The Pittsburgh Steelers enter this offseason with numerous goals. In general, though, the team wants to get more youthful on both sides of the ball.
However, Cameron Jordan may be a bargain that is too hard to pass up.
While signing a 36-year-old defensive lineman doesn’t seem logical on paper, his fit with the team would be hard to deny. Plus, pairing him with Cameron Heyward, two players who have shared a lot of similarities given their close proximity in the 2011 NFL Draft, feels like football justice.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should try and sign Cameron Jordan in free agency
I typically don’t support the idea of paying for veteran talent, especially when a team is in no position to make a serious run in the playoffs. That said, Jordan would solidify a dominant line that blends both youth and veteran talent.
He fits the mold of a Steelers defensive end, given his size and rare length, and he showed last year that he can still get after the passer with 10.5 sacks. For a defensive line that failed to wreak havoc in the backfield, his pass-rushing ability alone makes him attractive.
Given his age, he isn’t going to command a true workhorse level of play. Over the past few seasons, Jordan has averaged around 50% of the defensive playing snaps. That can certainly be arranged in Pittsburgh.
That means players like Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black can still see notable playing time while learning from two potential Hall of Fame linemen. That kind of experience is invaluable.
This also allows the defensive line to be situational. The best units are. You have enough depth to create specific packages to best utilize your players.
Jordan won’t command a lot of money on the open market. I’d assume he gets somewhere close to what Heyward is getting ($15 million a year).
If you told me now that you could get Jordan at that price and add a rookie somewhere on day two to learn behind this wealth of knowledge, I’d sign up for that instantly. Defensive line would be deep, have the talent to succeed now, while also preparing for the contingency plan after the veterans retire.
No, Jordan isn’t a name closely linked to the Steelers right now, but if the rumors are true that he is content leaving the Saints, pairing him with Heyward on this defense would be a match made in heaven.