Pittsburgh Steelers Free Agency 2023: Arrivals, departures, and rumors so far
By Tommy Jaggi
It's hard to say that the past few days have been dull. Even with saving over $12 million by cutting William Jackson III just before the legal tampering period, the Pittsburgh Steelers had just over $10 million to work with in spending money this offseason. That proved to be enough to keep us on our heels.
Though many predicted that Pittsburgh would be relatively quiet this offseason without a ton of salary cap space to work with, Omar Khan showed that he's in the business of improving his football team early in free agency.
So far, Pittsburgh has been able to retain two of their own players in DT Larry Ogunjobi and S Damontae Kazee. Both players signed multi-year deals with the team. As far as the rest of their free-agent moves go, here's a look at the Steelers arrivals, departures, and rumors just two days in.
Steelers free agent arrivals:
Patrick Peterson, cornerback
With questions emerging at the cornerback position, the Steelers made an unexpected move just hours into the start of the legal tampering period by signing veteran cornerback, Patrick Peterson. The former three-time All-Pro signed a two-year, $14 million deal with Pittsburgh. He turns 33 years old this summer, but is coming off a 5-interception season with the Minnesota Vikings and is out to prove that he still has plenty in the tank.
Nate Herbig, offensive guard
This was a move that not many saw coming. The Steelers are making it a point that they want to get stronger along the offensive line, and at 6'4'' and 335 pounds, Nate Herbig fits the bill. The former Eagles and Jets guard signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh worth $8 million. He will likely look to compete with Kevin Dotson for the starting left guard job, though most of his work so far has come at right guard. Herbig leaves a lot to be desired as a pass protector, but had the sixth-highest run-block win-rate among all NFL guards in 11 starts last year, per ESPN analytics.
Cole Holcomb, linebacker
After watching much of the off-ball linebacker market dry up in free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers were fortunate to land Cole Holcomb. The former fifth-round pick has been a productive player in Washington but is coming off a season-ending foot injury. Holcomb tested as a 96th percentile athlete coming out of college, according to his Relative Athletic Score. He's a well-balanced player who should give this team an upgrade at the LB position.