5 things: Roster changes on horizon after Steelers season comes to close

Five things we learned from Chiefs 42, Steelers 21

1. Changes coming

With 15 players set to hit unrestricted free agency, the Steelers that open OTAs in five months will look vastly different than the group that lost a playoff game for the fourth consecutive opportunity.

Some decisions will be easy. Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t given any indication that he’ll reconsider retirement. Based on usage, age or injuries, players such as James Washington, Eric Ebron, B.J. Finney, Kalen Ballage, Joshua Dobbs and Trai Turner probably will be allowed to test free agency without getting a counteroffer.

The situation is trickier when it comes to Joe Haden, Ahkello Witherspoon, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chuks Okorafor and Terrell Edmunds. The Steelers made no attempt to re-sign Haden in training camp, and he has said he wants to see what he can get on the open market. The Steelers could try to bring back Witherspoon, who was a capable replacement on the outside when Haden missed four games with a foot injury.

Smith-Schuster expressed a desire to stay with the Steelers for a sixth season and beyond.

The Steelers have Zach Banner ready to step in at right tackle, but they thought he had a chance to earn the job this year until he had injury setbacks. Okorafor could fit in somewhere as a depth piece unless the Steelers are determined to revamp that side of the line and decide the potential cost doesn’t balance the production.

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Edmunds was a four-year starter at strong safety, and the Steelers may be inclined to find a new partner for Minkah Fitzpatrick in the secondary.

Special teams players who could receive a contract offer include Arthur Maulet, Miles Killebrew and Ray-Ray McCloud.

Restricted free agents include Robert Spillane, Dwayne Haskins and Marcus Allen.

Unlike this past season, the Steelers will have plenty of salary cap space to determine which players they would like to bring back in 2022.

2. Extended time

Smith-Schuster didn’t just make a token appearance in his return from spending three months on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He played 52 of 68 snaps — or 76% of all offensive plays.

Smith-Schuster’s playing time ranked second only to Diontae Johnson, who was on the field for 60 plays. Chase Claypool logged 44 snaps, Washington 23 and McCloud, whose playing time increased after Smith-Schuster’s injury, had 14.

Smith-Schuster also received the second-most targets with eight, and he tied for the team lead with five catches. That he also was second on the team with 26 receiving yards and the fact that Johnson topped out at 34 spoke volumes about the offense’s ineptitude against the Chiefs.

3. Momentum swing

The first half featured the offense going three-and-out on five occasions, including the first three possessions. Even though the Steelers held a 7-0 lead in the second quarter, the inability to get more than two first downs in the first half proved one of their downfalls.

The score was tied 7-7 when the Steelers got the ball back with 5 minutes, 45 seconds left in the half. Facing a third-and-2 at their 33, the Steelers had a chance continue the drive and keep Patrick Mahomes off the field.

Then, Johnson failed to haul in a short pass from Roethlisberger, and Pressley Harvin was called on to punt again. Because the Chiefs got the ball back less than a minute after they scored their first touchdown, they had enough time to pile on two more scores before the half was over to take a 21-7 lead.

4. Left alone

The promise and inexperience of rookie defensive back Tre Norwood was on display in the first half. Playing a prominent role in subpackages, Norwood was one of the reasons the Steelers shut out the Chiefs on their first five drives. He had two pass breakups on third downs.

Norwood, though, was all by himself when Travis Kelce hauled in a pass on third-and-20 and rambled 48 yards for a touchdown that stunned the Steelers and lifted the Chiefs to a 21-7 lead with 13 seconds left before halftime.

Norwood either thought he would have help on that play or never received any, and the Steelers were unable to recover from the broken coverage that Mahomes and Kelce exploited.

5. Running on empty

Coach Mike Tomlin never detailed whether Najee Harris was bothered by an elbow injury that limited him in practice for the first two days of the week. Harris didn’t return to full participation until Friday.

Harris was spelled by Kalen Ballage and Benny Snell, and when the first-round pick was in the game, he wasn’t effective. Harris finished with 29 yards on 12 carries as he struggled to find what small holes were provided by the offensive line.

Harris played only 30 of 68 snaps, while Snell and Ballage combined to log 38 snaps. And former fourth-round pick Anthony McFarland was a healthy scratch yet again. He was an active participant in just two games this season.