Steelers cap casualties that could open up spending cash for free agency

Chuks Okorafor has not lived up to the contract he got last offseason

Getting better across the offensive line needs to be the biggest item on the Steelers to-do list this offseason. They need to protect Kenny Pickett and give him the best chance to succeed. Chukwuma Okorafor re-signed with the Steelers last offseason after he looked at free agency.

Pittsburgh inked him to a new three-year deal that saw him get market value after a questionable career up to that point. Okorafor is not the worst tackle in the NFL, but he has always left a lot out on the field. He has always been a project at right tackle and only got the job initially once injuries started to occur.

The beginning of the 2022 season was terrible for Okorafor and the rest of his teammates in the trenches. It took a while for things to turn around, but the offensive line started to play better as a group down the stretch. Okorafor would save the black and gold a hair under seven million if they would release him this offseason.

That is huge savings for a club that could use that money elsewhere. Investing into the offensive line needs to happen in the draft and taking a left tackle and moving Dan Moore Jr. over to the right side could fix some issues. Other than finding some depth at tackle in either free agency or the draft, cutting Okorafor would make sense for the Steelers.

The Steelers could open up a lot of spending cash if they release these players. Most of these recommendations are cap casualties because they have not lived up to their current contract status in one way or another.