The Steelers will have some tough roster decisions to make in 2023, and here is my prediction for five of the team’s players.
The Steelers offseason has to be a big one. The team has a rookie-deal quarterback at the helm and a slew of needs. Their cap situation is healthy, and they need to be aggressive in filling needs both in free agency and the draft. The first major offseason dilemma though will be cutting their roster down to trim some dead weight.
Most years this is a pretty standard occurrence, as the team needed cap space, and the best way to get some was by releasing overpaid veterans. Even with the cap situation in a good place, the Steelers still have some decisions to make there. Five players stand out as somewhat difficult decisions, and here are my cut/keep predictions for these five veterans in 2023.
Adams won’t be worth the money next season
Montravius Adams was a pleasant surprise for the Steelers last season. Added off the Saints practice squad, Adams quickly worked his way into a rotation and saw the field regularly. His play wasn’t bad, and he was easily the best nose tackle the team had down the stretch. He was brought back on a cheap two-year deal last year.
This isn’t so much about the money, as he only clears 2.5 million dollars in cap space, but Adams has looked worse in his second stint with the team. The more snaps he got, the worse he played. He is a fine reserve player, but he should be paid closer to the minimum. If he took a salary reduction, I could see him staying, but if not, this is a pretty easy choice.
Prediction: Adams is cut
Okorafor is owed a lot of money from the Steelers
Chukwuma Okorafor is actually a holdover from the no-brainer cuts list I wrote, and the reason he reappears here is that some people claim that Okorafor should be kept. On the surface, I understand the argument. While not an elite player by any means, Okorafor is an average and safe bet at right tackle.
If he were still on a more reasonable deal, I would have no issue with him sticking at right tackle next year. The team could easily field a far worse player there. That said, Okorafor has a bigger cap hit of over 13 million dollars next season. The team can save 10 million of that if they release him before his roster bonus kicks in.
At that price, it is hard to justify keeping Okorafor around. I would sooner move Dan Moore to the right side or sign a cheaper player to replace him. I don’t have an issue with Okorafor being on this roster, but at the current price tag, he needs to be cut. The team can better spend that cap space to improve this roster.
Prediction: Okorafor is cut
Wallace has been a decent veteran signing
Levi Wallace and Ahkello Witherspoon were signed in the offseason to identical two-year, eight-million-dollar deals. While Witherspoon is as good as gone, Wallace is a different story. While he isn’t an ideal top cornerback, he is a fine second option on the boundary. His contract is a reflection of that, as he only registers a cap hit of roughly 5.5 million in 2023.
Is he a lock to stick around? No, but it would be nice to keep a dependable face around with so many question marks at the position this offseason. Cameron Sutton is set to test free agency, and there is a good chance he signs elsewhere on a lucrative contract. Having Wallace around keeps a familiar starting face in the cornerback room.
If he was owed a lot more money, this would be a different story. 5.5 million for a solid second cornerback is a fine contract though. The team can and should look to upgrade the room as a whole, but carrying Wallace is a logical move this offseason. The Steelers would be foolish to part ways with him given the potential losses at the position.
Prediction: Wallace is kept
Steelers could shuffle around Cole
Mason Cole seems to be unfairly criticized by a lot of Steelers fans. While I initially scoffed at the deal he received from the team, he has been a steady presence at center this season. While James Daniels has been the far better lineman addition, Cole has stabilized the center position and is an average option to fill in there.
The team can certainly look to the draft to find a developmental center in the middle rounds, but having Cole around means that they can address other holes instead. As well, Cole can play guard, if need be, so the team could look that way in the draft and move Cole to guard as well. He isn’t a flashy player, but he has earned a spot next season.
While many will point to the nearly 7-million-dollar cap hit as too much, this team needs some consistency along their line. Yes, I’m cutting Okorafor because he is an overpay, but he saves two times the amount of cap space that would be saved if the team moved on from Cole. He gives the team some interior flexibility and a steady presence.
Prediction: Cole is kept
Jack hasn’t lived up to his Steelers contract
I remember when Steelers nation was rejoicing when the team inked Myles Jack after the Jaguars cut him in the offseason. He was an up-and-coming young linebacker over his rookie deal, but as the Jaguars defense regressed, so did he. He never lived up to the mega-deal Jacksonville signed him to before cutting him. I was skeptical of his regressing play, but I still expected a solid starter at linebacker.
Jack has easily fallen below those expectations. While his early season play was fine, he continued to regress as the season progressed. This culminated in him essentially getting benched late in the season for the combination of Robert Spillane and Mark Robinson. For the proverbial savior of the Steelers linebacker room, he has become more of a liability than a leader.
Originally, I had the team keeping Jack despite his average play due to the turnover this position will likely go through. With his apparent benching though mixed in with that poor play, there isn’t much of a choice here. You can’t justify keeping Jack’s 11.25-million-dollar cap hit, and the 8 million dollars in savings is too good to pass up. This position will be gutted with Jack gone, but I don’t see another way in 2023.
Prediction: Jack is released
The Steelers will need to be aggressive this offseason as they need to add as much talent for their young quarterback as possible. Most of the cuts on this list, while saving cap space, are due to lackluster play. There are some hard decisions to be made, but this seems to be the best route for the team ahead of the 2023 offseason.