Veteran offensive lineman Max Starks, who tore an ACL during the Steelers’ playoff loss to the Broncos, is a free agent. And he has heard nothing from the only team with which he ever has played.
Or, presumably, any other team.
As to the Steelers, Starks isn’t expecting the phone to ring. Mike Adams, Jonathan Scott, and Trai Essex are expected to vie for the left tackle position. “As for myself, I don’t see [me being a part of that battle] unless there is something I don’t know,” Starks told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Last year, the Steelers cut Starks as the real games approached. But they came calling a month into the season, and Starks started each of the remaining 12 regular-season games. This year, however, it wouldn’t be as easy for Starks to step right in.
“I would need a week or so to get the plays down and the terminology,” Starks said. “It would be a different situation even coming back to the Steelers. I just want to get healthy and play for somebody. I have the mindset of rehabbing and make sure my knee is in the best possible shape and be ready to go when someone calls.”
It’s unknown whether anyone would want Starks if he were healthy. With offseason rosters increased from 80 to 90 this year, it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t at least be in camp.
Due to the knee, he likely will have to continue to wait. With former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians now in Indianapolis, maybe the Colts will be the ones to eventually make the call.