The Steelers need to get under the cap. Here are the players who could be cut restructured, or extended this offseason.
Pittsburgh currently sits over the cap number that is legal in the NFL. It will take some creative maneuvering for the team to lower that number and have the ability to sign free agents and their draft class.
The cap number currently for the black and gold is a little over 19 million. That is still a steep hill to climb for Pittsburgh as they look to not only get under that number but have some space to re-sign some of their own. Big names from the team are currently heading to the free agency market. Names like Bud Dupree, Mike Hilton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Al Villanueva, and many more are about to test the open market. Kevin Colbert would like to bring at least some of those on expiring contracts back to the team for the future.
Getting under that number will be a challenge and with the cap not rising as much as usual because of the Coronavirus pandemic, it makes this year even more difficult. The use of contract restructuring and extending other players will need to be used uniquely for the team to get to where they want to. It was just announced that Ben Roethlisberger will be returning so figuring out his cap situation will be a monumental task for the Steelers as they go into some murky waters before the offseason can kick into gear for them.
Vince Williams, Linebacker
Finding cap casualties was fairly hard to find on this team as many players are very important. Williams currently counts seven million against the cap and that could mean he has become more expendable than most would imagine. Robert Spillane would be a cheaper option and an argument could be made that Spillane played better last season. Williams has become a leader on this defense and one of the best blitzing linebackers in the NFL. With Devin Bush returning and others providing depth, his salary might be too much for Pittsburgh to hang onto. It would be a loss in leadership but this is a tough money situation for the black and gold.
Joe Haden, Cornerback
Haden has been nothing but spectacular ever since joining the team from the Cleveland Browns. He has been a true number one corner that has been an amazing tandem across from Steven Nelson. Haden currently has the second-highest cap hit of anyone this season, only behind Roethlisberger. The team wants to bring back Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton. At this point, they can only bring back one or the other. Letting Haden go and re-signing both would help sure up the corner position for the future of this defense. Haden will more than likely be staying but if the team wants a real chance at keeping both Sutton and Hilton then they will have to release him.