The Steelers head into the offseason with a lot of questions, but these five players are easy cuts for the team in 2023.
The Steelers are set to enter a pivotal offseason. After an up-and-down, but disappointing 2022 campaign, the team has to act fast to get back to being a top competitor. While Kenny Pickett struggled as a rookie, the team needs to maximize the roster around him and surround him with talent while his contract is cheap.
While the team won’t be hurting for cap space, that doesn’t mean that they should continue to pay for mediocre talent. This roster needs a serious boost to their overall star power and cutting these lackluster options could open up the door for some better options to enter the fold. Here are five Steelers that should be released during the 2023 offseason.
Steelers have no use for Olszewski
While his contract wasn’t huge, Gunner Olszewski has easily been one of the worst players on the roster this season. Brought in as a special teams’ ace, Olszewski was a valid returner and coverage player while in New England. He seemed like a natural last receiver for this team, as he could return kicks and punts while also serving elsewhere on special teams.
Alas, Olszewski hasn’t lived up to that billing. He lost the return job to Steven Sims, who has looked like a better returner overall and hasn’t had the fumbling issues Olszewski had. His coverage has been fine, but nothing to write home about. The Steelers can save 2 million in cap space by releasing him, so this isn’t that hard of a decision.
Witherspoon was replaced in the Steelers secondary
Ahkello Witherspoon had one of the weirdest Steelers journeys in recent memory. He was traded for before the 2021 season and didn’t play until about halfway through the year, but once he saw the field he was arguably the team’s best cornerback. He was brought back on a small two-year deal, and the expectation was for him to be the top guy this season.
Injuries limited him early on, but he wasn’t a great fit once he saw the field. His coverage was extremely hot and cold, and for every decent play he made, he had multiple coverage mistakes that cost the team. Eventually, he was benched before landing on injured reserve.
Cutting Witherspoon is easy, as he saves the team 4 million dollars in cap space and has proven to be too inconsistent to be counted on regularly. The secondary has come along well without him around, and the team should look elsewhere at corner instead of Witherspoon. I had high hopes for the gifted cornerback, but he has been a major letdown this season.
Jackson never saw the field for the Steelers
William Jackson was a very typical Steelers addition at the trade deadline. A player that they had seemingly coveted in the draft, the team swapped late-round picks with the Commanders to acquire his services. An injury landed him on the reserve list which canceled out the trade details (meaning the Steelers got him for nothing), but it also means he didn’t have a chance to prove himself with the team.
Jackson’s cap hit shoots up to almost 13 million in 2023, and given his age and recent struggles, the team can’t justify keeping him around at that price tag. They have gotten some strong play out of James Pierre and Levi Wallace, so having a veteran at that price tag seems unwise. That money would be better spent on Cameron Sutton.
I do think there is a scenario where Jackson is released and eventually circles back on a much cheaper deal, but the team would be foolish to keep him around at his current cap price tag. Had he been able to play and had looked like the star he was before the Commanders signed him would be one thing, but a 13 million-dollar gamble on an aging cornerback is a move the team can’t afford to make.
Okorafor is owed a lot of money from the Steelers
The Steelers offensive line has been a relative surprise this season. While far from an elite group, the unit looked like a miserable mess in the offseason but have become a consistently average unit. Does the team need to continue to add here? Absolutely, but they have some pieces in place that they can now build around.
While he has been ok this season, Chukwuma Okorafor hasn’t done enough to warrant seeing the second year of his contract. While he is a very consistent player, he isn’t a great right tackle by any means. His cap hit balloons to over 13 million dollars next season, and the team can save 10 million of that by releasing him.
This is a decision that will have to be made quickly, as Okorafor is owed a 4-million-dollar roster bonus, and if he is released, it will be before that money is handed out. Again, Okorafor hasn’t been the worst member of this line, but he isn’t worth the money he is set to be paid. The team should experiment with other options at right tackle and move on from Okorafor.
Trubisky has been replaced by the Steelers
There was a surprising amount of fanfare when the Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky in free agency. Despite numerous issues over his career, some fans saw him as a potential long-term fixture for the team. Pickett getting drafted changed that, and if that wasn’t enough, his play has been mediocre this season.
While the team will need a veteran presence in the quarterback room, it shouldn’t be Trubisky and his over 10.5-million-dollar price tag. As well, Trubisky likely will want another chance to start somewhere else, and that won’t be in Pittsburgh. Odds are, both sides will want to find a way out of this contract.
I do see a scenario where Trubisky gets traded, as he looked better later in the season and there was a decent market for his services last season. If no trade materializes though, it makes the most sense for him to be cut. The Steelers should be moving forward with Pickett at the helm, and Trubisky isn’t worth having around in 2023.
The Steelers aren’t in a bad place cap-wise in 2023, but they need to make the most of their time with Pickett on his rookie deal. These five veterans are overpaid and lackluster options heading into the offseason. The team would save nearly 37 million dollars by making these moves, which would open the door for some better players to join the roster.