Grading Steelers mediocre free agent moves through 8 weeks

Stefen Wisniewski

Grade: F

There may not have been anyone as excited for the Stefen Wisniewski signing than I was. Considering B.J. Finney got four million per season, getting Wisniewski for a cheap seemed like a steal due to their similar skill set. That said, Wisniewski had his chance to start earlier than anyone would have liked when he filled in for an injured David DeCastro in week one. He had a pretty bad start to his Steelers career and then preceded to go to IR with a pectoral injury.

Again, it is hard to be harsh over injuries, but the fact that he played so poorly in the only chance he has had to start was a bad sign. Worse yet for him, rookie Kevin Dotson has looked really impressive in his absence, meaning that even if he is activated soon, he’ll be buried on the depth chart. While one could argue that the goal of the Steelers was to have Dotson ascend as he has, it doesn’t mean that Wisniewski’s contract is justified.

Of the signed free agents, Wisniewski has the worse shot of returning this offseason. While he doesn’t have a high cap hit, the fact that the only snaps he played were pretty bad makes him look like a lost cause. He will need to have a really strong second half of the season to justify keeping him beyond this year. That said, I wouldn’t expect to see Wisniewski in a Steelers uniform for long.