How Do You Rebuild?

You’re the new guy in charge. What do you do?

MojoUW would:

• Trade back in the 2026 draft for top 3 round picks in 2027 draft. I’m going to have a war chest to get whoever I want from that QB class.
  
• Ask the following players if they want out: Watt, Ramsey, Heyward, Highsmith, and Seumalo. Get as many draft picks as I can.
  
• Present ownership with a plan for emerging in 2028 as a contender.

 

I wouldn't give any of those players a choice, though I doubt they can unload Watt's contract.

 

Out with the old and hurt…


I’m excited for growing pains

 

I really can't speak to the draft just yet other than only draft all pro players.


I would like to hire a strong personality HC that players love to play for. Get the best possible OC and DC I can lure away to work with him.
I would like to keep Tom Arth as QB coach and let him continue to develop Howard.


If that falls into place quickly, I like to work on personnel inside out. On both sides of the ball.


It's still just football. Football things still work.

 

I think you start the rebuild process by cutting high priced veterans who aren’t performing up to their contract.

‘I would cut or trade - Jonnu Smith, Jalen Ramsey and I would have long hard internal discussions about Queen.

‘Heyward will probably retire or ask to be released which I would honor not because of his performance but out of respect for him. Watt is another issue. Nobody is going to take a declining veteran with exorbitant gaurunteed years on his contract. I think we’re sticking with Watt.

I would extend Joey Porter Jr. Herbig, Pierre and Darnell Washington. Seamalu is a free agent and I would let him walk.

I would go hard in the draft after wr, safety, DT, true NT, CB and Guard. Sprinkle in one or two free agents maybe a Juan Jennings but try to stay on the younger side of free agent signings.

‘draft your QB in 2-27 and let Howard play in 26 to see what you have. probably a really good chance we get compensation in 27 for Tomlin which we can use to move up and get our QB in 27.

if we draft right in 26 we can probably get a number 2 or 1 receiver, a starting guard, a starting safety and a starting NT. I would move Benton to DT he is miscast as a NT. You get a DC in here to utilize the ilb’s better and the secondary and maybe Queen and Wilson can become what we expect them to come. Right now we aren’t protecting them. Need a bigger NT that can occupy multiple blockers. Need another true press man cb and a tenacious slot cb who can change the defense like Branch or Pietre do for their teams.

it might be hard to do all of this in one offseason we will probably need two off seasons. Gonna be hard to finish filling out the oline and defensive line and get a QB, 2 wr’s, a safety and two more cb’s.

 

Contenders by 28? With a second year Qb? Its a little rushed. I think the Pats got lucky with Maye that they came this far in year 2. Id say it takes us a year or two more to make a real playoff run

 

1.) Start with a proven offensive philosophy and a plan to teach and prepare.

2.) Roster evaluation. Cut ties with guys who are Tomlin Swiss army knives types. Plan on how best to utilize talent they have, bargain guys that they control, special teamers that have upside. Make the tough cuts.

3.) Set deadlines that are not flexible. Qb starter by this time, FA signings done on this day. Draft board set at this time. Draft and OTA's set to go.

4.) Plan to be competitive but dont promise miracles.

 

When asked about a timeline for the new HC to put together a winning team Rooney specifically said they expect to contend every year.

They need to continue on the path of building the trenches. The Ravens have proven that drafting DBs year after year without having a strong DL does not stop modern NFL offenses. On offense, Niners prove that having a stout OL can enable a team to deal with multiple injuries and still manage to score points.

 

That is kinda depressing. Means there is no guarantee that things are actually going to change.

Makes me think that many of the things that fans and the internet assign to Mike Tomlin is at least partially a mandate from Rooney. So signing old(er) FA's. Drafting for need. Going with band-aids at QB. You all get the point.

What if Tomlin was not the only one or even the biggest voice in the room pushing for those types of moves?

 

Have you seen Howard in an NFL game?

 

This is the actions who will matter

 

I mean I repeat my previous statement(s).

In discussions I have had with Steelers fans, they tend to see Tomlin as the reason there was no "rebuild".

I understand that we can hear/see what Rooney is saying as a cliche and just PR and he really doesn't mind "rebuilding" when he talks inside the franchise and sets the parameters for decisions.

BUT...hear me out...what evidence do we have that any member of the Rooney family has ever really considered the Steelers as "rebuilding"? I can not think of a single time. Even in the Malone-Brister years that span Noll and Cowher...I dimly remember the team talking about playoffs and maybe if we just got things together a little bit more...

I honestly believe that it is Rooney who also wants to win as many games as possible every year. I suspect he is one of those that believes that you just have to make the playoffs and then anything can happen.

 

And you take what these fans think as gospel? Somehow wanting to win as many games as possible is a negative?

 

We'll find out more in the offseason.If the Steelers keep signing older players, it's going to be a major red flag, but if their goal is to get younger, it'll be a good first step.

For now, I'm not concerned by what Rooney is saying... their actions in March will tell us much more.

You don't always have to be awful to get a franchise QB... The Ravens, Chiefs, and Bills all got their current franchise QB after a winning season...The key will be to choose the right one but this is the hard part

 

I guess I am different from some of yinz. I don't want to sit through a season of watching bad football in the hopes of getting a high draft pick and further hoping he works out as a player. Life is too short for that.... er, at least mine is

 

Better start preparing yourself now as the odds are good it will be a bumpy ride for a bit. Now prepare for all of the what about responses

 

This... is quite well thought out. I like it for the most part. Minor nit picks, but overall this is the right "bones" of a rebuild.

 

I was not trying to talk about what I or other fans wanted.

I am trying, from WAY far outside the circle of knowledge, to try and understand how the Steelers set their priorities and goals for each season. In two previous places I talked about the Steelers, the consensus was that Tomlin wanted to go "all in" every year. That led to older FA signings, draft pick priorities, coaching staff perspectives/sizes, etc. For a lot of thoughtful Steelers fans I have encountered it was Mike Tomlin's desire to win as many games as possible each season that drove many of the decisions the franchise made. I see what I think to be similar thinking for a great deal of postings here as well.

What I am asking is....what if it wasn't Mike Tomlin who set those priorities or, at least, it was not wholly Tomlin and Rooney saw things that way as well.

 

You do not ever present the owner with a 3 year plan. There is only one plan, to compete now.
You do not ever ask players if they want out. You make decisions.

 

I have not. Have you?

 

Offense:

• We need a QB, but if all the QB's in this draft suck I don't want one...Let Rudolph and Howard fight it out in camp. I feel if it was meant to be, an elite QB will fall to us in the next few years ahead, we don't need to tank.
• #2 Wide Receiver is a must, maybe even a new #3.
• We need an elite mauling Guard in the vein of Faneca or DeCastro...hey, Seumalo and McCormick are adequate, but if you can get a gamechanger here the impact will immense in the run game.
• A modern take on passing and how to attack defenses will help tremendously.

Defense:

• We could use a few players, our Safeties are old/it never hurts to add a good CB or DL, but I think real issue here is scheme. We are just not set up to stop the run when we need to. Coverages and rushes need to be disguised more.

 

No I haven't.