7 free agents the Pittsburgh Steelers need to target in the new year

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have many holes to patch up before they take the field in 2022 with some new faces.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are far from Super Bowl contenders at their current makeup. Their team will be looking very different in 2022 with the number of free agents and potential turnover that could happen. Not only could players be leaving but so could coaches.

Many different players are listed as becoming free agents currently that could be signed to new deals before the free agency window opens. Those signings will likely occur after the season but this article will look at those scheduled to become free agents and could interest the club from the Steel City.

Many big names on this roster are scheduled to become free agents once the season concludes, many of those being starters. Some names that could be leaving include, Joe Haden, Terrell Edmunds, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and James Washington to name a few. The biggest name will be the retirement or departure of Ben Roethlisberger.

He will likely be signing off after the 2021 year ends and will finish his career in the black and gold. Perhaps the team will want to bring him back if the offseason doesn’t work out as they hope, but that is less than likely. The aged gunslinger is slowing down with his physical traits even though the mental side seems to be there at points.

This roster will have a ton of new faces once the campaign of 2022 begins. Starting positions at quarterback, cornerback, safety, offensive line, and others will need to be filled. The draft will be a focus but so will free agency, especially with the amount of cash this team is projected to have.

Anthony Walker Jr., Inside linebacker, Cleveland Browns

Inside linebacker might be a surprising need that many would not have thought of when the season began. Devin Bush is the main cause for concern when you look at this position in the middle of the defense. He is supposed to be the main factor on this unit to help communicate and lead them but he has not been able to accomplish that.

He is coming off a tough knee injury so perhaps that is still affecting his play this year. The remaining schedule and next year is going to be huge for this player. He will be playing for his second contract coming up so if he doesn’t produce and play up to his draft level, then he will be flirting with the bust territory.

The entire blame can’t be pushed onto Bush as Robert Spillane and Joe Schobert haven’t worked out as well as the team hoped. Both have had opportunities to be the starter opposite of Bush and neither has stood out as much. Maybe time will help their conquest to become the main dog in the middle.

Pittsburgh will be looking for some answers and one interesting player that could be out there is Anthony Walker Jr. He has not had the best season of his career but he has had a nice overall resume. His best days were at the Indianapolis Colts where he was able to excel next to Darius Leonard.

Walker has over 80 tackles on the season currently and a sack to boot. He would be a nice addition of youth and speed to a defense that needs more in the middle. This player is also just over 26 years old so that would also fit the bill for what the Steelers look for in free-agent acquisitions.

Mike Hughes, Cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs

Mike Hughes came to Kansas City trying to recollect his first-round pedigree. He was a former selection of the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. He has rebounded nicely since joining the Chiefs after an injury lost him most of the 2020 season. He is playing for another contract and he should get one.

The Steelers will be looking for a cornerback with Joe Haden likely departing the franchise after this year. Hughes would be an option that Pittsburgh normally searches for. A high pedigree player that is having a rebound year, he currently has an 81 pro football focus rating this season. This would be a potentially interesting option come free agent time with his young age and former first-round pick status.

Jayron Kearse, Safety, Dallas Cowboys

Jayron Kearse is another member of the secondary that is having a rebound year in his career. The Dallas Cowboys has been a place of awakening for this player that plays all along the field. He has been playing along the line of scrimmage as well as their strong safety spot.

This could potentially be a major position of need when the offseason begins if the Steelers can’t lock up Terrell Edmunds to a long-term deal. That could always happen but a player like Kearse would be an interesting option to replace Edmunds.

Austin Corbett, Offensive line, LA Rams

Austin Corbett has been a swiss army knife for the LA Rams. He has played all over the offensive trenches and that is an eyebrow-raising trait. The black and gold desperately need help across the offensive line and that need will continue after this year.

Corbett is having a great season as one of the starting guards for the Rams. He has also seen some time at center and was originally drafted as a tackle. Guard seems to be the best spot for him and pairing him opposite of Kevin Dotson would make for a solid duo at the guard spots for years to come.

Trenton Brown, Offensive tackle, New England Patriots

Trenton Brown is having another great season as the Patriots starting right tackle. He is graded out as one of the top players at his position in the NFL and that is going to lead to a huge payday. The Steelers might be outbid when the time comes but the need for an impactful right tackle is there.

Dan Moore Jr. can play either side of the line but bringing in Brown would cement him at the left spot. That would be a solid duo with an offensive line that is trying to improve rapidly. This would be a huge addition to the trenches and potentially catapult them back to stability.

A.J. Green, Wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals

A.J. Green is having a bounce-back year as he continues to turn back the clock. The 2021 season has done wonders for the aging veteran receiver as he was finally able to stay healthy and compliment a deadly offensive attack in Arizona. Perhaps he will stay and try to win a Super Bowl there or he could go elsewhere to try and get one last big paycheck.

The Steelers know this player well as he spent the majority of his career playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. They should put a call in for this player if he hits the open market and they can’t bring back either JuJu Smith-Schuster or James Washington. He would be a great veteran presence in a young receiving group.

Next year will have a youth movement for those coming back and potentially add someone in the draft. Players like Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson will be returning but history shows this franchise likes to add to this position in the draft process.

The biggest concern will be the loss of two or three receivers in the free agency so another addition will need to be made. Green seems like a nice option with the leadership he can provide to the room and his ability to contribute at a high level. Another positive in this transaction would be the short-term deal that would come along with this aging player.

Jameis Winston, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints

This would be an interesting pickup for the Steelers if it did become reality. Jameis Winston is a bridge-style quarterback, he might be a little better than that. He is not the best starter in the league but he can help you win games. Many had his name connected to Pittsburgh just over a year ago.

He landed with the Saints and was the backup until this season. He finally got the starting gig and it came with mixed results. He kept the turnovers down but he was not leading the most successful offense in the league either. He had a decent season before an injury cut it short.

The black and gold seem like they will be looking for a new quarterback to lead them out onto the field in 2022 with Ben Roethlisberger likely retiring after the year. The draft seems like the best option but this is a weak class coming out. Perhaps adding a veteran and someone via the draft would be the best course of action.

Winston is not the best at his position but he can help keep you in games. If Pittsburgh drafts a quarterback then they could battle it out for the starting role. It could also allow for a young player to come in and take some time to develop instead of rushing them into the starting spot.

The Steelers have a lot of positions of need this offseason and they will have some cash to spend. They might not address every need in free agency but they’re primed to take away some issues on this roster.