcus Gilbert reigned at right tackle.

But a spate of injuries ended Gilbert’s run in 2018. Foster retired after last season. Now, questions are creeping up about the future longterm viability of Pouncey and DeCastro, who also will be given Hall of Fame consideration (six Pro Bowls, three first- or second-team All-Pro honors).

Also, season-opening starters Zach Banner (right tackle) and Matt Feiler (left guard) are free agents, although Banner didn’t play after suffering a torn ACL during Week 1.

The questions related to age and contract status can be viewed through a prism of varying evaluations about the unit’s play, particularly in the wake of the firing of position coach Shaun Sarrett last week.

.@MarkMaddenX and @TimBenzPGH stress the importance of rebuilding the Steelers offensive line in the near future.

[From the latest Big Shot Bob’s Madden and Benz Unfiltered] pic.twitter.com/axPjmyjIB6

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) December 14, 2020

Pass protection was elite. The Steelers by far allowed the fewest sacks in the league (14), and the objective math (NFL’s best adjusted sack rate, per footballoutsiders.com) and subjective grading (fourth in the NFL in pass-blocking by Pro Football Focus) of advanced metrics rated the team’s offensive line as among the best in the NFL at protecting Roethlisberger.

Run blocking, though, was a different story. The Steelers ranked last in the league in yards per game (84.4) and attempt (3.6).

Football Outsiders also pegged them a distant last in its all-encompassing adjusted line yards metric. PFF graded the Steelers second-to-last in the NFL in run blocking.

The Steelers’ issues in that area perhaps are shown best by their struggles on third- and fourth-and-1 plays. They converted just 26 of 43 such tries.

In PFF’s individual grades, only Villanueva (14th among 30 qualifying left tackles) rated among the top half at his position. Pouncey graded 25th among 32 qualifying centers and Chuks Okorafor fourth-worst among 30 qualifying right tackles.

For perspective, during the Steelers’ playoff seasons of 2014-17, PFF and Football Outsiders rated the offensive line in the top 10 each season in run blocking and pass blocking. Pouncey and DeCastro were highly rated over that span, too.

But the evaluations have changed — and so will the Steelers offensive line in 2021. It’s just a matter of how much.

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