The Pittsburgh Steelers could see a lot of roster turnover on the defensive side of the ball next season. Here are the players who won’t be back in 2023.
No matter how much the Pittsburgh Steelers try to improve their team year to year, there always seems to be a lot of roster turnover. The 2023 offseason will be no different. In his final offseason as general manager of the Steelers, Kevin Colbert did his best to fill as many holes as possible with the most spending money he has ever had to work with in free agency.
So far, it looks like most of the players Pittsburgh signed last year will be returning to the team, but several are sure to be out the door after this season. Between questionable draft decisions, expiring contracts, and players not meeting expectations, the Steelers have a handful of big names who will not be back in Pittsburgh in 2023:
Steelers DL Larry Ogunjobi will test the market
Unless the Steelers were to go out of their way and break the trend by negotiating an extension in-season (something they never do), Larry Ogunjobi has no reason not to test the free-agent market this year. If you recall, the former Bengals defensive tackle was set to receive a massive deal with Chicago Bears this past offseason that would have paid him $13.5 million per season.
However, the deal that was in place ultimately fell through as the Bears GM just wasn’t willing to risk that type of money on a player who was not yet healthy at that time. In the aftermath, the Steelers were able to ink Ogunjobi to a one-year, $8 million deal.
The fact that Pittsburgh already had to pay this much with injury risks attached indicates that they probably won’t be able to outbid other teams for his services after he tests the market last year. Ogunjobi’s ability to rush the passer from the interior will be coveted, and he’s almost sure to sign with a new club during the 2023 free-agency period.