10 upcoming free agent with obvious ties to the Steelers

Steelers could sign Van Jefferson

Receiver on paper isn’t the biggest need, but outside of the Steelers stars in Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, the room is rather bare. Calvin Austin didn’t develop into more than a gadget option while Allen Robinson is likely to be a cap casualty, leaving the slot receiver role wide open for a new option. Another capable outside-depth option would be smart as well.

This is where Van Jefferson would give this team some flexibility. While it looked like he was a player on the rise in his sophomore season, he struggled to remain consistent and faded down the stretch. He was traded to the Falcons in the middle of the season (surprisingly) and posted another dud of a season.

What would strengthen his cause to the Steelers is his position flexibility. He can play any spot in the receiver room which would make him cheap depth. I’d be fine with him in the slot unless a rookie takes that role. If that were the case, you get a versatile depth player on the cheap.

Continuing with the 2020 theme, the Steelers met with Jefferson during the predraft process before the rest of the process was derailed. The team drafted Chase Claypool that year, so the interest in a receiver was real. Jefferson would be cheap depth and a break-glass-in-case of emergency option for the slot spot.