5 free agents the Steelers should consider after the 2022 NFL Draft
By Tommy Jaggi
Pittsburgh’s roster is looking pretty strong following the 2022 NFL draft, but here are five free agents the Steelers must still consider adding.
Just because the 2022 NFL Draft is now in the books doesn’t mean that Pittsburgh’s roster for the upcoming season is set in stone. Last offseason, the Steelers were in a much worse place financially and yet they were still able to find two respectable free agents after the draft in Melvin Ingram in Trai Turner — both multiple-time Pro Bowlers.
While things didn’t exactly go according to plans for those two, it shouldn’t deter the Steelers from trying to better their roster — something I thoroughly believe they are still looking to do.
Pittsburgh’s roster looks stronger on paper this year following the early wave of free agency and the NFL Draft. However, that doesn’t mean their work is done. Though they’ve used much of their cap space already, they still have the firepower for one more splash roster move. Here are five free agents they should pursue:
Steelers should pursue CB James Bradberry
In an effort to save over $10 million, the New York Giants recently released cornerback, James Bradberry. The former Pro Bowler in 2020 wasn’t as consistent during the 2021 season, but he’s still a very good football player and one of the better cornerbacks in the league.
The Steelers, meanwhile, were able to extend Ahkello Witherspoon this offseason to be their top cornerback, and they added another solid player in Levi Wallace. However, outside of these two and Cameron Sutton (who should ideally only play in sub-packages), Pittsburgh has poor depth at cornerback.
Adding a player like James Bradberry would eat up most of Pittsburgh’s $12.8 million in cap space, but it’s important to remember that these deals can be structured in a way as to lower his first-year cap number. Pittsburgh again ignored CB in the NFL Draft, and Bradberry would give them another starting outside cornerback next to Witherspoon with excellent depth in Wallace and Sutton.