Steelers All 90: OL Joe Haeg
All 90 is a Pittsburgh Steelers Now series profiling each of the 90 members of the Steelers 2021 offseason roster.
71 • Joe Haeg, sixth-year offensive lineman
6-foot-6, 298 pounds
Acquired: Signed with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent on March 24.
Last season: Played in 12 games and made three starts for the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His one start came at left guard in Week 9 vs. New Orleans. Almost all of his other offensive snaps came as an extra tight end, including a play designed as a pass to Haeg in the Super Bowl.
Career: A fifth-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2016, Haeg started 14 games as a rookie, moving between left guard, right guard and right tackle.
He spent 2017 as the Colts’ primary right tackle before reverting to a jack-of-all-trades backup after an injury cost him most of 2018. He got his first NFL snaps at left tackle that season and also worked extensively as an extra tight end that season for the first time.
In 2019, he played in every game, but saw his playing time dramatically reduced, with 33 snaps at left guard, one at right tackle and 39 as an extra lineman.
College: A two-time FCS All-American at North Dakota State, Haeg started out as a walk-on and ended up starting 50 games over four years with the Bison. Played right tackle his freshman and sophomore seasons and left tackle his junior and senior years.
Camp outlook: Haeg is in line to be the Steelers’ top backup at the tackle position and extra tight end, a role that was filled by Jerald Hawkins after Zach Banner’s injury moved Chukwuma Okorafor into the starting lineup in 2020.
Haeg has experience in both parts of the role, and can also be a backup guard, though the Steelers have more depth on the inside with Rashaad Coward, J.C. Hassenauer and B.J. Finney.
Unlike the other players have held that role in recent memory (Okorafor, Banner, Matt Feiler, Chris Hubbard), the 28-year-old Haeg should not be considered a developmental prospect. He’s generally considered to be a better run blocker than pass blocker.
Future: Haeg has a two-year contract that’s worth $1.5 million in 2021 and $3.1 million in 2022. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after that.
The rest of the 90:
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