This is the beginning of a series in which we’ll take a close look at the players who can become unrestricted free agents for the Steelers when the new league year begins on March 10th. Our first edition begins with free safety Will Allen.
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Will Allen just finished his second stint with the Steelers for his eleventh season in the NFL. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of Ohio State.
In 2014 Allen played in all 16 games for the Steelers and started four games in place of an injured Troy Polamalu. Allen had one forced fumble and one quarterback pressure. He also had 36 tackles and was largely the No. 3 safety used on the team besides Mike Mitchell and Troy Polamalu.
There’s no question that the Steelers need help in their secondary. They need to get younger, faster, and stronger in the secondary to keep up with the improvements they seem to be making on the defensive line with the infusion of younger players up there.
For some reason, whether it’s what he shows in practice or the philosophies of Dick LeBeau and his reluctance to play younger players, the safety the Steelers drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Syracuse has hardly been used. He has suffered some injuries early on but you’d be most likely to see him on Special Teams rather than the defense on the past few years. That could change with Keith Butler taking over the defense, if Thomas is primed for a more prominent role on the starting defensive roster.
What does that mean for Will Allen? Allen’s future is certainly tied along to whatever the decision on Polamalu is going to be. If Polamalu has played his last games with the Steelers Allen could be the safety net in the safety group to fill the role of the veteran. He’s not likely to command a large contract so this could be a low-risk signing for the Steelers.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Should the Steelers re-sign Will Allen?