Steelers Get Rid of Simmons, Smith

If you pay any attention to the Steelers, you probably know that guard Kendall Simmons has struggled with pass blocking, run blocking and staying healthy. But even with that, the Steelers' decision to cut Simmons on Thursday is pretty shocking considering how thin the Steelers are at guard.

Just two years after the Steelers signed Simmons to a five-year, $24 million deal, they cut him on Thursday. It leaves Pittsburgh with only one guard (Darnell Stapleton) on the current roster who has ever started a game. One would hope that this means the Steelers plan on bringing in a guard in free agency, even if Jeff Saturday, their likely No. 1 target, has re-upped with the Colts.The Steelers also didn't give a tender offer to Anthony Smith, which makes him a free agent. In one day, two of the players who have drawn the most ire from Steelers fans were both dumped. Smith is a player who'll be best remembered for a stupid guarantee before the 2007 Patriots game and very little production during his time with the Steelers.

In Simmons' case, he's been a solid teammate throughout his time in Pittsburgh, but the fans' anger is well deserved, as he's been a below-average offensive lineman for most of his career. It's fair to wonder if his career would have been different if he hadn't been diagnosed with diabetes in 2003 or torn his ACL in 2004 . But neither of those maladies explain why the Steelers decided to re-sign him to the nearly $6 million-a-year deal in 2007, when fellow guard Alan Faneca was allowed to leave for an $8 million-a-year deal.

With Simmons gone, Pittsburgh conceivably could become a factor in the Jason Brown bidding, but the Ravens guard/center will likely land a deal significantly bigger than the Steelers are willing to pay. They also could re-sign free agent Chris Kemoeatu. Kemoeatu isn't very good himself, but he is better than Simmons, and unlike Simmons his biggest problems (blitz pickup and technique) are things he could improve with more reps, while Simmons' problem (lack of functional strength) is nearly impossible to fix.

The Steelers did likely ensure they'll bring Willie Colon back, as they tendered him at the first-round level. The Steelers gave Colon a $2.7 million offer that ensures that if another team signs Colon to an offer sheet, the Steelers can either match the deal or receive a first-round pick if they let Colon leave.