Please hear me out. We aren't sure if Ben can come back and even it he does at say 90% of what he was, the Steelers have only won three times in the post season in the past ten years.
1 ) Take a comp pick for Durpee and Hargrave, giving us a projected 3rd and 4th round comp pick in 2021 and persevering a lot of cap space. We would need to spend round 2 and 3 for replacements this year, but they would be much cheaper. I suspect Durpee will us a tag to retain. ( 13.8 million for one year )
2 ) Let Ben play out his last season if he does come back. In 2021 he can retire ( freeing up 31.5 million in cap space ), or be cut, for 19 million in cap savings.
Come 2021, both Tomlin and Colbert, contracts expire, which would give our new head coach / GM if Rooney decides their time is up plenty of cap space to work with and a good amount of draft picks.
This plan B doesn't mean we cannot make the playoffs in 2020, as we were 8-8 with out Ben.