After going seven consecutive seasons without so much as a single playoff win, you can bet that extensive roster turnover will be coming for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though Mike Tomlin's team has the highest number of total snaps played in 2023 under contract for the 2024 season, we know that there will be numerous cuts in an effort to free up salary cap space.
All the while, the Steelers 16 players set to become free agents. These players will be free to sign with other NFL clubs during the 2024 free-agency period. Somehow, there's not a single starter among them who is set to depart from the team.
However, this doesn't mean that the Steelers should be content with letting all of their free agents walk away during the 2024 offseason. They might be just rotational players, but Pittsburgh should make an added effort to ensure that these four unrestricted free agents stick around in 2024.
Miles Killebrew, S/ST
T.J. Watt wasn't the only First-Team All-Pro player for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023. Mile Killebrew joined him in this prestigious list -- earning All-Pro honors for his standout special teams ability. Though Killebrew doesn't often see the field on defense (just 110 total defensive snaps in 17 games in 2023), he made his presence felt on special teams coverage units.
Killebrew, the special teams captain of the Steelers, has logged a whopping 2,573 special teams snaps during his NFL career that dates back to 2016, per Pro Football Reference. He chipped in 319 snaps in this department this past season and once again proved to be their most reliable player on special teams units.
Killebrew isn't a completely irreplaceable player, but great special teams help can be hard to come by. Because of his leadership, experience as a team captain, and expertise on special teams, the Steelers should give this 30-year-old free-agent safety a contract to ensure that he sticks around for the 2024 season.