Steelers need to update their free agency goals
The Steelers have never been heavy spenders in free agency. This used to be a good thing, as the team would spend most of its cap space on retaining talent, would fill the occasional hole with a free agent, and would build out the rest of the roster through the draft. The NFL has changed though and finding key free agents has become more of a staple for top teams.
The Steelers have been more outgoing with their free agents in recent years, but they are still one of the cheaper teams when handing out contracts. Guaranteed money is the focus of a lot of top talent, but the team only reserves that for their top players. Instead, they seek out band-aids and mid-tier players that aren’t great solutions to the problems on the roster.
The Bengals, a team that used to operate in a similar manner, has flipped that script and added key free agents at positions of need while not settling for middling options. This helped lead them to a Super Bowl last year and they have maintained their competitiveness this year. No, the Steelers shouldn’t try to lure in every big-name free agent on the market, but bringing in a few top names would be a huge help to a roster devoid of talent.