Three Replacement Options for David DeCastro
In what has become an offseason full of surprising releases and departures, the Pittsburgh Steelers have cut ties with Pro-Bowl guard David Decastro.
This move leaves the Steelers without four of their five Week 2 starters from 2020. With an offensive line that was already full of question marks heading into training camp, losing Decastro is a gut punch to the Steelers' offense.
So what happens next? Here are three players the Steelers could look to sign following the release of Decastro.
Trai Turner
All fingers are pointing at Trai Turner in terms of the man who will replace Decastro. He is the highest-profile guard still on the free agent market and could step right into the right guard role. Is he as good as Decastro? I would argue no. That said, he is still one of the better guards in the league and would be the best replacement in terms of free agents available.
Mitchell Schwartz
The former Chiefs All-Pro is still a free agent after being surprisingly let go by Kansas City at the beginning of the off-season. Even at age 32, Schwartz is still among the best tackles in the NFL and would bring a much-needed veteran presence to the unit.
On top of his skill and leadership, the Steelers' tackle situation is less than desirable, to say the least. As much of a fan favorite as Zach Banner is, we frankly don't know how good he is due to him missing all of 2020 with a torn ACL. The left tackle side is an even bigger question mark with rookie Dan Moore and Chukwuma Okorafor seemingly battling for the starting job.
Signing Schwartz would give Pittsburgh a reliable tackle and mean that the Steelers would start B.J. Finney at left guard while keeping Kendrick Green at center and having Kevin Dotson fill the vacant right guard spot.
Morgan Moses
Moses was let go by Washington in May and, much like Schwarz, would be a huge upgrade at tackle for Pittsburgh. He has started 96 consecutive regular season games and would be an upgrade over every tackle that Pittsburgh currently has on their roster. The addition of Moses could lead to Pittsburgh moving Zach Banner to left tackle, while keeping the same formation of Finney-Green-Dotson on the interior.
Regardless of whom the Steelers sign, they are in desperate need of offensive line help. If Najee Harris has no holes to run through, and Ben Roethlisberger has no time to throw, the Steelers' 2021 season could be over before it even begins.
Jarrett Bailey is a contributor with AllSteelers. Follow Jarrett on Twitter @JBaileyNFL, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
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