The Pittsburgh Steelers are still undefeated and the number seed in the AFC.
Just because the Pittsburgh Steelers have the best record in 2020 in the NFL this week, doesn’t mean they should think this roster can’t improve. The trade deadline is over, but free agency is still a viable place to find quality depth in the league and as the season wears on and injuries occur the talent pool in free agency will get smaller and smaller. The Steelers should look at the prospects now while there is still some verified talent there.
Pittsburgh doesn’t have a ton of cap available, as they sit at just about 6.5 million in cap space left for 2020, according to Spotrac.com. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t make a great move or two. Keep in mind that both of these prospects are for depth. They could come in on a rotation basis but would likely be there for depth reasons and not much else. The cool thing about being the Pittsburgh Steelers (aside from the uniforms) is that they are undefeated and a legitimate contender for the Super Bowl this year.
That means that they can chase an older veteran with a year or so left of decent play in the tank that would like to get that elusive Super Bowl ring. This isn’t the kind of thing you do when hoping to find a starter for the long term, however, with such a long string of games in a row going into the playoffs, health could become an issue down the road.
So when looking at the top 50 free agents left, per NFLtraderumors, I saw two names that fit what I think the Steelers could use. Again, this is for depth purposes and possibly some rotational use:
This option is a little controversial, yet it would add more heft on the inside in run situations.
The Pittsburgh Steelers Week 8 game vs the Ravens showed me that they don’t have a run stopper to fill the void Alualu leaves in the middle when he is off the field. I’m not saying that this young depth won’t be able to improve for the future, however, they will need to be able to fill that void in a win-now capacity. My first option is former Pro-Bowler, Dontari Poe. He just got released by the Cowboys for his weight and lack of big plays. Yet, he could be a solid addition to this defensive line.
Dontari Poe was one of the better defensive linemen in the league earlier in his career. His two Pro Bowl seasons were in 2013 and 2014. Between those two seasons, he would tally a total of 10.5 sacks, 96 tackles, and 9 tackles for a loss. 2019 saw him play at a really high level in more of a rotational role for Carolina. In 11 total games, he managed 4 sacks with 22 tackles and a career-high 7 tackles for loss. That was also the 3rd highest sack total of his career. At his age and size, he looks best at a rotational role at this point in his career anyway.
Father time is undefeated. While Poe may be on the decline from the Pro Bowl level play he produced early in his career, he could still be used in a rotational capacity to keep Alualu fresher and more healthy. Alualu is 33 years old and Poe is only 30. While Alualu is having a career resurgence due to his position change, Poe is not looking like he has much left for the long term at least in a full-time capacity. Poe used to be a star, but he has never gotten the chance to hold that elusive Lombardi trophy. He made it to the big game once, as a member of the Falcons where his defense allowed the Patriots to come back from a 28-3 deficit to win the game.
To be able to have a rotational/depth type player who has experience in the biggest football game in existence would be a nice addition. Furthermore, if Poe decides his time in the league is running up he might be willing to take a cheap deal to finish out 2020 with one of the top contenders for the super bowl.
This is a very similar signing as Poe would be and this would be a really good one
While Dontari Poe is a former 2-time pro-bowler, Marcell Dareus is a former 2-time Pro-Bowler and a former 1st team all-pro. His two best seasons were also 2013 and 2014, but he was a key rotational piece for the Jaguars’ incredible defense in 2017. Both of these guys were some of the best run stuffers in the league in their prime.
Marcell is my favorite option of the two. He didn’t just get cut a week ago because of his weight. I also think with him being a former all-pro, and being a part of one of the best defensive performances over the course of a season a team has had in the last decade means there isn’t much he hasn’t been able to do aside from winning a super bowl.
While I think he would be easier to sign because of this, he still has something to offer this team in terms of depth and as a good rotational defender against the run. Moreso, he and Dontari Poe had very similar timelines for the trajectory of their careers. Both of these guys are looking at the other side of the hill in terms of time left on the field. Dareus had a higher peak of the two while remaining relatively quiet off the field. I’ll take the all-pro that no one knows about over the pro-bowler that everyone knows about every single time. The fact that you likely don’t remember who he is, is more of a tribute to his quiet and less distracting tendencies off the field.
That kind of demeanor is the perfect type of personality you want in a rotational/depth type role and that is what the Pittsburgh Steelers would be filling with either of these two signings. Neither of these would see the revival of their once great careers. Yet signing one of these men would help with the quality of depth issue that reared its head in Week 8. It would also give either of these players the perfect chance to end their careers on a high note. Either of these moves would make an impeccable amount of sense.