Who should we bring in?

Obviously the loss of Bud is a big deal buy not totally devastating. We will miss his speed most of all, his ability to beat his man off the ball and force the QB up in the pocket and to chase a runner down these were things he excelled in. If it means anything my observation is that TJ Watt played more consistently without Bud than Bud played without TJ but make no mistake about it they truly complimented each other. I believe we may have seen the last of Bud in a Steelers uniform as it will be hard to pay he and TJ but it all depends on Roethlisberger and Pouncey (those 2 have the biggest contracts and I can totally see those 2 retiring at the same time)

At any rate I believe we should sign Clay Matthews and here are my 5 reasons why

1/ Are you Experienced

"If you can just get your mind together
Then come on across to me
We'll hold hands, and then we'll watch the sunrise
From the bottom of the sea"
Jimi Hendrix

This is what I hope the Steelers are telling Clay right now lol.. ok seriously,
Yes we have Highsmith and Ola but that leaves us very thin in case of another injury. My fear is that those 2 are very green, they haven't seen the formations. They aren't familiar with tendencies.
The biggest question is can they consistently set the edge? This is unknown but do we want to figure it out now without a plan B? One weakness i noticed in Bud was his inability to shred blockers to make a tackle. Highsmith and Ola are both lighter than Bud i believe (don't know who's stronger). Enter Clay Matthews. He has the experience and he can still be a factor in a 3/4 defense. Dont see much use in a hybrid line formation because of lack of speed but He can still set an edge and rush the QB for 10 to 15 snaps.

2/ Set the Edge, Rush the Edge
Think about James Harrison when he went to NE. Admit it, he looked pretty good in there playoff game. He like Clay is not going to Chase down a speedy runner or QB like Mahommes BUT thats not what we need. We need a run stopper and someone to bend and pressure the QB for a few snaps. I believe Clay would come in with the same chip on his shoulder that Harrison had. It would probably take 2 or 3 games to get in shape but he would essentially be ready for the playoffs AND if KC losses another game then our final 2 might be meaningless (unless we're chasing perfection). It could give us the opportunity to get Clay more snaps.

3/ Clay is built for this.
He has the name, pedigree, and he played in Green Bay so the elements in the Burgh should not be an issue. On a side note he played college under Pete Carroll who we may see down the road and played with Aaron Rodgers who again we might see down the road. Who wouldn't want to get a phone call from an 11-0 team headed to the playoffs to come join in an effort to get a Lombardi

4/ He may have a bone to pick with Aaron Rodgers:
Clay joked a bit how when he was unceremoniously let go by Green Bay that he didn't get a long sympathetic goodbye from Aaron like was the case when other players were let go. He jokes but I believe he may be a little salty regardless of the joint commercials together. Why not have him come to the Burgh with a chance to get some payback.

5/ You can never have too much Clay
We could potentially be the only team who has Clay on offense and Clay on defense lol

Thoughts?

 

We have three guys that can play there. Elliott, Highsmith and Ola. They better get another center on the roster.

 

Is Matthews in football shape? I know he played for the Rams last year and had a few sacks. That kind of veteran experience can’t hurt if the money is right.

Elliot and Adenyi have not show anything to suggest they can contribute meaningfully. They are just guys on the roster really.

 

Matthews makes sense on some levels. Not sure they could get him to sign with the money they can afford to pay. It seems very tough to bring anyone in at this point to make any difference and for it to make sense for them.
Another name that may get me smashed pretty hard here is...gulp 'Terrell Suggs'. Feels kinda icky, but could he help? Would he want to?

 

The other option is to play sub package football utilizing 4-3 concepts but not a true 4-3 let Cam or Tuitt when he is back from protocol blitz from a two point stance, keep Tyson inside with either Buggs or Wormley and have TJ flip flop as he sees fit. You may loose speed on the edge but will have a bigger player to set the edge on run plays and someone that can demand attention so Watt isn't dbl teamed.

 

I'd give him a call, see if the the money and situation is right for him if he's in playing shape. What's the worst that can happen? I'll take a flier on Suggs.

 

The Steelers have been getting as much pressure from the inside as they have from the outside. Keep doing what their doing and hope Highsmith is ready.