8 cheap free agents that make sense for the Steelers in 2022

Steelers may sign Jewell

Linebacker is quickly becoming one of the Steelers’ top needs this offseason. With Joe Schobert likely getting released and Devin Bush severely regressing, linebacker has a lot of question marks moving forward. While the draft is filled with intriguing options, an upcoming free agent could also be an improvement over what this team currently has on the depth chart.

Josey Jewell is far from a household name nor is he a top talent at linebacker. That said, when healthy, Jewell is one of the better run-stopping linebackers in the league. He is aggressive when he fills gaps and despite not having great size, he is willing to deliver big hits to his opponents. For a team that struggled as much as it did against the run, Jewell would provide a more consistent and stable face in that department.

Jewell was an unathletic linebacker with coverage issues entering the league in 2018, and most of those issues still persist. You won’t be able to use him as an every-down linebacker, but he could be a fine base and occasionally a nickel linebacker. He is coming off an injury which should keep his price down as well. The Steelers have to make a push to sign him in order to get this run defense back on track.