5 free agents Steelers must sign to fix pathetic run defense

Steelers could sign Smith

One of the more interesting names all offseason has been veteran pass rusher Jaylon Smith and his struggle to stick with a team. The former second-round pick was once considered a rising star in the league, but injuries and mediocre coverage skills have set his pace back. The Cowboys released him due to his ballooning cap hit and the Packers were quick to scoop him up.

The off-ball linebacker did very little with the Packers before being released and is once again a free agent. While he shouldn’t be counted on as being a great player at this point, the Steelers need something to happen at inside linebacker. While replacing your former top-ten pick with a player who has struggled to stay on a roster this year seems unideal, doing so may stoke the fire under either of them to get them playing as they should.

Even if the two essentially shared the role next to Schobert (Smith playing on run downs and Bush on passing downs) it could give this team some more balance. Smith needs to prove that he can still stop the run effectively while the Steelers need to prove that their defense can still stop the run as a whole. These two could pair nicely together and create a decent tandem for the remainder of the season.