Pittsburgh is now officially in offseason mode as they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs again. Many speculated if the Steelers would be searching for a new Head Coach, but it sounds like Mike Tomlin will be back for at least another year which could turn into more. There is a lot of work ahead for this team to turn things in the right direction.
Omar Khan and company will have a lot of talent evaluation to handle as free agency and the draft inch closer over the coming months. They will also have to toy with the cap as they're currently projected to be over the cap by a substantial margin. That can change quickly with different contract resolutions that will likely occur.
Steelers have plenty of needs to address during the offseason
Plenty of needs will be out there for the black and gold, especially after they make some cuts at cap casualty figures. Many of those needs will be at starting spots or major depth pieces moving forward. The Steelers need to figure out a couple of areas on defense and offense.
The offense has to find a legit challenger for Kenny Pickett this offseason, and no it's not Mason Rudolph. They also need to find upgrades and right tackle and center to finally finish the rebuild on the offensive line. A receiver in the slot could be another need that Pittsburgh looks to address.
Defense is going to be tricky as the core gets older. Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt will be getting their contracts restructured to open spending change. But the defensive line needs a change and has to find more reliable options. Cornerback has to get an upgrade on the outside and in the slot, and safety isn't in a good place either.
Pittsburgh opens up some cap space through cuts and restructures of current contracts
Cap casualties always happen in the NFL and it seems like more are always projected to happen compared to what actually happens. There are plenty of ripe candidates to get cut by Pittsburgh over the coming months to get some extra money by the time free agency rolls around. Right now, it's projected that the Steelers are roughly 7 million over the cap.
They can open up a lot of spending change and they spend little time before going to work. They start off by restructuring Watt's contract. That opens up a good chunk of change. They then extend Heyward with void years to lower his current cap charge for this season and beyond.
Now the cap casualties start to pop up for the Steelers as they want to remain active in free agency. Names like Mitch Trubisky, Chuks Okorafor, and Allen Robinson II become the obvious cuts for Pittsburgh. Some notable names that get the boot here are Larry Ogunjobi, Patrick Peterson, Mason Cole, and Keanu Neal.
Some big shockers here but some have not played to the level of their contract. All of these moves make a lot of spending cash for the upcoming free agency and draft class. With these moves, Pittsburgh will head into the re-signing phase with around $50 million to spend.
Pending free agents will mostly walk away from the Steelers
Pending free agents will not be the biggest hurdle for the Steelers to replace this offseason. There are not too many noteworthy names when you look over the list. Perhaps Mason Rudolph is the biggest name on the list besides Kwon Alexander when you look at the current state of things.
Pittsburgh does get to work and they do re-sign a good chunk of their pending free agents. Some of them are such small deals that they are not worth listing in this article. Those will be camp guys that will battle for spots on the roster like Dylan Cook, who could develop into a nice depth piece.
Miles Boykin comes back on another cheap one-year contract and the Steelers also bring back their special teams ace, Miles Killebrew. Armon Watts and Markus Golden are also brought back to the club. Everything is rounded out by re-signing Alexander to a one-year contract with a chunk of incentives involved.
Rudolph does get to test free agency after all and he deserves another shot. The Steelers are able to bring back some quality depth pieces and Alexander who will have another shot at starting at linebacker next to Cole Holcomb. Lots of depth added before free agency kicks into high gear for the black and gold with over $46 million to spend.
Free Agency starts off with a bang on defense
With Ogunjobi gone, the Steelers try and find a replacement out there. They didn't want to spend too much but they got out and signed Quinton Jefferson to a reasonable deal. He will be a role player who can start some games when needed but will play a role behind Heyward and Keeanu Benton when they are healthy.
Welcome back Terrell Edmunds. The experiment of Neal is gone and they replace him with a player that makes Minkah Fitzpatrick more comfortable. He will slide back into the starting strong safety spot. He signs a short term deal at a cheap rate. The Steelers get back their starter from years prior.
Another kind of splash here as the Steelers go out and get Shaquille Griffin to be their second outside cornerback opposite Joey Porter Jr. He has had a tremendous season with the Houston Texans. He has had a bad career beyond that but that results in a respectable two-year deal in Pittsburgh.
Finishing up the defensive side of the ball here as the black and gold sign Bradley Roby. He hasn't been great these past couple of seasons. We know Pittsburgh has shown interest in Roby in prior free-agency years. He can play in the slot and brings a good chunk of experience. Another short term deal here for the Steelers.
Free Agency gets noteworthy on the offensive side of the ball for Pittsburgh
Let's get wild here with Pittsburgh making a huge play at quarterback and bringing in Baker Mayfield. They get him at a reasonable value, even though it would end up expensive if he became the backup. Only a two-year contract, but the Steelers get the legit quarterback competition they want with Pickett come training camp.
Adding an offensive lineman with experience is something the Steelers will want to do in free agency. They sign James Hurt to a one-year deal at a cheap rate. He has played a lot of guard recently, but he can kick outside to right tackle too. This puts pressure off the draft, but Hurst is mostly a depth piece for the Steelers at this point.
Parris Campbell joins the black and gold as a veteran slot receiver. He played this past season with the Giants, and not everything went smoothly there. He had good production with the Colts prior to that. A cheap depth piece that could be a solid starter in the slot if needed.
The last two additions in free agency are nothing too crazy. They do bring back Josh Dobbs to be their third quarterback option. His mania has died off, but he can start a few games for you if injuries start to pile up. Blake Gillikin is a punter that the Steelers need to bring on board to push Pressley Harvin III out of the building.
Draft weekend starts with the Steelers attacking needs
Right tackle remains a top need for the Steelers despite Hurst being added in free agency. They get a top prospect at the position in the draft here with Taliese Fuage out of Oregon State. He has become a great player and someone who should be able to push Hurst for the job. Ideally, this means that Broderick Jones becomes the starting left tackle and forces Dan Moore Jr. Into a depth role for the Steelers. Great start to the draft with this pick.
Another addition in the draft by Pittsburgh fills a position of need. There is no starting center on the roster until Jackson Powers-Johnson is announced here. He has a ton of starting experience in college and will be one of the best centers in this draft. The Steelers get good value here in the second round. They fill their starting center spot with Powers-Johnson.
Day two of the draft ends with Pittsburgh taking Javon Bullard out of Georgia. They need depth and potential future pieces at safety. They get that here in Bullard as he can also learn behind someone like Edmunds. Bullard has a lot of room for growth with how young he is. He's a good cover guy that needs some extra seasoning.
The 2024 offseason concludes with the final day of the draft
Day three of the NFL Draft kicks off for the Steelers NY taking a speedy receiver out of Alabama. Jermaine Burton is very fast, but he does have a few issues that will cause him to slip some. Fans of Pittsburgh will hate the idea of bringing in another big ego, but he can make splash plays. The offense needs plenty of help in that department.
Braden Fiske is the next man up for the black and gold as they try and invest some extra picks into a youth movement on the defensive line. Fiske has started to move up draft boards after he transferred to Florida State this past season from Western Michigan. He is a solid run-stopper but lacks in the pass-rushing department.
Blake Wilson is the sixth-round pick by the Steelers as they try and round put their running back room nicely. Wilson can make plays both in the run and passing game. He has enjoyed a productive career and should be able to translate that over to the NFL as a third back.
Evan Williams rounds out the Steelers draft class of 2024. He is a guy that could turn into a linebacker-safety hybrid player. He has a frame that can grow at the pro level. He hasn't been stellar in coverage, but he could turn into something different in Pittsburgh.