After an impressive week one win, the Steelers have seen their season derail, and the team needs to make some additions to this roster to right the ship.
After a week one that inspired a lot of hope as a Steelers fan, the team has seemingly lost their stride and have limped through their previous two games, with both resulting in losses. Now 1-2 and in the basement of the AFC North, this team needs to find something that can turn this season around.
Considering the talent this team is lacking and the ample cap space they have, making a key signing now may do the trick. Here are five free agents that could help the Steelers get their season back on track.
Steelers should sign Wagner
I wrote about the Steelers signing Ricky Wagner a few weeks back. I cited their lack of physicality and struggles to get their run game going as evidence of that, and frankly, that all still holds up as true. While Zach Banner should be nearing a return in the coming weeks, it shouldn’t deter this team from adding some capable tackle talent. Wagner would be just that, serving as a starter until Banner returns and a skilled backup once he is out of the starting lineup.
While the hope is that Banner helps this line, there is little evidence that he will. His starting resume isn’t lengthy, and while he has flashed as a player when on the field, there is a real chance he doesn’t play up to expectations. Having Wagner in the system will continue to push Banner and keep him at the top of his game. The contract likely wouldn’t be for much right now, and the Steelers need to get an upgrade on their offensive line soon.
Steelers should sign Green
One of the lone bright spots on the Steelers’ offense has been rookie tight end, Pat Freiermuth. He has progressed faster than most expected and has taken on the role of starter relatively seamlessly. On the flip side of things, Eric Ebron has had a horrendous start to the season. He has seen his snaps decrease every game and has only registered one reception for 19 yards.
Considering this team is spiraling and they have a rookie that has already become the starter, Ebron could realistically be off this roster sooner than later. While cutting him nets nothing in terms of cap space, he could be dealt for a late-round pick. Regardless, the team could use a more well-rounded and reliable veteran presence behind Freiermuth. That’s what makes Virgil Green so enticing.
Far from an elite player, Green has been a prototypical number two tight end for almost all of his career. He can make a physical catch every now and then and can chip in as a blocker on running plays. Most importantly, Green is a reliable and dependable reserve. He lacks the receiving upside of Ebron, but he could be a more dependable reserve for the team going forward.
Steelers should sign Conley
One of the major disappointments for the Steelers so far has been the lackluster play of their cornerbacks. This group hasn’t been bad, but they have trended more to average as opposed to good. Joe Haden is his usual self-minus a bit of speed while Cameron Sutton has been solid as a starter. James Pierre has been a mixed bag, allowing quite a few catches but still flashing some coverage ability to warrant some hope.
The issue is, the depth chart behind those three is rather bare. The team tried to address this before the season by trading essentially a pair of fifth-round picks for Ahkello Witherspoon. To this point, that trade has been a huge bust, as Witherspoon has allowed a deep touchdown pass in the four total defensive snaps he has played. A veteran like Gareon Conley could better fill out this depth chart at this point.
Now, Conley has been far from an elite player so far in his career either. He has bounced from teams and has struggled as a full-time starter. He would be an upgrade as the fourth cornerback over Witherspoon though, and he would push Pierre for playing time. Again, this secondary hasn’t been a disaster, but the average play has to improve, especially with the offense struggling as much as it has.
Steelers should sign Tate
The Steelers saw just how thin their receiving room was this week when they were suddenly relying on Cody White to see significant snaps. Diontae Johnson was injured before the game while JuJu Smith-Schuster left the game early, leaving the Steelers with only four healthy receivers. Besides Chase Claypool, the rest of the group struggled to make much of an impact.
While Golden Tate is in the latter stages of his career, he can still be a contributor and possession receiver for a team. Great in the slot, Tate would be a great veteran add to an extremely young receiver room. While he isn’t the elite starter he once was, he can still run sharp routes and make defenders miss in space. Add in his solid hands and he would be an upgrade at receiver.
Adding a veteran like Tate gives the Steelers insurance moving forward at receiver. While they won’t be without two of their top three weapons each week, having a deep stable of receivers is never a bad thing. Tate could rotate into the slot on occasion and keep the rest of the receiving room fresh. After the injuries suffered this week at receivers, the team would be wise to give Tate a call.
Steelers should sign Smith
It isn’t much of a stretch to say that the only thing the Steelers are really good at this season, when healthy, is getting after the quarterback. This pass rush made the teams’ defense elite in week one, which in turn allowed them to win their opener. Since then, injuries have ravaged the group, and as a result, the defense has trended more towards average. As a result, the team has lost their previous two games.
This week was tough on the unit, so adding a capable pass-rushing veteran to the group would make sense. Jamir Jones was impressive in camp, but he struggled to play at a top-level against starting NFL tackles this week. Derrek Tuszka saw snaps as well in the rotation, and they weren’t anything to write home about. If injuries are going to persist, a better pass rusher will be needed.
While his career has had his fair share of ups and downs, Aldon Smith has always been an accomplished pass rusher. While he spent four seasons suspended, he made an impressive return last season and recorded five sacks with the Cowboys. While you wouldn’t want him in on every down, he can still get after the quarterback when allowed to. Considering the Steelers’ struggles there since the injury bug hit, adding Smith would give the team another capable pass rusher to get this defense back on the right track.
The past two weeks have been tough on the Steelers, and it is clear that this team needs something new to help them get going in the right direction. Adding a free agent could be just what this team needs heading into week four. These five veterans make the most sense for a Steelers team struggling to look competitive right now.