NFL free agency technically starts this upcoming Wednesday, but many deals will be struck before then. The legal tampering period, when clubs can start negotiating with outside free agents, will begin on Monday. That should bring a lot of interesting updates as players look to find their new homes on the open market.
The Steelers have a lot of work to accomplish between now and when free agency officially begins. They have a good chunk of quality pending free agents that they would like to sign and potentially open cap space by changing around some other existing contracts. A lot of work is left to be done for this front office before they turn their attention to any outside free agents this upcoming week.
Steelers make some savings by releasing some of their own before free agency starts
There is basically zero cap space for the black and gold to work with at their current state of business. Cutting some contracts to open the door for future spending might be the best course of action for now and into the future. They announce the contract terminations of Ahkello Witherspoon, William Jackson III, Myles Jack, Gunner Olszewski, and Miles Killebrew. All of them have higher cap hits that are not needed to carry on with this club.
Another accomplishment to open more cap space is reworking Cam Heyward's current deal to add another seven million dollars in spending change. According to overthecap.com, these moves will allow the Steelers to have a little under 35 million in cap space to spend this offseason. This would be a task to get to, but it is not something completely imaginary as all these players, besides Heyward, are expendable.
The re-signing phase got extremely busy before these pending free agents hit the market
There is a slight concern hitting the Steel City as many of the pending free agents for the club are still looking for an extension. Some should imagine that at least a handful of these free agents will likely hit the open market, but that should not spell doom. The Steelers will keep their eyes on the market and could swing a deal with these players even if they make it into uncharted territories.
Omar Khan and crew got to work as they announce the following extensions, Terrell Edmunds (2 years 5.45 million per), Cam Sutton (3 years, 7.55 million per), Damontae Kazee (2 years, 2.5 million per), James Pierre (1 year, 1 million per), Derek Watt (1 year 1 million per), Miles Boykin (2 years 1 million per), Steven Simms (1 year, 950,000 per), Chris Wormley (1 year, 950,000), Benny Snell Jr. (1 year, 850,000 per).
Besides bringing back the two starters in Edmunds and Sutton, the rest of these moves solidify some key depth pieces. Most are cheaper contracts that should be able to stick around and help in different roles and on special teams as well. Bringing back Edmunds and Sutton should be the top priority for the black and gold as free agency looms closer.
Steelers mostly plug holes at various depth positions during free agency
Welcome to one of the most exciting points in the offseason for those NFL fans that love the team building aspect of the game. After the re-signing phase concluded, the Steelers still had plenty of spending cash available to go out and sign some bigger names in free agency if they choose to. There are some extensions that are coming down the pike, so the organization will have to keep that in mind with future ramifications of their spending spree.
Not too flashy of a free agency period for Pittsburgh, but they do add some interesting names to the roster. They announce the signings of David Long Jr. (2 years, 6.3 million per), Chase Winovich (2 years, 2.4 million per), Jarvis Landry (1 year, 4 million per), Jarrad Davis (1 year, 1.5 million per), Matthew Wright (1year, 800,000 per), Marquette King (1year, 800,000 per).
Long turns out to be their biggest addition in free agency as he can plug and play at the starting middle linebacker spot. The other starting spot will be a competition in training camp to sort things out. Winovich and Davis are solid additions at key depth roles as they possess starting experience. Landry is a nice veteran presence with a ton of slot experience. Wright and King will come into camp and push the current starters to make the roster.
Pittsburgh enters the 2023 NFL Draft with some major needs being the focus of the event. There have been a lot of holes filled through free agency, but that has also left some spots still out in the open for the black and gold to sort out. The Steelers have four picks in the top 80 heading into the event and they will need to strike wisely with those selections.
Waiting until pick 17 takes a long time in this draft, especially with Christian Gonzalez falling in round one. Eventually, the pick rolls around, and some clubs start calling to potentially make a trade with the team. The Steelers decline those proposals quickly as they cannot believe that Gonzalez fell to them. They get their top cornerback to come in and help this defense immediately.
Another great pick by Pittsburgh as Dawand Jones finds a way to get to pick 32. This is a massive tackle that should be able to move from the right side to the left side at the next level. He has long arms and some shocking athletic ability for being a mammoth. This solves the left tackle spot and allows Dan Moore Jr. to either compete for a starting spot at left guard or right tackle in camp.
The connection between Benton and the Steelers has been strong this entire pre-draft process. He has continuously proven that he is worth at least a second-round pick and Pittsburgh uses their original selection on him. He will come in and be the starter opposite of Heyward immediately. It will allow for DeMarvin Leal to come onto the field on passing down and take some pressure off Benton as a rookie.
TRADE: Steelers receive picks 85 and 124. Chargers receive pick 80
The third round is pushing further as the second day of the draft is coming to an end. LA Chargers hop onto the phone as they see a prospect drop that they really like and make a move with the Steelers. Pittsburgh gains an extra fourth-round selection for only moving back five spots in this round of the draft.
Tight end has not gotten enough attention in the offseason to this point so the black and gold select Sam LaPorta out of Iowa. Zach Gentry is gone, and Connor Heyward cannot be the only proven backup on your roster besides Pat Freiermuth. LaPorta is not a finished product heading into the next level, but he is a quality backup that should grow into a solid contributor on offense.
Long was added to be a starter on this defense, but the starter next to him still needs to be sorted out. Ivan Pace Jr. becomes the next pick by Pittsburgh as they hope he can come and compete for the starting gig. Mark Robinson will get a fair crack at the job come training camp, but the black and gold are doing enough due diligence at the position that it seems like they could target one come April.
The thought of having Moore kick inside to left guard is a good idea, but he could also challenge Chuks Okorafor for the starting spot at right tackle. Olusegun Oluwatimi is the selection here by the Steelers as they get a solid player that can play either guard or center for the club. He should be able to come in and apply healthy competition for either starting job at center, or more likely left guard, as a rookie.
The Steelers currently sit with only two quarterbacks on the roster before they select Clayton Tune with one of their final picks. He adds a third arm to this group as a proven collegiate quarterback that was efficient at closing out games. Tune will slot in behind Mitch Trubisky as a pure pocket passer heading into the NFL, which has dropped his draft grade a lot.
Adding some more depth to safety is another thing that has been neglected to this point. The black and gold take Trey Dean III out of Florida to sure up the competition on the back end. Dean plays more of a hybrid role rather than a pure safety spot, but he should be able to challenge some bottom of the roster guys to make a name for himself in year one.