The Steelers are in a bad way financially. Here are four players Pittsburgh could elect to cut in order to free up cap space in 2020.
It’s a new year and a fresh start for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After losing three straight games to finish the season, fans are ready for the next step in getting this team back where it needs to be.
With the offseason comes the excitement of not knowing which players will be with the organization in 2020, which free agents will be signed, and who the Steelers will draft. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh is in a bad way financially.
Because of costly contract extensions to Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Stephon Tuitt, and others, the Steelers are just 29th in the league in cap space. This will make it hard for them to retain some of their own players (like Bud Dupree for example), let alone bring in outside help.
However, here are four players would are clear and obvious choices to be cut this offseason to clear up cap space for the Steelers:
Anthony Chickillo
Anthony Chickillo certainly wasn’t a bad 6th round draft choice by the Steelers back in 2015, but he has been a non-factor on the football field as of late. Chickillo now has just 7.5 sacks over his 65-game career (2.0 over his last 27), and his severe lack of production makes him completely expendable.
Cutting Chickillo would instantly free up $5.0 million in cap space with just over a million in dead cap space. This move seems like it should be a no-brainer for the Steelers.
Mark Barron
Here’s a player most fans wouldn’t shed a tear over. Barron has had a few solid games this season but has been wildly inconsistent in pass coverage and his cap number is unreasonable.
Devin Bush showed improvement each week, and there really isn’t a reason to keep Barron around on an $8.1 million cap number. The Steelers could save $5.25 million with his departure, which certainly seems like something they will explore.
Vance McDonald
Vance McDonald has been a fan favorite with his violent play style and his ability to run after the catch. However, a down season in 2019 and an inability to stay on the field make him a potential candidate to get the boot this offseason.
There’s no doubt that the Steelers would like to keep their top tight end around, but Vance is due over $7.1 million each of the next two seasons and Pittsburgh would save upwards of $12 million over the next two seasons if they decided to part ways.
Ramon Foster
Here’s another guy who fans love. Ramon Foster has been with the Steelers for over a decade, but his time may finally be coming to an end. The long-time left guard will be 34 years old this offseason, and Pittsburgh could look elsewhere to fill his shoes.
Foster is set to make over $5.5 million in 2020, and the Steelers could save $4.0 million by cutting him before June 1st. This wouldn’t be a popular move, but it could be a business decision the Steelers may have to make.
It’s highly unlikely that all four of these players will be gone when training camp kicks off in July, but these are the four players that make the most sense for Pittsburgh to cut this offseason. It will be interesting to see how they elect to free up cap space moving forward.