When speaking to the media on Monday, outgoing Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert provided an update on a number of topics, beginning with his personal plans. As Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (via Twitter), he is unlikely to completely retire once his successor is named.
Specifically, Colbert said, “I may or may not have a role” with the franchise after his contract expires following the draft. Dulac adds that the 65-year-old made his intention to step down clear last May, noting that “it was time from a personal standpoint, it was time from a professional standpoint.”
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor tweets that Colbert is helping with the search for the new GM, which is primarily taking place before March 1 because teams can block candidates from interviewing after that date.
With regard to the top offseason priority in Pittsburgh – the search for a new starting quarterback – Colbert repeated the team’s public support of Mason Rudolph. “We have confidence that Mason, if we started today, would be our starter and we’re excited to see where that can go,” he said (Twitter link via Dulac). Rudolph holds a record of 5-4-1 as a starter after being a third-round pick in 2018.
Here are some other Steelers notes, including more on the QB situation:
- Colbert made it clear that the team, as expected, will place a restricted free agent tender on Dwayne Haskins. That will leave the Steelers with two incumbent signal callers, but Colbert said "we know we’re going to add to the position” in the offseason, adding that “we will go to camp with four” (Twitter link via Pryor). He didn’t specify what avenue the team could take to acquire other options, but the Steelers are expected to be active in any regard.
- Dulac tweets that Colbert acknowledged the unusually flexible position the team is in with regard to cap space, though he stressed that the Steelers traditionally don’t spend as much as other teams on the open market. He did, however, seem to “leave [the] door open to spend” this March.
- Pryor reports that the Steelers are open to retaining defensive tackle Stephon Tuitt for next year, the final one on his current contract (Twitter link). The 28-year-old missed the entire 2021 season with a knee injury and is scheduled to have a cap hit of just under $14M next year. He has 34.5 sacks in seven seasons, all with the Steelers.
- Finally, Pryor tweets that Pittsburgh has yet to decide whether or not it will pick up linebacker Devin Bush's fifth-year option. “I think Devin Bush will be a better player in 2022,” Colbert said, referring to his recovery from a torn ACL. It had previously been reported that the team wasn’t picking up the option, but that would leave a significant hole in the middle of the team’s defense.
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