Steelers Nation took a collective gasp when tight end Heath Miller shocked many and abruptly retired in February. Not only were the Pittsburgh Steelers losing their best tight end in franchise history, they were losing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s safety valve and favorite target.
Because of his skillset, recently acquired Ladarius Green can be the Pittsburgh Steelers X-Factor in 2016 and help soften the blow of losing Heath Miller.
Over the course of his 11-year career, Miller was the epitome of a “Pittsburgh Steeler”. He showed up to work every day (only missing eight games in 11 years) and rarely made the headlines for any reason good or bad.
Miller retired as Pittsburgh’s tight end leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns, as well as second overall in receptions and fourth overall in touchdowns. Miller is also one of only 12 tight ends in NFL history with more than 6,000 receiving yards in his career.
Ladarius Green Can Be the Pittsburgh Steelers X-Factor in 2016
No one can replace Heath Miller. It can’t be done. He was a once in a generation player.
With that being said, the Steelers will look to a seldom used, uber-athletic fourth year player out of Louisiana-Lafayette to help fill the void. He wears number 80 and his name is Ladarius Green.
Green signed a four-year, $20 million deal in May. Steelers Nation was split with the signing of Green with half of fans asking “who is Ladarius Green”, and the other half (myself included), ecstatic with the signing.
It would be unfair to ask any new tight end to come in and replace Miller’s production. One does not simply replace a future Hall of Famer and franchise best at the position right away. Green has the skill set and athleticism to seriously help soften the blow of Miller’s departure.
Ladarius Green’s Skill Set
Standing at 6’6″ and tipping the scales at 240 pounds, Ladarius Green is a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses. He’s too fast for a linebacker, and too big for a safety. He was also able to study under the tutelage of another NFL great tight end for many years – Antonio Gates.
Ladarius Green is clearly a more established pass-catcher than blocking tight end. That’s not a knock against him, but more so what he was asked to do in San Diego’s offense. He will be asked to block quite a bit in the Steel City. Offensive line coach Mike Munchak will certainly have his work cut out for him.
Green has excellent hands to go along with his tremendous size. He was clocked at 4.54 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the 2012 NFL Combine, so the big man definitely has breakaway speed from linebackers.
One thing that stuck out during research was that Ladarius Green was not afraid to run routes across the middle. Many of the routes he was asked to run in San Diego were short/medium crossing routes. Green displayed an uncanny ability to find the soft spot in the zone or to run away from defenders trailing him.
Ladarius Green’s greatest asset, though, is his ability to stretch the field down the middle. The soft spot in-between the linebackers and safeties can be exploited by an athletic tight end and a quarterback who isn’t afraid to wing it – both things the Steelers have.
Green’s ability to stretch the field vertically down the middle will certainly help All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown. Teams won’t be as likely to shift a safety over to double team Brown when a 6’6″ tight end can streak by you down the middle of the field.
The Steelers can also utilize Green and his size in the red-zone and on the goal line. There were numerous occasions in San Diego where Green lined up as a wide receiver on the goal line to run a goal line fade. More times than not Green came down with the ball.
Injury Concerns
The only knock on Green has been his injury history. Green has missed parts of every season he’s played in the NFL with concussions or concussion-like symptoms. Concussions are hit or miss and it depends on the player and how they react to it.
Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed is a perfect example of a player who has been plagued by concussions his entire career (college included) but has been highly productive when he’s played.
Green had off-season ankle surgery that took a bit longer than expected to fully heal. The Steelers were forced to place Green on injured-reserve set to return before the regular season.
There are numerous reports published that Green has been practicing in full and has not been limited during practice the past week. With that being said, the Steelers have three weeks to bring Ladarius Green onto the 53-man roster, or place him on season ending injured reserve.
All indications out of Pittsburgh are that the newly acquired tight end will make his debut in Baltimore this week or at home in Pittsburgh against the Dallas Cowboys next week.
Regardless of when it occurs, Steelers Nation anxiously awaits the heir-apparent at tight end in black and yellow.
