5 biggest regrets of the 2020 offseason for the Steelers

Not finding a replacement for Hargrave

Daniel McCullers is one of Steelers’ nation’s biggest enemies due to his lack of on-field talent mixed in with his consistent roster spot that he has held over the past few years. While the Steelers retaining Javon Hargrave this offseason wasn’t likely, the Steelers needed to add another option besides McCullers to compete for the starting spot. Even with the Steelers opting to try Tyson Alualu at NT, he has never played that position which may result in him struggling.

There were a few free-agent options that made sense for the Steelers at NT. Andrew Billings signed for 3.5 million per year. Considering his run-stuffing ability and decent talent at getting after the QB, he would have been an easy player to help transition from Hargrave. On a lesser scale, Austin Johnson signed for only 1.5 million per year, and he to would have presented a more talented option than Hargrave.

Even more frustrating, plenty of talented NT options fell in the draft. Pass rushing NT’s like Justin Madubuike and Neville Gallimore fell to the third-round while more traditional run stuffers like Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence were both available in the fourth. Any of the above options could have been able to compete for the starting role, and at the bare minimum, they likely would have been able to beat McCullers for a roster spot. While NT is a disappearing position, it is still vital in maintaining an elite defensive line.