There is a lot of work to be done between now and the start of free agency for the black and gold. The Steelers do not have a lot of cap space to work with for the time being, but that could change quickly over the next month or less. Expect a lot of news coming out of Pittsburgh's football club over the next handful of weeks as this offseason has a lot of potential behind it.
Currently, this team is barely under the cap ceiling according to overthecap.com. That number could change vastly if the Steelers work some magic and either cut or restructure certain deals currently going against them. Their activity this offseason will depend on which players they decide to bring back, but some of the higher cap hits should be considered for release.
Steelers start the offseason by opening up cap space
Cut: William Jackson III, Gunner Olszewski, Myles Jack, Mitch Trubisky, Ahkello Witherspoon, Montravius Adams, and Miles Killebrew
Things kick off hot here as the organization goes on a cutting purge for some of the players currently under contract. These moves allowed the club to create roughly 38 million in spending cash this offseason. Most of these players are either too expensive for their projected roles or have not proven their worth enough. Some of these names could make sense to return, but it was harder to give reasons to keep them rather than release them.
Restructure: Cam Heyward
There could be plenty of more contract restructuring beyond just changing around Cam Heyward's contract. This move allows for the black and gold to open around seven million more that could be spent on other portions of the roster. After all these moves, the Steelers have a smidge over 46 million to spend on their pending free agents and outside options in the future.
Steelers re-sign some of their own pending free agents
Offensive re-signings: Zach Gentry: 2 years 4 million, Steven Simms: 1 year 1.2 million, Derek Watt: 1 year, 1 million, Miles Boykin: 1 year 950,000, Christian Kuntz: 1 year 850,000
Pittsburgh brings back some role players on the offensive side of the ball. Zach Gentry is one of the more notable offensive free agents and he brings back some great depth at the tight end spot. They also bring back Steven Simms as he has some restricted rights going his way this offseason. One of the biggest question marks is the future of Derek Watt, but the Steelers bring him back on a pay cut for another season.
Miles Boykin had a standout year as a special teams contributor, so the black and gold reward him with a slight pay increase for the upcoming season. Christian Kuntz had a solid performance in 2023 and seemingly will come back as the long-snapper for next year as well. Nothing too flashy with the offensive signings, but some valuable depth and supply bodies return at significant roles.
Defensive re-signings: Cam Sutton: 3 years 23 million, Terrell Edmunds: 2 years, 11 million, Larry Ogunjobi: 2 years 12 million, Damontae Kazee: 2 years 5 million, James Pierre: 1 year 1.5 million, Chris Wormley: 1 year 1 million
Here are where the bigger names are located for the Steelers' pending free agents. They are able to re-sign Cam Sutton, Terrell Edmunds, and Larry Ogunjobi for a combined cap hit of around 19 million. That is a nice accomplishment as they get three defensive starters back on fair deals. The club also re-signs other depth pieces as well, which includes a buy low risk on Chris Wormley as he works his way back from a knee injury.
Steelers Free Agency signings
Offensive free agent signings: Drew Lock: 2 years 10 million, Nick Sciba: 1 year 750,000
Not too many positions of need here for the Steelers, but there are some significant needs at depth spots. They go out and add a backup quarterback in Drew Lock as he plays a similar style to Kenny Pickett and has some youth to him still. He signs on a cheap contract and brings starting experience with him.
Chris Boswell did not have a good season in 2022, so Pittsburgh decides to bring in competition for him. Nick Sciba had a short stint with the black and gold last year before Boswell returned from injury. Sciba is currently in the USFL and earned another shot in the NFL on a veteran minimum contract.
Defensive free agent signings: Bobby Okereke: 3 years 22.5 million, Lorenzo Carter: 2 years 7 million, Jarrad Davis: 1 year 1 million, Marquette King: 1 year 750,000
If Pittsburgh makes a splash in free agency. it seems more likely that it will be on the defensive side of the ball. They do exactly that here by signing Bobby Okereke to a three-year deal that pays him less than what Jack was going to earn. He is a younger linebacker that put up great numbers throughout his career.
Lorenzo Carter is a nice deal that brings in experienced at the edge position behind the two starters. Jarrad Davis also provides some extra experience at inside linebacker with his starting days as a Detroit Lions. Marquette King has been out of the NFL for a while now, but he showed enough in the XFL for the Steelers to bring him in to compete with Pressley Harvin III for the starting job.
Steelers 2023 NFL Mock Draft
Some needs still have to be taken care of for the black and gold as they enter the 2023 NFL Draft. A lot of pressure has been taken off this group as they filled plenty of their major needs through free agency and bringing back some of their own. There might be a possibility of trades during this process, but that might not happen after all.
The black and gold stick to their guns and wait until the 17th overall pick rolls around. Somehow Peter Skoronski is sitting there to be selected and the Steelers run to the podium. Skoronski could be a tackle, but Pittsburgh envisions him as a guard at the next level. That position flexibility was too hard to pass up on as they upgrade over Kevin Dotson.
For those begging for an upgrade over Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle, the Steelers hear your prayers. Dawand Jones falls to pick 32, and Pittsburgh would be thrilled at this point in the draft. Jones is a monster that should be able to play left tackle in the NFL. He played most of his snaps on the right side at Ohio State, but he will get his start on the opposite side with the black and gold.
Another highly valued pick here as Trenton Simpson has been mocked in the first round in some instances. Pittsburgh gets a young linebacker that has crazy athleticism and should be able to come in and compete for the starting job on day one. It will be between him, Mark Robinson, and Jarrad Davis to challenge for the starting gig next to Okereke.
Darius Rush is another cornerback on the rise as he continues a good pre-draft process. The Steelers need to upgrade at cornerback badly this offseason, and they get a good player with some upside. There is no need for him to start on day one, and that should allow him to be brought along slowly.
Adding to the depth across the defensive line needs to be another priority here, especially with the number of depth pieces that left earlier in this mocked offseason. Byron Young is the pick here as the black and gold have shown more interest in the school recently. Young has the size that the Steelers look for in their defensive lineman and has the run-stopping ability that this club is craving.
Most do not expect Pittsburgh to take a quarterback in the draft, but they only have two on the roster right now. They add Jaren Hall with one of their final picks in the draft to develop into a backup guy down the road. He has all the tools that a team looks for in an NFL quarterback, but he needs to work on his mental part of the game to improve.
Subtracting Miles Killebrew from the equation brings a need for a special team' spot. Brandon Hill is the final selection here for the Steelers 2023 draft class. He is a good run-supporting safety that has struggled in coverage at different points in his career. That run support should be able to translate to some special team's ability and get Hill a shot at making the final roster.