Joe Schobert traded to Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to claim their second consecutive AFC North title this year and made a big move in trying to reach that goal. They announced on Saturday that they have acquired 27-year-old linebacker Joe Schobert of the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
There had been rumblings that Schobert could be heading to the Steelers following some tweets from his wife last week, but the deal wasn’t made official until Saturday when everything was confirmed. To make room for Schobert on the roster, the Steelers waived Tegray Scales.
“Joe has been highly productive in every circumstance that he’s been in,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to members of the media.
“He’s a sideline-to-sideline tackler; he’s good in coverage, has coverage production in terms of interceptions, sack production. He plays a well-rounded game, and so we’re excited about infusing him into what we do.”
The trade comes just a year after Schobert put pen to paper on a new five-year deal worth $53.75 million with the Jaguars. The veteran featured in all 16 games for Jacksonville last season and played a huge role in their defensive scheme. However, the Jaguars fired head coach Doug Marrone following an abysmal 1-15 season and new head coach Urban Meyer does not see Schobert as part of his plans. Ridding themselves of Schobert’s massive salary will help Meyer rebuild the roster as he sees fit with players that fit his system better.
Schobert was taken with the 99th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, signing a four-year $2.97 million deal with the organization. He earned his first and only Pro Bowl selection in 2017 while with the Browns. As a free agent though, he opted to leave for Jacksonville where he spent just one season prior to being traded to the Steelers.
Schobert has his first practice with his new teammates on Saturday as well, potentially making his first appearance in a Steelers uniform next Saturday during Pittsburgh’s next preseason game against the Detroit Lions.
With the Steelers already having studs Robert Spillane and Devin Bush in the lineup, it remains to be seen how Tomlin will look to use his latest pickup but the coach isn’t in a rush to make a decision either.
“I’m not ready to speculate at this juncture. We’ve got some work in front of us and they’ll determine the division of labor with their quality of work, as it should be,” Tomlin said.
Schobert now becomes the third former Pro Bowler to arrive in Pittsburgh during the offseason since July. The Steelers also signed guard Trai Turner before also adding outside linebacker Melvin Ingram just a couple of days before the start of training camp.
“It was available. It presented itself to us, but it didn’t take us long to consider it because we’re highly familiar with his skillset and productivity,” Tomlin said of the decision to trade for Schobert.
