Steelers must keep Stephon Tuitt
Unlike the other names on this list, Stephon Tuitt is not a free agent. However, he is essential to the operation here in Pittsburgh. We witnessed the result of his absence first-hand as the Steelers defense instantly became one of the worst run-defending units in the league without Tuitt last season.
Obviously, the lack of Tyson Alualu’s presence factored into the results as well, but Alualu was just a part-time player for Pittsburgh in his old age, while Tuitt previously occupied a full-time role on defense. I also believed that Tuitt was one of the four or five best players on the entire team before missing the 2021 season.
After taking a year off of football and dealing with a knee injury, there’s no guarantee Tuitt will be the same player if he returns to the field in 2022. The good news is that he is still just 28 years old and should have some of his best football left in the tank if he decides he wants to play and the Steelers are open to having him back.
If Tuitt returns and is able to play to the level he was playing at during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, the Steelers are in for a treat. If he’s gone for good, Pittsburgh has some really big shoes to fill on the defensive line.
I think the Steelers would be able to stomach the loss of players like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chukwuma Okorafor easier than losing these three guys. Edmunds, Witherspoon, and Tuitt could be cornerstone defenders in Pittsburgh, and I would love to see them all come back in 2022.