4 free agent centers Steelers can sign after combine results
By Andrew Falce
With the disappointing crop of centers in the upcoming draft class, the Steelers should turn to free agency and land one of these four center options.
It was a thinly veiled secret that the Steelers had a massive need at center heading into this offseason. While Kendrick Green was given the job as a starter from right out of the gate, the rookie predictably struggled and is now more of a question mark than anything else on this offensive line. The team will certainly field some new options, and at a minimum, Green shouldn’t be handed the job as he was this past offseason.
The Steelers don’t have many draft options
While many are hoping the Steelers turn to the draft to land their next great center, most of the options are lackluster. The name that obviously sticks out is Tyler Linderbaum out of Iowa. Perceived as the best center in the draft, he measured in at the combine awfully undersized and with extremely short arms. While this won’t take him off the Steelers board, I do think he is far less likely to land with Pittsburgh now.
The reason is simple: Green is already an undersized option along the interior, and if he moves to guard, the combo of him and Linderbaum will be tough to field. Also, 31-inch arms are a rare anomaly for a center, and it makes Linderbaum an undesirable draft pick. Instead, the Steelers should sign a starting capable center and look for another interior option in the draft. These four center-capable players have to be on the team’s radar heading into the offseason.