Ladarius Green Could Be the Offensive Weapon the Pittsburgh Steelers Need

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed tight end Ladarius Green in the offseason, who began his career as a member of the San Diego Chargers and a backup to the future Hall of Famer, Antonio Gates. The Steelers were hoping to have added yet another game changer to their already seemingly stacked offense, but concussion and injury issues delayed Green’s debut until last week against the Dallas Cowboys, when Green finally made his first appearance for the team. Green told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that he expects an increased workload moving forward.

Replacing Heath

In 11 games with the Chargers last season, Green caught 37 passes for 429 yards with four touchdowns. Miller caught 60 passes for 535 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games with the Steelers last season. The fact that Miller only had two touchdowns last season is one of the main reasons why Green was brought in to replace him. Green has exceptional size and quickness for a tight end allowing him to create mismatches with slower linebackers and smaller defensive backs.

Jesse James

Because Green missed the first half of this season due to injuries, backup tight end Jesse James has filled in nicely. James has 28 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns so far this year through nine games. Last week against Dallas, James caught four passes for 59 yards, while Green caught three passes for 30 yards in his debut. Green is playing with two metal plates in his ankle, so a solid showing for him was important. The fact that both tight ends had success is promising for the Steelers offense.

Two Tight End System

If both Green and James can continue to play well, not only does it give Ben Roethlisberger yet another target in the passing game, but it also allows the offense to play with two tight ends a lot more, which will confuse defenses as to whether the offense will be running or throwing. The New England Patriots are the pioneers, and quite frankly, the masters of the two tight end system. Adding Martellus Bennett in the off-season seemed strange to some because of Rob Gronkowski, but adding Bennett only made Gronkowski and the Patriots better as a whole.

While Green and James will never be on the same level as Gronkowski and Bennett, they could still bring some much needed balance to the Steelers offense. The running game hasn’t been able to get going lately, partly because of the offensive line, but having two solid tight ends playing for the majority of the game should open things up more. James is only 22 years old, while Green is still only 26. The Steelers should try their hardest to hold onto both of their young, talented tight ends.