ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler awarded the Pittsburgh Steelers a B+ grade for free agency, but it’s unaware if he’s actually grading this year’s market moves.
Of course, Jeremy Fowler knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the Steelers. ESPN’s leading Pittsburgh analyst is the country’s top source for Steelers news, and continues to raise the ceiling for covering the black and gold.
But his B+ grade for the team’s offseason moves is a little low. Not that a B+ is bad. Any college kid on the planet will tell you anything higher than a B is something to be excited about. But what the Pittsburgh Steelers did this spring in free agency was something not a single person believed could happen. And that’s why it deserves higher.
Signing Jon Bostic and Morgan Burnett is validation for a successful free agency. Signing both for less than $7 million a year is unheard of. Despite the two being the team’s only major signings, Pittsburgh filled all their missing pieces in two signings.
So, based off those two alone, the team earns an A grade.
Then, you have to break down the cuts. Releasing Mike Mitchell hurts, but replacing him with Burnett takes the sting away. Mitchell was on the backend of his career and isn’t the superstar Burnett is. The team needed an upgrade and they certainly found one.
Chris Hubbard leaves depth questions on the offensive line, but the Cleveland Browns’ newest left tackle wasn’t coming back to be a backup. His major deal in Cleveland put him in a position to start and he’s deserved the right to make his impact on the NFL. Signing him to a significant contract would’ve been a waste of money for him to sit on the bench.
Robert Golden was a little shocking. The backup safety and special teams ace left a gap in the punt and kick coverage for Pittsburgh. No one saw the release coming, but now, the team is looking for a veteran to fill the shoes of Golden on special teams.
They’ll likely find out before the end of the summer. But for now, one can grade this as a missing piece to an important part of this team.
The rest of free agency has been small for Pittsburgh. Something everyone believed would be the only description they’d be handed all summer. But this team has put together a Super Bowl ready roster, and because of it, they need to be in the A’s.
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How high? That’s up for debate, but a B+ is undermining a team that’s pulled off the unthinkable, and heads to the NFL Draft with no worries and a wide open agenda.