4 best-case scenarios for the Steelers in 2021 free agency

Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner (30) and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (19) Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner (30) and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (19) Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton (20) and cornerback Mike Hilton (28) Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports /

The Steelers can re-sign some players

While the Steelers should hope that their top free agents earn big contracts elsewhere, that doesn’t mean all of their pending free agents are lost causes. Some of their mid-tier options are still important pieces to this team and losing all of them would mean a huge regression in 2021. Instead, securing a few of these players will be key in keeping this team competitive next season.

These players include Cameron Sutton, Tyson Alualu, and maybe even Avery Williamson if he is willing to take a cheap enough contract. Now, this doesn’t mean that the team has to outbid other teams for their services, but considering their base contracts shouldn’t be gigantic, being aggressive in trying to re-sign this level of players is a must.

The best-case scenario here is that the Steelers get to retain a few of these pending free agents on moderate deals. While this may take a contract cut or two to get the necessary cap space, it is well worth it to retain some of these talented options. The Steelers won’t be able to retain the top players in free agency but bringing back some of the lower-level guys would be a prudent move.