Donte Moncrief still facing uncertain future in Pittsburgh

With poor play, injury and a potential compensatory pick on the line, the future of Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Donte Moncrief is unclear.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is known for his cliche words of wisdom and colorful metaphors. Boomerangs are no exception, and neither is Steelers receiver Donte Moncrief. 

"You don’t have to be in this a long time to realize the boomerang comes back around. He needs to be ready for it when it does.”- Mike Tomlin said on Moncrief.

Moncrief's start to his career in Pittsburgh has certainly fell short of expectations, ones that held high hopes of the Steelers establishing a legitimate threat opposite of receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Through four weeks, Moncrief has the worst drop rate in the league, and only three receptions on eleven targets. Moncrief suffered a dislocated finger during training camp, which may explain his struggles thus far. 

Yet, Mike Tomlin's "the standard is the standard" mantra applies to all players on the roster, as Moncrief is no exception. After being a healthy scratch for Pittsburgh's week three battle with the San Francisco 49ers, Moncrief played just three snaps in the Steelers' win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football last week. Moncrief's performance through four weeks has some calling for his dismissal. 

Would releasing Moncrief be the best of ideas? You'll hear arguments for either side, although most terrible towel wavers would suggest he's gone sooner rather than later. The release of linebacker L.J. Fort from the Philadelphia Eagles last week potentially throws a serious wrench in Pittsburgh's decision making.  

The NFL is all about balance. One way the league achieves this idea (or at least attempts to) is through compensatory draft picks. 

Straight from NFL Operations, compensatory picks are defined as draft picks awarded to teams that lose more, or better, compensatory free agents than they have acquired in the previous year. "Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula developed by the NFL Management Council based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The compensatory picks will fall between Rounds 3-7" the league says. 

So picks given are essentially cut and dry, correct? 

Not so much. The league has not officially revealed their super secret formula, though sites such as overthecap.com have gotten pretty accurate at predicting such picks to be given, which you can read into more here. 

After losing Le'Veon Bell among other transactions through free agency, the Steelers have been predicted by many to gain a third-round pick in next year's draft. This is where the loss of L.J. Fort comes into play for Pittsburgh. Essentially, Fort being released by the Eagles lessens the Steelers chance of acquiring a third round pick from the league. 

The most favorable way to ensure such a high pick will head Pittsburgh's way? Cutting ties with Moncrief, tipping the compensatory draft pick scale in there favor once more. 

It's not such a cut and dried process, however. It's widely believed that Moncrief would need to be released by week ten to salvage the oh-so-coveted compensatory pick. Moncrief is set to accrue $3.5 million in dead cap space (money on the Steelers salary hit no matter what), but the team would likely choose to spread that money over a two year span should he be released. 

To release, or not to release? That is the question that general manager Kevin Colbert will ponder over the next few weeks. Should Moncrief prove his worth through excellent play, he just might save his spot on the roster for 2019. However, the Steelers importance on attaining the possible high compensatory pick is presumably high without possessing a first-round selection, and thus a decision should come sooner rather than later.