3 free agent do-overs for the Steelers during the 2022 offseason
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers should have signed Vander Esch instead of Jack
Steelers fans went crazy over the Myles Jack signing this offseason. However, if they watched the same Jack that I did on the Jaguars last season, they would find that he just wasn’t very good. This isn’t to say that he can’t get better with a change of scenery, but I would have gone a different route.
After Jack was cut in an effort to save money, it didn’t take long for Colbert to snatch him up. However, I have to say that I’m not a fan of giving the veteran linebacker a two-year, $16 million contract. While Pittsburgh can get out of it following the 2022 season if they need to, they would still have to eat $3.25 million in dead cap space, according to Over the Cap.
Meanwhile, Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was sitting in free agency for a few days before he elected to re-sign with Dallas. Additionally, the Cowboys were able to retain him on just one a one-year, $2 million deal — significantly less than the Steelers paid Jack.
Both linebackers are coming off down seasons in 2021. Though Vander Esch has concerns about his neck, Jack has degenerative knees that perhaps contributed to his underwhelming play last season. This is a free agent do-over I would like to make.