When the Pittsburgh Steelers chose to sign tight end Ladarius Green to a four-year, $20 million contract at the end of the first day of the open free agency period in 2016, I believe that they not only signed a talented player, they also signed on to the viability of a certain philosophy that they had not really embraced before.
As though it were not obvious, Green represented a different sort of player than the Steelers were known to employ out of the tight end position. Sometimes seemingly one of the few remaining relics of a bygone age, Pittsburgh always relied upon their tight ends first and foremost to serve as an extension of the offensive line as blockers, rather than a part of the receiving corps.