NFL Free Agency is just days away, and like all good armchair GMs, I’ve prepared my annual Pittsburgh Steelers mock offseason. I’ll go from start to finish, compiling exactly what I would do if I were in charge of the team this year.
I’ll have multiple tools at my disposal. For offseason cuts and signings, I’ll rely on PFSN’s NFL Offseason Manager. I don’t love their interface, but they provide the most comprehensive one-stop shop for simulating contracts, and they let players accept or reject clients.
For the mock draft, I’ll use PFF’s simulator, as I feel like it does the best job out there of creating realistic draft scenarios.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are built brand new in 2026 mock offseason
The Pittsburgh Steelers State of the Union
With Omar Khan officially usurped, I want to lay out my goals so they are clear to the Steelers.
My first goal is to find cohesion. I feel like my predecessor has done a great job with adding talent, but has struggled to get that talent to actually gel together. I need to fix that.
As for the quarterback room, I am under the mindset that we didn’t play with our answer at franchise quarterback last year, so I need to throw as much mud at that wall to see what sticks.
Finally, this roster is extremely fat and needs to be trimmed. I can’t keep around players on bloated deals that don’t match the production. This team can’t continue to settle for mediocrity. Behind these pillars, I plan on building the Steelers anew this offseason.
Pittsburgh Steelers cuts
According to the simulator, the Steelers have a healthy amount of cap space at nearly $22 million in overall space. That being said, I am preemptively saving some space to use later for new deals.
There are quite a few players who deserve to get paid, and who am I to deny them? This will naturally lead to cap space being needed. Please note Chris Boswell and Darnell Washington are also on the short list for a new deal, but that will likely lead to a decreased cap hit this year, and thus doesn’t need to be considered for this exercise.
Joey Porter will receive a deal that pays him like a top-five cornerback. This leads to a loss of $2.5 million in cap space. I also ink Nick Herbig to a deal that raises his cap by nearly $3 million (yes, you can pay him in year one and keep everyone else). This means I will need to keep ~$6 million in reserve to broker these deals.
The first moves to make are obvious ones. Jonnu Smith is the easiest cut this offseason and saves $7 million in cap space. I also looked for Calvin Anderson in the simulator, but he wasn’t even available to cut (one of my major pain points with this program). I’ll assume he retired.
While I’m not running to cut him before the draft, I don’t intend to keep Mason Rudolph. He showed last year what his ceiling is, and for a team that is trimming the fat off the roster, I don’t need someone like that at quarterback. In the real world, I keep him through camp and try to trade him, but he makes an early exit off this roster.
Next up is Jalen Ramsey. This is the toughest choice of the offseason. While his price is inflated, I feel like I get more value with him here than cut. He gets a full offseason to get comfortable at safety.
Malik Harrison isn’t as fortunate. Brought in to be a run defender and special teams star, he proved to be neither. I’ll pocket his savings instead.
Finally, we come to Patrick Queen. Unlike Ramsey, Queen has had multiple seasons to prove his worth. He hasn’t, and I feel like linebacker is a position that we can get cheaper and more effective at. His savings are immense, so I ultimately decided to cut him.
With all of those moves effective, I have over $60 million in cap space. However, the simulator keeps nearly $6 million reserved for the draft, and I need another $6 million reserved for my new deals later in the offseason. Add in the $10 million in cap space this team tends to like to have during the season, and I have a budget of $33 million this offseason for free agency.
I’m not jumping to re-sign any players set to be free agents, so I’ll let them explore their values before I attempt to make an offer.
Pittsburgh Steelers free agency plans
I enter free agency with a handful of names I want to extend offers to right away. The first is at quarterback with Sam Howell. He flashed in his opportunities, and I am more than willing to give him another starting opportunity to compete with Will Howard. I offer him a two-year deal worth $3 million per year, which he accepts.
I move to receiver now to land a guy that I think fits this room perfectly in Christian Kirk. Unfortunately, he doesn’t show as available, so I pivot to Jalen Nailor. The former Viking reunites with his passing game coordinator, and he profiles as a capable third option with slot versatility. I offer him a 2-year deal worth $6 million per season, which he also accepts.
Leo Chenal is next, as he can serve as the starting linebacker next to Payton Wilson. He plays the run well, can rush, and has enough traits to hold up in coverage. I offer him a 3-year deal worth $6 million per season, which he agrees to.
Finally, I go after Eric Stokes, who had a career year with Patrick Graham as the defensive coordinator. I offer him a 2-year deal worth $8 million per year, which he decides is fair. We have an instant running mate for Porter.
We are on a roll, but we have used almost half of our effective cap space.
I circle a reunion with James Daniels next. I think he can compete at guard and provide depth everywhere along the interior. I offer him a standard 2-year deal worth $4 million per year.
Rejected.
For the first time, we taste defeat. I upped the offer slightly to $5 million per season. I want him to be clear that he is competing for a starting job and could be a backup after back-to-back seasons barely playing. Once again, he says no, so I move on.
I head over to safety and offer Ashtyn Davis a 2-year deal worth $2.5 million a year to serve as a potential third safety and special teams option. He happily agrees.
