Pittsburgh Steelers need to fork up for big names in 2022 free agency

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t used to spending big in the offseason, but here’s why they need to fork up for some top talent during the 2022 free agency period.

It’s been a hot minute since the Pittsburgh Steelers have found elite talent in free agency at a discount price. In the past, this team struck gold on remarkable finds like James Farrior, Ryan Clark, and James Harrison.

However, those days are quite far off in the past, and the Steelers haven’t had the same luck when it comes to free agency. While players like Steven Nelson and DeAngelo Williams were a few quality mid-level signings in more recent years, this strategy hasn’t really panned out much over the past decade.

This year, Pittsburgh has more cap space than they have had in a very long time. According to Over the Cap, the Steelers currently have over $30 million to work with in the 2022 offseason, and much more could be on the way if the team makes a few no-brainer decisions like releasing Joe Schobert and Zach Banner.

Sadly, we have plenty of reason to fear that Pittsburgh might misuse this salary cap space on players that don’t really make a big impact.

Steelers need to spend big in free agency

With this much cap space, the Steelers would be unwise to piece it out. Whether by preference or due to limited cap space in most years, this is the route they typically go.

Over the past two years alone, we have seen Pittsburgh spend mid-level free agent money on players like Eric Ebron, Trai Turner, and Joe Haeg. However, none of these three players would have even been considered average among NFL starters.

Though they might find more success with ‘piecing out’ their money the next time around, I really believe the Steelers should instead use their cap space to spend big on some top talents in free agency this year.

For instance, they could go out and get a very good offensive tackle in Orlando Brown. Though he may not be a perfect fit for Matt Canada’s offense, Brown had another excellent year blocking for Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City and showed that he can function well in very wide splits. In addition, Brown is just 25 years old. He could be a cornerstone piece who could be around for a very long time and he would fill a huge position of need.

This is just one example, and we know the Steelers have no shortage of holes this year. If they lose JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington in free agency, they could get a wide receiver who’s an elite deep threat like Will Fuller or a downfield possession receiver like Mike Williams.

Ideally, I would love the Steelers to use this cap space to beef up their trenches with players that can help them build their football team for the future.

Most importantly, I hope that the Steelers are no longer content with simply piecing out mid-level money to average football players. It’s time to make a splash in free agency and spend big on a few players who could really help turn this team around.