6 former Steelers that could be brought back in free agency

With free agency upon us, here are six former Steelers players that may circle back to the team in 2022.

The Steelers have a long history of allowing players to leave in free agency and later on circle back to the team. Names like Larry Foote, William Gay, and James Harrison each took their talents elsewhere before returning to Pittsburgh. While the team will likely be targeting bigger names than these in free agency, each of these former team members could circle back onto this roster. Here are the six former Steelers that could be brought back in 2022.

Steelers bring back McLendon

A name that has seemingly been around forever, Steve McLendon was picked up by the Steelers after the 2010 draft. He quickly developed into a quality run-stopping nose tackle and excelled there for six seasons before joining the Jets. Another five seasons of successful play there ended when he was traded to the Buccaneers, which is the team he is currently set to leave in free agency.

Now, to be clear, McLendon is nothing more than veteran depth at this point. Assuming he plays next season, he will be 36 years old, and he wouldn’t be able to handle a full load of snaps. Instead, McLendon could provide more of a mentor role as well as 15-20 percent of the snaps as a designated run stopper.

While a signing like this wouldn’t stop the presses, it would be a quality depth move for a team whose line was decimated by injury last season. McLendon wouldn’t sign for more than the minimum either, meaning he would be cheap depth. While he may just end up retiring, McLendon would be a quality signing if brought back as a depth piece to this line.