With the draft wrapped up, the Steelers still have a lot of work to get done before training camp opens up. While this roster has been significantly bettered since the offseason began, there is still plenty of work that needs to be done before the team begins formally preparing for the season.
Areas of the roster still need to be built up and there are some managing tasks to get accomplished. While not a necessity, there are also a few players that would make sense to jettison from the roster. Here are the five moves that need to be made now that the draft is over.
5. Steelers need to work on an Alex Highsmith extension
I can’t understand Steelers fans not wanting to retain Alex Highsmith. While T.J. Watt is the top name on defense, Highsmith has become a fine starter for this defense and a valuable edge rusher. It seems like the main complaint is that Highsmith isn’t Watt, but that doesn’t make him a bad player.
He has gotten better every season and broke out last year to the tune of 14.5 sacks. He has a wide array of pass-rush moves, and his spin move in particular is an impressive one to watch. You don’t land that many sacks without having a good feel for the game.
Highsmith will be a more expensive deal, but he won’t cost as much as the elite pass rushers in the league. Somewhere between 15-20 million a season seems likely, and it ensures the Steelers maintain a high level of pass rush production for the next few years. They have cap flexibility with Kenny Pickett on his rookie deal, so inking Highsmith to a long-term deal makes sense.
4. Steelers need to upgrade the running back depth
The Steelers have made it very clear as to what their intentions are this season for their offense. With Pickett entering his second season, the team wants to put the focus on their running game headlined by Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
The focus has been getting more physical along the offensive line which should in turn open holes for both running backs. With the focus being so heavily on establishing a dominant run game, this team needs to have ample depth. If the team were to lose either of their backs, they need a capable third option to handle the load.
There are two directions this team should go. They could target a smaller and quicker back to complement this power run game. They have an option in Anthony McFarland, but he hasn’t proven to be a great pro to this point.
Who may really make a lot of sense is a return with Benny Snell. While Snell is far from a great player, he is a safe runner that can pick up some tough yards. He is also a plus special teams option that has become a proven commodity there.
The team has quite a few free agent options and finding a better third back now makes sense. They can get acclimated to the offense and settle into their role. It won’t be a huge name, but landing a better third-string running back makes sense right now.
3. Steelers need to cut Ahkello Witherspoon
I assume this deal is already in the works, but after the draft, the roster doesn’t look like a good place for former starter Ahkello Witherspoon. His Steelers career has been a weird one. They acquired him before the 2021 season by trade with the Seahawks and barely played him until the middle of the season.
His back half of 2021 was really good, prompting him to be resigned last year to a modest deal, before struggling on the field and ultimately getting benched and later injured. James Pierre and Levi Wallace both seemingly moved in front of him on the depth chart, so Witherspoon was already looking like an expensive fourth option.
The Steelers went out and drafted both Joey Porter and Cory Trice in the draft though, and both are prototypical big outside cornerbacks. Porter will certainly have a role early on, and while Trice will likely need some time before seeing the field, he seems like a good fit on special teams, something Witherspoon doesn’t do.
There is four million worth of cap savings in his deal as well. While not monumental, it is also too much for someone that isn’t going to be playing much. I doubt there is much of a trade market given how deep this cornerback draft class was, so Pittsburgh should just cut bait with Witherspoon now to free up some cap space.
2. Steelers need to secure a third quarterback
The Steelers are old school with their quarterback room, as they like to carry four into training camp and three during the season. As of this writing, this team only has three names on the roster, and one of them was a recently signed undrafted player.
While finding a capable third quarterback doesn’t seem like a huge deal, this team usually has quite the rotation through camp and the preseason. There are a lot of new parts to this offense, so having a capable depth that can still help these new players get acclimated to this offense is a must.
There aren’t a lot of great names in free agency left, but they can pick a lower-tier name that has some pro experience for the minimum. While some have floated out Mason Rudolph, he won’t be viable unless they can sign him for the veteran minimum, as they are already paying quite a bit for Mitchell Trubisky to be the backup.
The XFL also has a few names that would make sense. While I do like Tanner Morgan and think he could develop into a capable backup, a fourth body needs to be brought into camp to keep this offense humming. As well, if an injury were to occur, having a more experienced name already in the system is a must. The team needs to be working on getting this issue resolved soon.
1. Steelers need to begin shopping Kevin Dotson
While he wasn’t a lock to get traded on draft night, I was slightly surprised that Kevin Dotson didn’t get traded on draft night. The fourth-year player has seemingly fallen out of favor with the team given the offseason additions, and he has gone from a middling starter to an expensive backup.
That said, offensive linemen are a scarce resource and Dotson has quite a few starts under his belt and some good play. Inconsistencies besides the point, Dotson will be rostered somewhere this season, it just won’t be Pittsburgh. He should have enough value to be dealt away.
By no means do you have to do whatever it takes to have him traded soon. There is a long offseason program ahead of every team, and injuries will occur. There are still some intriguing names out there that could become serviceable players though, so you don’t want time to ultimately leave you stuck with Dotson.
If you can land a decent day three pick next year for him now, by all means, take it. If not, I can understand playing the waiting game a bit more and see if Dotson’s value naturally increases as players are lost to injury. That said, measures need to be taken so Dotson gets dealt with before the new season begins.
The brunt of the additions are done, but the Steelers still have a lot of work to do with their roster. From filling out the depth chart to moving on from some roster holdovers, there is a lot of work that needs to be done before training camp opens for the team in the Summer.