Two days ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars sent stand-out linebacker Joe Schobert to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a move that further underscores the rebuild under Head Coach Urban Meyer’s new regime. News of the compensation trickled out a day later; just a 2022 sixth-round pick landed Schobert. Clearly, the move was a salary dump for the Jaguars.
What This Means For Schobert and the Steelers
Joe Schobert immediately finds himself on a top-five defense and what looks to be a Superbowl contender. The Steelers absorb his $7.3 million base salary and feel like they’ve stolen a potential Probowler. Pittsburgh struggled at the LB position last season after Devin Bush went down with an ACL injury. While Bush appears set to return this season, the team did lose veteran Vince Williams to retirement and opted to let Avery Williamson walk in free agency.
Thin at inside LB, the Steelers felt they needed to make a move. Schobert looks to be an immediate impact player as he will benefit from his new supporting cast–arguably one of the best front-sevens in the league prior to his addition. Here is what he has been able to accomplish on lesser defenses throughout his career:
| Year | Games Started | Combined Tackles | Forced Fumbles | Sacks | PDs | INTs |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 16 | 144 | 3 | 3.0 | 4 | 1 |
| 2018 | 13 | 103 | 2 | 3.0 | 6 | 1 |
| 2019 | 16 | 133 | 2 | 2.0 | 9 | 4 |
| 2020 | 16 | 141 | 2 | 2.5 | 4 | 3 |
As you can see, Schobert has always been a stalwart producer from a tackles-perspective. However, it’s important to note that Schobert has frequently played from behind throughout his career and was always on losing teams. Under those circumstances, defenses are on the field more often and seeing more run-plays in the second half of games.
Value of the Steelers LBs
As alluded to, playing on what looks to be a good defense and a contending team means Schobert will see fewer tackle opportunities. This is because he will have to compete with other stand-out defenders to make plays each snap. Expect his tackle numbers to decrease. However, due to his new talented supporting cast, expect to see more opportunities for sacks, fumbles, and other impact plays. Ultimately, your author has moved Schobert down the dynasty rankings a few spots from LB7 to LB10 due to this presumed decrease in high-volume tackle consistency. He is still firmly in the LB1 tier though.
Many in the IDP community are concerned this move was made out of concern for Devin Bush and his recovery. Your author does not feel this way at all–this is simply an upgrade to replace Robert Spillane in the lineup. Schobert and Bush will play alongside one another on the inside in base and nickel personnel packages. Although, your author expects Schobert to wear the green dot.
Some IDP analysts are concerned that the Steelers will employ more Dime defense this season. Regardless, the Steelers haven’t favored Dime personnel since the 2018 season. In 2020, the Steelers played Dime defense less than 25% of their snaps. Furthermore, Bush is much more athletic (4.43-second 40-yard, 40.5” vertical, 124” broad) than Schobert and is already better in man-coverage. The Steelers will utilize personnel matchups that give them the greatest advantage but expect Schobert to defer to Devin Bush when a man-coverage LB is needed. Pending offensive alignments, converting to Dime from a base 3-4 package often renders a 3-2-6 personnel anyway. Nevertheless, your author predicts the Steelers’ most frequently employed package will be nickel personnel, utilizing both LBs’ talents.
Bush was already a lower-ranked borderline LB1 and the addition of a run-defender of Schobert’s caliber does warrant a subtle drop. Bush drops from dynasty LB12 to LB14.
Value of the Jaguars LBs
Myles Jack is a more natural fit for Joe Cullen’s defense than Schobert was, as Jack is more athletic and excels in man coverage. Cullen comes in as a Wink Martindale understudy, who will look to exploit voids in opposing offenses’ protection and play tight man coverage on the back end. While Schobert has proven to be effective on the blitz in the past, he has largely been a liability in coverage.
Jack, who is now “the guy” in the middle of the Jags’ defense, enjoys a meteoric rise from dynasty LB25 to LB17. He is one of those players who is a better fantasy asset than he is a real-life football asset, largely due to the inability to consistently play the run over his career, so don’t pursue him recklessly. Admittedly, he enjoyed the best season of his career in 2020, as his play was much improved. This most likely led to the decision to ship out Schobert.
Jack has a large contract, so the hope is he remains in his current role for the foreseeable future. However, a regression back to his pre-2020 form might see a new LB drafted in 2022 to be his successor.
Do not forget there is another LB who stands to benefit from increased snaps due to Schobert’s departure. Former Chiefs’ ILB Damien Wilson was signed as a free agent this offseason. Stout as a run defender, he looks to play more in nickel personnel. In deeper IDPs leagues, if you already own him look to trade him and profit off of this news. This perceived path to increased snaps may sound good in theory but will not allow him to out-produce anything he ever did in Kansas City.
Actionable IDP Fantasy Insight
Due to the excitement and newness of the situation, Joe Schobert’s perceived value will increase. The recommendation is to not trade for him at an increased price. Devin Bush, on the other hand, may have a window available where you can buy low. While his 2020 production could see a decline compared to his rookie numbers, the perception that he will simply “hit the bench” on passing downs could allow savvy owners to acquire him on discount. Your author just recently traded Russell Gage, D.J. Wonnum, Malik Reed, and what amounts to a devy selection for Deebo Samuel and Devin Bush.
Experienced owners will recognize Myles Jack’s newfound opportunity doubled down with his improved play in 2020. Only try to acquire Jack at his previous LB3 tier price. There are still too many risks involved to pay a premium for him. On the contrary, if possible, utilize this news to sell Damien Wilson for anything you can. Check out our updated dynasty IDP rankings to see where all the pieces fall!
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