FanHouse TraiEssex

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

For the second time in four years, the Steelers hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, which means no matter what happens this offseason, Steelers fans have plenty of reasons to be happy. But with an easier 2009 schedule on the horizon and few big names hitting free agency, Steelers fans are ready to start thinking repeat, even if Mike Tomlin won't use that word.

As they create room in the trophy case for a sixth Lombardi Trophy, the Steelers also have some decisions to make. Four of the team's top five offensive tackles are free agents (although Willie Colon is only a restricted free agent), as are starting cornerback Bryant McFadden and No. 3 receiver Nate Washington.

But according to Sports Illustrated's Don Banks, the Steelers have already decided on their top free agent priority. Banks says the Steelers plan to try to re-up McFadden before free agency begins on Feb. 27. With $19 million in cap room, Pittsburgh has some room to get McFadden under contract while also either re-upping Max Starks or trying to bring in free agent offensive line help.

The Steelers have managed to survive multiple injuries this year, but they have reached the end of the line: if one more offensive lineman gets hurt, the already awful unit will likely fall apart.

When Darnell Stapleton went down with a knee injury in the second half of the Chargers game, Trai Essex, an okay pass blocker and pretty poor run-blocking left tackle, came in to replace him. Stapleton was already playing as the replacement for the injured Kendall Simmons, while Max Starks is playing left tackle in place of the injured Marvel Smith.

Thankfully, Stapleton was able to return to the game, but when he was out, it pointed out just how thin the Steelers now are along the line. Essex is now the primary backup at all five offensive line positions -- if Justin Hartwig goes down, Stapleton would slide to center and Essex would replace him. If Willie Colon went down, Max Starks would slide to right tackle and Essex would play left tackle, and Essex would come in and play either guard spot.

If you ever had any doubt that there is a serious disconnect between the Steelers coaching staff and the Steelers front office, that was dispelled on Sunday night. And if there was any question that the decision to slap a transition tag on Max Starks ranks as one of the worst decisions in the history of free agency in the NFL, it was also cleared up.

Marvel Smith, the Steelers' starting left tackle, left the Jaguars game at the start of the fourth quarter with cramps. Given the choice of sending in Starks, the $6.9 million backup, or Trai Essex, the Steelers chose Essex. Starks is a former starting right tackle on a Super Bowl team, who also played reasonably well as a fill-in left tackle last year when Smith went down with a back injury. Essex is a disappointing fourth-year left tackle prospect who has never been ahead of Starks on the depth chart--until now.

Essex, of course, then allowed a sack on his first snap.

In case you're wondering Starks is active--with three defensive linemen hurt as well as two running backs, it's not hard to find enought players for the inactive list.

It's very hard to how its possible that the same team that could offer Starks nearly $7 million would then view him as only a backup right tackle. Clearly the front office believes Starks can play, while the coaching staff must despise him.

The Steelers got a big win on Monday night, but they also suffered a lot of losses.

Starting guard Kendall Simmons tore an Achilles tendon. First-round pick and defacto starting tailback Rashard Mendenhall broke his shoulder. Both are headed to the injured reserve and will miss the rest of the season. This is the latest malady for Simmons who missed a season with a torn ACL early in his career and had to adjust to playing with diabetes a couple of years ago. Mendenhall broke his shoulder on a particularly hard (but fair) hit from linebacker Ray Lewis.

The Steelers will likely replace Simmons with either Trai Essex or Darnell Stapleton, although the way to get the best five on the field would be to move Willie Colon inside to guard while Max Starks slides into the right tackle spot.

The addition of Tony Hills and the puzzling decision to re-sign Max Starks would seem to eliminate Jason Capizzi's chances of making the 2008 Steelers squad. With the coaching staff's decision to keep Willie Colon at tackle, Marvel Smith's return at left tackle, and the decision to bring back Trai Essex (pictured) for another season, that's five tackles for a team that's could keep only four.

But then you read stories like the one Jim Wexell just wrote, and it's easy to wonder if the Steelers will have to figure out some way to keep Capizzi around.

Last summer was a joyride for Jason Capizzi. He was the super sleeper out of IUP, the hometown longshot who captured imaginations as a post-draft steal, a 6-9 offensive tackle with great feet. Word had it that Kevin Colbert was talking him up big behind closed doors. And then Capizzi got cut. Dream over. Until now.

While he's not the fresh name reporters love to discuss, he is drawing raves from behind closed doors. "He'll amaze you," said one source with the team.

With the news that Trai Essex might be the Steelers left tackle for Saturday's playoff game against the Jaguars, it was worth going back to look at Sunday's game to see how the former third-round pick played in his first extensive action in two years.

The good news if you're a Steelers fan is that Essex wasn't an absolute disaster. In fact, if you compare Essex' game to Marvel Smith's game against the Jaguars the last time the two teams played, Essex was clearly superior. Essex didn't allow a sack, and only allowed two hurries in three quarters of action. Admittedly Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata didn't seem particularly interested in giving exceptional efforts (Suggs spent way too many plays content to simply lock up Essex and stand there), but facing a very good pass rusher, Essex held his own. He also showed good recognition when blitzes came, sliding out to make a nice block on a blitzing defensive back on one play and recognizing another blitz to hand off his man and slide outside.