4 free agents the Pittsburgh Steelers should call right now

SS Tony Jefferson

The Steelers signed former second-round draft choice, Sean Davis after he failed to make Washington’s final roster, so depth at safety isn’t a high priority right now. However, there are several reasons why signing a physical player like Tony Jefferson makes sense.

For starers, Pittsburgh hasn’t really found someone to fill the ‘dime backer’ role yet for this team – a role previously occupied by former players like Mark Barron and Morgan Burnett the past two years. Jefferson would be an excellent candidate for this role.

While he’s obviously not big enough to be a full-time linebacker (5’11”, 211 pounds), Jefferson is as physical as they come and has done a lot of damage over the middle of the field in his career. Though he’s not a terrific cover guy, he would be a drastic improvement over Vince Williams in this area and could see the field in nickel and dime packages.

Jefferson isn’t a great athlete, but he has years of quality starting experience and is still just 28 years old. He could play a hybrid role for the Steelers that would give them added depth at both linebacker and safety.