Well with this article I'm going to evaluate how important tight ends were to recent Super Bowl winning teams.
Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos
Owen Daniels
Neither Owen Daniels or Vernon Davis were vital pieces to the Broncos offense. Although Owen Daniels had some big touchdowns in the playoffs for the Broncos, he had a relatively quiet season; he ended the regular season with 46 receptions - 517 yards - 3 td's. He played about 75% of the snaps during this season. Daniels in a way is a lesser version of Heath. Primarily a blocker and a reliable receiver. His play is an example of how a team can get by with a tight end that isn't great, but reliable.
Super Bowl 49 - New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowki
Ok, different story here. Gronk was, and still is, a vital piece of the Patriots offense. Gronk ended the 2014 regular season with 82 receptions - 1,124 yards - 12 td's. He played about 73% of the snaps during the season. Gronk represents how a dominant tight end can transcend an offense; he is the best at his position in the league and the offense changes without him. The Steelers use tight end differently than the Pat"s though. Gronk is primarily a receiver and although he does block, that's not his focus. Surely though if the Steeler's had a tight end of Gronk's caliber their offense would undoubtedly be the best in the league.
Super Bowl 48 - Seattle Seahawks
Like Wilson
Not gonna lie, I had to look up who the Seahawks tight end was this year. That sort of speaks of the kind of player Luke Wilson is. A solid, under-the-radar guy. He ended the 2014 regular season with 22 receptions - 362 yards - 3 td's. He is clearly more Owen Daniels than Gronk, asked to block more than catch. Although the Seahawks later traded for Jimmy Graham, they were arguably better without him. The Seahawks, like the Steelers, prefer blocking tight ends with receiving ability.
(Some research showed that Zach Miller went into 2014 as the starter before getting injured early in the season.)
Final thoughts:
This is a small sample size, but I feel it gets my point across. A team doesn't need a dominant tight end to be successful and win. Heath was honestly an average player last year, efficient at both blocking and catching. I think Jesse James, Matt Spaeth, and either a rookie or a vet will make a solid tight end core.
I don't think there's one sure solution to fix this issue; the team has a multitude of options. Whether its signing a vet, drafting a guy high, or drafting a guy in the middle rounds, the Steelers will find a way to adjust their scheme to make it work. That's what the great teams do, they adjust to the guys they have.
If the Steelers draft a guy like Hunter Henry, it's hard to imagine that they'll adjust things to give him more targets. With the amount of weapons the Steelers have, they really have no need to increase the tight end role in their offense. The Steelers don't need a flash tight end, they need a tough, hard-nosed, team-first guy who will block and catch. The Steelers may need to invest in a new tight end though considering Spaeth's age and growing injury history. Players like Nick Vannet & Austin Hooper are the popular picks for targets in the 2nd & 3rd round.
In no way am I saying that Heath is easily replaceable and won't be missed. I respect Heath immensely and he is a huge presence both in the locker room and in the community.
It's hard to predict the route the Steelers will go. I imagine Hunter Henry, Nick Vannett, Austin Hooper, and other tight end prospects will be brought in for pre-draft visits. That's basically the story of the NFL offseason: you can speculate all you want, but at the end of the day all we can do is wait for free agency and the draft.
Thanks for reading.
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