10 realistic free agents the Steelers could sign in 2024

Steelers could target Lloyd Cushinberry

I already wrote about Hennessy being a potential fit as a cheap depth option to pair with a rookie at center. If the Steelers decide they aren’t high on this class or want to focus their draft resources elsewhere, Lloyd Cushinberry will become a hot name for this team in free agency.

While 2020 was a hard year to follow the draft given the pandemic was just starting, the team was very interested in Lloyd Cushinberry. The interior of this line was falling apart. A part of that decline was Maurkice Pouncey, who was nearing retirement. Cushinberry would have been a logical replacement for him and could have even kicked to guard in the short term if needed.

He ultimately wasn’t the selection (which led to Kendrick Green a year later), but has since gone on to become a core member of the Broncos offensive line. He has started every game since being drafted (outside of an injury spell in 2022), and he has gotten better as a player every season, progressing into one of the better centers in the league.

He is coming off his best season as a pro and should command some attention from teams in need of better center play. The Steelers certainly qualify, and if they opt to ignore center in the draft, Cushinberry could be their guy. He is young enough and talented enough to play for the next six or eight years and has to be considered as a starting option.