It has been a while since Pittsburgh has seen a football team affiliated with their city being involved in a championship game of any kind. The Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL made it all the way to the league’s championship game this past weekend. It did not end in the favor, but it had the city somewhat intrigued by the lesser professional league.
Just like the XFL, there should be some action when it comes to potential free-agent signings with USFL players. There are a couple that should be on the Steelers radar when they investigate the talent pool coming out of the league. A handful of players would be great fits for the black and gold and could realistically join the club.
The Pittsburgh Maulers were not able to win the USFL Championship
Throughout the year, the Maulers' defense was one of the strongest units across the USFL. Their offense has always been their weak point and that was exposed again this past Saturday as a chunk of Pittsburgh tuned into the game out of curiosity. They saw a game that showed some promise from the club wearing black and gold, but it was not enough in the end.
It would end up that their competition would win the USFL championship for the second year in a row. The Birmingham Stallions are in a class of their own in this league and were able to take this game with relative ease. The Maulers fell to the Stallions by a score of 28-12, but it did show some players that could make the NFL jump.
Vince Williams is pushing for the Steelers to sign a Maulers defensive star
One of the best linebackers in recent history for the Steelers was Vince Williams. He might have been given too many responsibilities before he retired, but that's because there were very few options that could take that role. One thing that Williams was never shy of was presenting his own thoughts and opinions on certain situations.
He continued that this past weekend as he tuned into the USFL championship game like many other spectators that were curious. The Maulers might have lost, but there was a certain player that popped off the screen at him. The Mauler Reuben Foster is a former first-round pick and has a lot of experience in the NFL.
There is no reason to believe that Williams has any sort of inside information in terms of the Steelers talent acquisition. They could still be active in free agency between now and the start of the regular season. Williams tweeted out, "Yeah, he's (Foster) going to end up playing for the other Pittsburgh team." It would make some sense.
Williams noticed the physical style of play that Foster represented on the Maulers defense during that championship contest. This does not mean that he would become an instant starter over the current talent on the roster. It could pose to be an interesting option for the Steelers if they dip into the USFL talent.
It would make a lot of sense to sign Reuben Foster to see what he's got
Training camp is a time when diamonds in the rough start to emerge from nowhere. It would make a lot of sense for the Steelers to look at specific positions of need and add them to their roster from the USFL players looking for an NFL opportunity. Foster would be one of the many names that could be a fit with Pittsburgh.
Despite the tweet and all the attention that he will get, there are other players from the USFL that could be upgrades over the black and gold's current personnel. Trying to find an answer at middle linebacker has been a tall task for this club since Ryan Shazier got injured many years ago, and they still haven't fulfilled that task.
Signing Foster and seeing what he has during the pre-season might be one of the best choices that the Steelers can do. There are not too many options still available on the current free agency market that could be much better. They could get a former first-round selection that could have some extra gas in the tank this time around.
Keep a close eye on this as time passes as these USFL players should see a boost in employment status. The status of the middle linebackers on Pittsburgh's roster is not in the best state right now. Trying to find an upgrade either in depth or at the starting spot seems to be a desperate need and adding Foster could help the cause.