The Pittsburgh Steelers have been surprisingly active so far in the 2020 offseason. Here are my grades for each of their free agency moves.
The Steelers didn’t have a lot of money to work with entering the 2020 offseason. However, after cutting three players this offseason, losing one to retirement, and restructuring half-a-dozen contracts, Pittsburgh bought themselves a little wiggle room to make a mild splash.
With the money they saved, the Steelers were able to keep Matt Feiler and Mike Hilton with second-round tenders while landing outsiders like Eric Ebron, Derek Watt, and Chris Wormley. Here is my initial grade for each move they have made so far this offseason:
Franchise tag for Bud Dupree: C+
I understand why the Steelers wanted to keep this defensive unit together, and Bud Dupree was coming off his best season in 2019. However, the $15.2 million franchise tag hardly seems like a bargain for a player of Dupree’s caliber.
Every edge defender signed in free agency so far (including players like Robert Quinn and Dante Fowler Jr.) have received less money in yearly value than Dupree’s pricey tag, and it’s rumored that Jadeveon Clowney might not even make the money Dupree is set to in 2020.
Dupree is a solid football player, but there are plenty of justifiable questions about whether or not he will be able to repeat his performance in 2020 and beyond. Perhaps they could have gotten him back even cheaper had they let him test the market first.