3 easy cuts would save Steelers more than $15 million in salary cap space
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers have ample spending money this offseason, but cutting these three players could save them even more in 2022.
With the end of an era in Pittsburgh, the pending departures of Ben Roethlisberger and Kevin Colbert haven’t given us a lot to look forward to. Outside of star defender T.J. Watt, the Steelers don’t currently have a lot of players to get excited about as they begin what looks to be a rebuilding process.
Fortunately, they are set to have over $40 million in effective salary cap space in 2022, according to Over the Cap. While it seems like this money could go far, it’s important to remember that some of this will be used on extension and that the team only has 43 players under contract next year.
The good news is that the Steelers can easily put another $15 million back in their pockets with three simple cuts. Here are three players Pittsburgh must ditch in the offseason to increase their total salary cap space to over $57 million:
Steelers must cut OT Zach Banner
At this point, signing Zach Banner to a 2-year, $9.5 million extension last offseason is looking like a colossal mistake. The Steelers haven’t seen a nickel of that in return on the football field. Despite numerous injuries and shifts to the offensive line in 2021, it was Joe Haeg who saw his way to the field — not Banner.
While this might not seem like a big deal, Banner is collecting a starter’s paycheck for holding a clipboard on the sideline. This isn’t acceptable. Even with Chukwuma Okorafor set to hit free agency as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, there are zero reasons to believe that the 28-year-old Zach Banner is the answer at right tackle for this team.
With just two starts in his NFL career, Banner is hardly worth a veteran minimum as the team’s fourth offensive tackle. According to Over the Cap, the Steelers would save exactly $5 million in 2022 by cutting him prior to June first. Pittsburgh would absorb the other $1.625 million in dead money.