Early grades for every Steelers 2021 free agency signing

Joe Haeg

2-year, 4.6 million dollars, 1.5 million dollar cap hit

Grade: C-

Let me preface by saying that I am a fan of Joe Haeg as a bit player on offense and an overall depth player. In no way do I want him to start any games if possible this season, but that doesn’t mean having a capably sixth offensive lineman and potential swing tackle doesn’t have value in today’s NFL. That said, Haeg got more money than he likely should have which keeps this grade down overall.

In terms of a role, Haeg will step in instantly as the eligible tight end in heavy packages and he should be an improvement over Jerald Hawkins in that regard. That should give some sort of a boost to the running game, which makes this signing on paper an ok one. That said, giving that much money to a bit player in a year that you had little cap space is a tough pill to swallow. This deal seems similar to the Wormley one, as in a normal cap year this deal would rank higher than it did in a year where every dollar counted.

In actuality, I would be surprised if Haeg sees the second year of his deal, as Dan Moore Jr. has the potential to take his spot next season and the team has a history of cutting free-agent additions after year one. This signing isn’t horrible and Haeg will see the field this year, but that much money in such a financially hard season is a tough one to swallow.