The Steelers have a number of notable free agents this offseason. Here are my predictions for which players will return to the team in 2021.
In all my years of watching football, I don’t ever quite remember an offseason like this. In addition to an unusual amount of coaching turnover for the Steelers, Pittsburgh still doesn’t seem to have a plan at the quarterback position moving forward. In addition to these changes, Mike Tomlin and his team need to know how to deal with 19 unrestricted free agents who could hit the open market just weeks from now.
Considering Pittsburgh’s current cap situation, most of their free agents are likely to sign elsewhere – including high-profile players like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bud Dupree. However, the Steelers will do their best to retain some players who could help them in 2021 and possibly beyond. Here are five free agents who are likely to re-sign with Pittsburgh this offseason:
Cameron Sutton
Of all the unrestricted free agents the Steelers have this offseason, I would assume that Cameron Sutton has the best chance of returning for the 2021 season and beyond. Though Pittsburgh could choose to go with a player like Mike Hilton (or perhaps both), Sutton just turned 26 years old in February and has a bright future ahead of him.
While he’s not the tackler or blitzer that Hilton is, Sutton is better in coverage and has shown that he can play on the outside. He has now graded out as Pittsburgh’s top cornerback for two seasons in a row, according to Pro Football Focus, and the Steelers love his versatility in the secondary.