In a move that mostly everyone saw coming, the Titans have released longtime left tackle Taylor Lewan. This was a move that was made common knowledge by Lewan himself, as he hinted at this move numerous times during the offseason on various podcasts. He has also indicated that he would love to sign with the Steelers if at all a possibility.
The Steelers are in need of linemen to help protect Kenny Pickett, and when healthy, Lewan is one of the best left tackles in the league. While older, tackles have proven to have some longevity in the league, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Lewan have a few more high-quality years left in him.
Steelers should take a flier on Taylor Lewan
Adding Lewan would give the Steelers a boost at left tackle. Dan Moore could then kick inside and compete at guard or even move to the right side, a situation that I think would make a lot of sense. If the Steelers did that, they could cut Chukwuma Okorafor and save nearly seven million in cap space on top of it. That money could go into financing a new deal for Lewan.
While on paper this seems like a logical add, I wouldn’t rush to ink Lewan to a deal. He has only played in 20 games over the past three seasons, and he has a track record of injuries dating back to 2018. Injuries don’t get better with age typically, so that is a major red flag against him.
He has also gauged his market value at no less than ten million a season for a one-year contract. While that could easily be a ploy to try and set his value early, that is a lot of money for a player and a huge cap hit to absorb if not spread out. If those issues weren’t enough, there also seems to be some heat between Lewan and T.J. Watt.
That all said, I am not completely against bringing in Lewan. It would have to be on a very team-friendly deal though, and not spaced out over just a single season. I would offer him a 2-year deal with a five-million-dollar signing bonus. With his base salary at the minimum for the vested years, that would give him a cap hit of 3.66 million dollars.
The contract would also include incentives, something this team experimented with in the Mitchell Trubisky deal. Lewan could earn an additional 2 million for starting every game, 2 million if he makes the pro-bowl, and a million if the team makes the playoffs. He nets a minimum of 6.2 million and could potentially earn as much as 11.2 million in his first year.
The second year would have a more inflated salary. Essentially, he would be playing on a prove-it deal but the cap hit is spaced out over two seasons. If he maxes out his first year and all three incentives are reached, the Steelers will likely have no issue paying out that additional money. If he struggles and continues his injury troubles, then the team only gave up just over 3.5 million in cap space to accommodate him.
Outside of a deal structured like that (lower first-year cap hit), I’m not interested in Lewan. The odds of him bouncing back to his Pro Bowl form are slim. There is enough there for me to want to take a stab at it, but the Steelers certainly shouldn’t go crazy trying to ink Lewan to a deal.