The Steelers were surprisingly active during the legal tampering period. Here are my early grades for each free agent signing.
The Steelers went into free agency with the most cap space that they have ever had under Kevin Colbert. They are in a new space with an obvious rebuild label put on them, but this team will try their best to right the ship as quickly as possible and create an adequate roster.
Free agency is the first step and the black and gold saw some big-name players enter the open waters. Some starters of their own could also be on the way out as well. There are rumors that Ahkello Witherspoon is going to be re-signed, but with some news breaking of another cornerback being signed, it seems less likely by the hour. Arthur Maulet was also announced with signing a new two-year contract with the franchise.
That news broke right before the legal tampering period opened. When that flood gate was released, many players started finding new contracts. A lot of money was spent, and Pittsburgh shelled out some money themselves.
For the most part, the Steelers went against their usual conservative custom towards free agency. They have been active and adding free agents to this club to hopefully right the ship. There were too many needs to address on this team to only fix things through the NFL Draft.
There have been some question marks by fans with some of the early contracts that will become official any day now. This team still has some work to accomplish with the draft and the rest of the money that they have left to spend.
Different needs that should still be a focus heading towards the draft are quarterback, tackle, guard, center, linebacker, cornerback, and safety. No matter if those positions are added, this club might still need to address these in the draft. This roster still needs some work, even after these early deals.
Mason Cole, OG/C, 3 years, $15.75 million
Mason Cole has been a guard and center during his time in the NFL. He was a former third-round selection in the 2018 draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He played this past season with the Minnesota Vikings. This player has had up and down results up to this point in his career.
This interior offensive lineman will have time to figure out which position he will play for this team. It seems likely that he will slide into the starting right guard spot on day one. That will also depend on if the Steelers decide to still add to the offensive trenches in the draft or not.
This player is a decent run-blocker but there is more to be seen in his pass protection. It is going to be interesting to see if this franchise decides to still address this position going forward or not. In an ideal world, this player would probably be a swiss-army-knife type that can move around the offensive line in a depth role that can start when called upon.
Grade: C-
This isn’t the worst deal that was given out yesterday in the NFL, but it isn’t the best either. Cole is a decent pickup that doesn’t cost too much. He can provide competition and a starter at center and guard so that versatility is unique.
The major issue is this player really won’t be a major upgrade that the team needs for their line. This could become better depending on how his contract is laid out and the team can cut bait after a year if this signing doesn’t work out. He is an ok player but nothing that will vastly improve the trenches.
Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, 3 years, $29.25 million
Chukwuma (Chuks) Okorafor was a player that many people were shocked to be re-signed by the Steelers. The project right tackle is still just 24-years-old and that helped garner him some interest in the open market. Okorafor decided to negotiate a new deal with the club that drafted him.
For better or worse, this marriage between team and player continues in this case. Okorafor has been this club’s starting right tackle for the past two seasons and it hasn’t been the best. He has grown in pass protection but his lack of skill at run-blocking has been disappointing.
It was a head-scratcher at the time, but Pittsburgh felt they needed someone there to start if they cannot add in the draft. They bring back this player on a deal that needs him to prove himself next season as the starter for the future. If not, then the team could release him without any cap concerns moving forward.
Grade: C+
It seemed like this player was on the outs, but this is a team-friendly deal that allows the player to bet on himself. If he can’t prove himself to the coaches, then he can be released from this deal without any problems going forward. This isn’t an upgrade, but it allows for a starter to be in place for this season if you can’t draft a better player in April.
James Daniels, OG, 3 years, $26.5 million
James Daniels has been the biggest get for the Steelers when you look at their current signings. He is currently just 24-years-old and immediately becomes their best player in the offensive trenches. He is physical and will benefit from moving away from Chicago.
This could be a future pro bowl player going forward and the deal that Pittsburgh gave him was team-friendly. If he does not work out for some reason, the club can cut bait after one season. That does not seem likely because this player is going to help move this line in the right direction.
Grade: A
The black and gold were finally able to upgrade a position in free agency. Not only does this signing look great but it also helps make the Mason Cole signing understandable. Cole can now battle it out for a starting spot at center or the opposite side at guard with Kevin Dotson.
One thing that this move does is provide options to the coaching staff. Daniels was originally drafted as a center before he caught on at guard. There will be competition for the starting interior offensive line now and Daniels will be one of those starters on day one and well into the future.
Levi Wallace, CB, 2 years, $8 million
This signing was kind of a surprise late in the afternoon on Tuesday, but it was something the Steelers needed to do. They desperately needed to address at least one outside cornerback spot in free agency, and they did that here. Levi Wallace was signed to a short deal that pays him cheap to be a starting outside cornerback.
This was a bit of a head-scratcher since it has been rumored that Ahkello Witherspoon was being re-signed at any moment now. That has been a questionable report since so much time has passed since it was originally reported. Many believe that Wallace will replace Witherspoon now even though many still have hope that the team can re-sign one of their own.
Grade: B-
This is not a bad signing as Wallace is still young and showed that he can be a starter in this league. He is not better than Witherspoon, but he can be a respectable starter on the outside as long as he has a solid teammate defending the other boundary. He will be a good tackler that might see some issues in coverage at times.
He is not the fastest, but he is a sound football player that has a good IQ for the game. This is a cheap deal for someone that will be the starter for the team. It is also a short deal so if this doesn’t pan out then he will only be around for two seasons max.
Mitch Trubisky, QB, 2 years, $14 million (could turn into $27 million with incentives)
Mitch Trubisky was heavily rumored to the Steelers before the legal tampering period even began. It made a lot of sense as the team was looking for a replacement at quarterback and this free agent was looking for the best opportunity to start on Sundays. Enter this player that is from the Cleveland area, so he is staying close to home.
He will have the chance to compete with Mason Rudolph for the starting spot in the 2022 campaign. It seems likely that Trubisky will be the starter unless he has a terrible preseason. Don’t be concerned about the incentives as many believe it to be focused on if he becomes a Pro Bowler or leads this team to the Super Bowl. Fans should hope that he gets those incentives if this is the case.
This was the first major free agency news to drop for the black and gold. This is a solid deal for Pittsburgh as they get a capable starter that will be a bridge guy until they find their new franchise quarterback. Perhaps this new signing will unlock some potential here and have a Ryan Tannehill type of emergence. That is wishful thinking, but this is a good deal for where the team is now.
Grade: B
This is the best deal that the Steelers have done to this point in the early going of free agency. They get someone with experience at the starting quarterback spot and an upgrade over Rudolph. This won’t take them out of the quarterback conversation during the draft though. They will be in conversations for that and potentially into the future if they can’t secure a young prospect in 2022.
The Steelers have been active in free agency and some of their moves have been better than others. This team has not improved mightily but they have time to continue adding to this roster.