Steelers Fire Sale: Top 5 players who must be traded in 2024

Bad contracts and a fading Steelers culture are why these five players should find a new home in 2024.

Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers | Cooper Neill/GettyImages
2 of 5

4. Larry Ogunjobi, DT

As soon as the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Larry Ogunjobi to a three-year, $28.75 million contract during the 2023 offseason, per Over the Cap, I openly voiced my displease with this decision. While Ogunjobi is a respectable player, I didn't think he was worth nearly as much as Pittsburgh forked up to keep him around. He's proving my point exactly.

Ogunjobi has been a long-time defensive tackle in the AFC North (first with the Browns then the Bengals before coming to Pittsburgh). However, the penetrating DT peaked in Cincinnati and has been average at best during these past two years with the Steelers.

Now Pittsburgh has a budding Keeanu Benton in the mix. Benton is noticeably better on film than Ogunjobi, and the 2023 second-round pick is gradually being promoted to a full-time role. Yes, the Steelers will still need another interior defender to replace Cameron Heyward in the near future (who turns 35 this offseason), but Ogunjobi will be 30 in 2024 and has probably already played his best football.

There are DT-needy teams out there who could be willing to take on Ogunjobi's bad contract in 2024 and beyond. The Steelers would take a dead money hit in the process, but it would be wise to ditch a subpar defensive tackle and spend draft capital on a player who could be more of a long-term fix (and possibly an upgrade) at the position.

Schedule