Vance McDonald is not Jesse James’ replacement

Earlier today I was standing on my toilet, hanging a clock when I accidentally fell and hit my head on the sink.

An idea then came to me: it wasn’t the invention of the flux capacitor, as the story above (lifted from the movie Back To The Future) would indicate, rather, that Jesse James might not be taking a backseat to anyone during the 2017 season.

Let’s rewind: the Steelers tried out an awful lot of undrafted tight ends this offseason after failing to draft or sign one via free agency. None of those players worked out, nor did last year’s big free agent catch, Ladarius Green. Tight end looked like the weakest link on Pittsburgh’s roster. That should be okay, we all thought, considering the depth at the wide receiver position. They still have David Johnson to block right?

Then things took a turn. The Steelers traded for 49ers tight end Vance McDonald, and everyone assumed Jesse James would no longer be the starter. However, James was the starter for most of 2016, while Green sat watching from the sidelines, initially starting the season on the PUP list and then leaving after a handful of games, never fully recovering from the league’s concussion protocol.

The assumption that McDonald will supplant James isn’t too hot of a take, but it’s one that got me thinking (fake clock and head injury on the sink aside). What if McDonald’s arrival is to add a much more different wrinkle to the Steelers offense?

Eric Herrmann briefly touched on the same idea in his 4 scheme changes the Steelers could make article. We had both discussed the possibility of the Steelers using more multiple tight end sets. In the past, Todd Haley hasn’t shied away from two and three tight end formations, but those were typically run-heavy sub packages utilizing blocking tight ends such as the now released David Johnson and retired Matt Spaeth, or an extra tackle such as Alejandro Villanueva (prior to becoming the starting left tackle), Mike Adams and Chris Hubbard.

The “aha” moment for me is coming to terms with the reality that Jesse James played a lot of snaps in 2016. Aside from offensive linemen, and the Killer B’s, James was the next guy to play the most snaps in the Steelers offense. Logically, a starting tight end should do so, but James wasn’t penciled in as the starter following the Green signing. And for six games last season, he competed with Ladarius for playing time. James was still targeted 60 times in the passing game and caught 39 passes. Both figures were good for fourth most behind Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and Eli Rogers.

In other words, he held off Green and fellow tight end Xavier Grimble to earn the starting job while also being a cog in the offensive machine.

Therefore the idea that James may not be put out to pasture just yet is a solid theory. While James can often leave much to be desired as a blocker, he’s been a reliable player who can move the chains. He’s not a vertical threat such as Green or McDonald, but that’s the point of adding those athletes into a personnel group with James: it’s to leverage James’ strengths and to not expose his weaknesses to the opponent.

With Martavis Bryant returning, pairing with Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown in the passing game, who do you cover in 12 personnel which includes McDonald and James on the field at the same time? (That is two tight ends, two wide receivers and one running back.)

The options are limitless. Ben Roethlisberger could have McDonald split out into the slot as an oversized receiver creating a mismatch, or do the very same with Bell, as we’ve seen many times. James could go in motion to help set the edge on a run or decoy a misdirection play.

And let’s not forget: James is 6-7, 245 lbs. McDonald is 6-4, 267 lbs. and Bryant is 6-4, 211 lbs. Gone are the days of Big Ben not having equally big targets in the red zone. Toss in 6-4 Justin Hunter and things get rather intriguing in the red zone.

Therefore, let’s temper our expectations of McDonald, especially to start the year. Vance didn’t have a training camp to prepare and may still need some time to ease into the offense. During that time, we’ll see plenty of Jesse James… and if last year were any indication, we’ll see him a lot anyway.


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