The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves a nice, cheap contributor to the line-up in the second half of the year with four-year NFL veteran wide receiver, Steven Sims. After winning the kick return duties in Week 5 and being active for the first time, Sims began developing a role within the Pittsburgh offense and finished the season with 104 yards on 14 receptions.
Sims had his highs and lows in the season but showed up in a clutch moment in Week 17 against AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens with the Steelers hanging on to faint playoff hopes. With 2:06 left in the fourth quarter, Sims lept into the air and reached out to grab a pass from Kenny Pickett for a 28-yard gain to set them up to take a 16-13 victory.
Sims was pretty excited about what the unit was able to do down the stretch. After a rough 2-6 start, the bye week gave the team a chance to communicate and solve some issues, according to the 25-year-old who turns 26 at the end of March.
"We all hashed it out, at least on offense," said Sims via Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. "I don't know what the defense did, but the offense, we sat in the room as a unit. And we spoke about this is what we need to change. All we need to do is little things, and it was the small things that we were focused on. We did that as well in the wide receiver room. Just talked as a group like, what do you all want to do differently."
He thinks that with a couple of steps forward in 2023 the Steelers should be in a good place to get back to the postseason.
"I definitely think we showed growth," Sims said. "We're a younger group in some areas and I definitely think we showed growth. We came together and said we can do this. We can stack wins and be a team fighting until the end. I definitely feel like we left a couple of games out there, maybe two or three that we definitely should have won. Those are the games that if we win, it's no brainer that we would have been in the playoffs."
Will Sims Be Part of Growth Next Season?
Sims is a restricted free agent this summer, and though he provided some valuable contributions down the stretch, it will be interesting to see whether the Steelers decide to keep him in the black and gold.
The Steelers didn't get a chance to see what Calvin Austin III could do as he missed the entire year with injuries, but he provides a similar type of skill set to Sims and is already under contract. Austin could be part of a group that could be a potential x-factor for the squad going forward. The Steelers might see Sims as an expensive luxury when they have Austin at just a $985,000 base salary in 2024. The team could also add a potentially cheaper receiver in free agency or the draft that will be more affordable than resigning Sims. While he had his moments as both a receiver and as a returner it seems more than likely that the Steelers will move on from Sims after this season.
So, what do you think Steeler Nation? Does Austin coming back for 2023 make Sims a luxury?
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