The Steelers signed a wide receiver and a safety in free agency, but neither panned out
In 2019, the Steelers signed Donte Moncrief, a free agent wide receiver, to a two-year contract reportedly worth $9 million dollars. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Moncrief’s brief stint with us would result in 4 receptions on 15 targets for 18 yards and no TDs. On November 2nd, 2019, Moncrief was waived. This from ESPN.com: Moncrief
If the idea was to bring in a veteran receiver who was capable of contributing to the success of the offense, that plan did not work out, obviously. Was there a better receiver available in free agency last season? I’m sure there was, but because we are not, have not been and probably never will be ‘big players’ in free agency, we opted to sign Moncrief, who didn’t even finish the 2019 season with the Steelers.
In 2018, the Steelers signed Morgan Burnett, a free agent safety to a 3-year contract worth $14.5 million dollars. This from NFL.com at the time of the signing: Morgan Burnett
I think the idea was for Burnett to start and for Terrell Edmunds, the Steelers first-round pick in 2018, to play a supporting role as perhaps the ‘subpackage’ linebacker. That idea, if it was the idea, did not come to pass. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Burnett played in only 11 games, starting in two of them. Burnett contributed no INTs, no sacks and only 6 defended passes in his one season with us.
So, in back to back years, two of our ‘big’ free-agent signings did play out the length of their contracts. That is either bad luck that befell our free agents or poor choices about whom to sign in free agency. Either way, the Steelers expended precious salary cap dollars on two players who contributed essentially nothing to the cause.
Let’s continue to look at some free agent ‘misses’.