I opt to reunite with Elandon Roberts to give a capable third linebacker who excels against the run. A similar 2-year deal worth $4 million per year seems reasonable. Roberts agrees and returns to the team.
This team needs a punter, so I offer a contract to the best one in Tommy Townshed. A 2-year deal worth $3.5 million does the trick.
I circle back to James Pierre, who hasn’t found a home yet. I offer him a 2-year deal worth $5 million per year. He comes back as insurance and special teams depth.
I also circle back to James Daniels, as I don’t find another interior option I’m in love with. I upped the offer to $6 million with no guaranteed money, and he accepted.
Rounding out free agency, I add Kene Nwangwu, Connor Heyward, and Cedrick Wilson on veteran minimum deals.
Pittsburgh Steelers draft
Heading into the draft, our options are wide open. Receiver remains the biggest need, but I feel like a pick in the first or second round satisfies that need. I am open to picking the true best players available.
The board doesn’t break well. The top receivers are gone, meaning I pivot to my backup plan. For those of you who caught my last mock draft, you know that means trading back for a defensive lineman.
The Bills are the ones that come calling this time, and I grab a second-round pick in 2027 to move back a handful of spots.
Knowing I still want a top receiver, I make an additional move up on day two, parting ways with one of my third-round picks in exchange for the Raiders second round pick and a future fifth-round pick. In total, I have 11 picks to work with for this draft class.
The beginning of my draft looks familiar to my last mock draft, which makes sense because I feel like that was a strong showing by me.
I love the potential that comes with Caleb Banks, and being able to draft him while moving back a handful of spots feels like the perfect scenario. He won’t be rushed into a starting role, but he can provide snaps as a pass-rushing defensive lineman from the get-go.
Omar Cooper profiles as a target hog that always finds the space to get open. He tested as a slightly better-than-expected athlete, but his role will be a short-middle-of-the-field possession target. He fits great into this offense.
Chris Brazzell is the opposite. Big and fast, he can produce big plays, but struggles to consistently produce. He can serve as the fourth receiver with occasional splash in year one. Those two, plus DK Metcalf and Nailor, produce a strong quartet to run the passing game through.
Zakee Wheatley isn’t my favorite safety in this class, but at the end of the second day of the draft, he is a guy who can provide instant depth and develop into a sound starter. I’m just not sure what his ceiling is.
I almost took Garrett Nussmeier in the third round over Wheatley, so he became impossible to pass up in round four. I’ll buy into the idea that a core injury derailed his 2025 season. Before that, he was a top quarterback prospect.
Can he recapture that level of play in the pros? I’m not sure, but I am committed to throwing mud at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Jalon Kilgore is a tough prospect to project, as he played all over the secondary in college. He has the frame and athleticism to play outside cornerback, but never excelled there in favor of a hybrid-slot role. There isn’t an immediate need at cornerback right now, so Kilgore can just find his footing as a rookie.
Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Parker Brailsford, and Kage Casey are polar opposites, but serve the same purpose in year one: offensive line depth. Brailsford has the lowest ceiling, but he should be a steady backup center for his rookie deal.
Reed-Adams and Casey are developmental players. Neither should be counted on early, but both could turn into starters down the road. Casey could also kick inside to guard long-term, potentially.
Mason Reiger keeps the edge rusher shelves full, while Chip Trayanum is an explosive big back who needs to prove his lack of college success was a mirage. Both can compete for back-of-the-roster spots.
Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart:
QB: Will Howard, Sam Howell, Garrett Nussmeier
RB: Jaylen Warren, Kaleb Johnson, Kene Nwangwu, Chip Trayanum
WR: DK Metcalf, Omar Cooper, Jalen Nailor, Chris Brazzell, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek
TE: Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward
OL: Broderick Jones, James Daniels, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Troy Fautanu, Spencer Anderson, Dylan Cook, Parker Brailsford, Ar’maj Reed-Adams
DL: Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, Caleb Banks, Yahya Black, Logan Lee
Edge: T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer, Mason Reiger
LB: Payton Wilson, Leo Chenal, Elandon Roberts, Carson Bruener
CB: Joey Porter, Erik Stokes, James Pierre, Brandon Echols, Jalon Kilgore
S: Jalen Ramsey, DeShon Elliott, Ashtyn Davis, Zakee Wheatley
SPE: Chris Boswell, Tommy Townsend, Chrisitan Kuntz
Overall, I’d love this team to enter the season and see what they can do.
More than likely, the quarterback room falters. If that happens, though, you have a strong core to add a rookie quarterback to in 2027. If you discover something in one of the three quarterbacks, all the better.
Running back is a little weak as well, but I’m banking on Kaleb Johnson developing. I feel like the rest of the offense is set up for success both now and in the future.
On defense, we trimmed some of the fat off the team. Watt and Ramsey are still getting paid a lot right now, but other pieces have been added to allow them the space to do their best work. It will be up to them to accomplish that.
Will this team be making a Super Bowl run? Probably not, but they have a great opportunity to get a good look at three quarterbacks while letting the rest of the team come together.