5 Players the Steelers should keep in free agency

Ray-Ray McCloud

The Steelers have a special teams player in Ray-Ray McCloud who I think they should stick with. I know fans will point to the fumble against Detriot as to a reason the Steelers cannot rely on him, but he has become a reliable kick and punt returner for the Steelers.

Mike Tomlin has said that he values this role enough that he considered the kick and punt returner to be starters. I think there is an advantage in having a player in this role who has experience as it is hard to know who will be reliable in fielding punts and kicks.

Typically return man is a position given to a player who is young like in his rookie year. The problem with his is that although they may be in their prime in terms of speed, they may not have the experience fielding punts and kicks in an NFL stadium. It is also hard to practice this as there are only three preseason games and usually teams want to get a look at multiple punt returners.

This experience makes me want to keep Ray-Ray McCloud on the team and continue to roll with him in his return roles. He is also earning some playing time in the offense with a lot of injuries although I am not impressed with him in this role. The one kudos I will give him on offense is his run blocking ability but other than that he is just a receiver that you try to get in space. I only want to see him as a gadget player.

McCloud has played in the league for 4 years and so you could probably sign him to a 2-year deal and he will only be 27 years old in the last year of his contract. You would have an experience return man who is not over 30 and is used to Heinz Field. This resigning will make a lot of sense.