The Pittsburgh Steelers made a few moves on the first day of legal tampering on Monday. The two moves involving players outside of the organization were signing quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, and signing former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman, Mason Cole. Pair this with re-signing Chukwuma Okorafor to a three-year deal and the team was busier than usual.
Tuesday brought us the huge news that the team is planning to sign former Chicago Bears offensive guard, James Daniels to a three-year deal as well. Daniels is an immediate upgrade and now can be touted as the best big man up front. There are also reports that J.C. Hassenauer will be brought back on a one-year exclusive rights tender.
The offensive line was a clear need for head coach Mike Tomlin and co. Addressing it the last two days has reflected the organization's acknowledgement of that. While I wouldn't rule out drafting an offensive line on one of the first two days of the NFL Draft, the team can switch focus to other needs that need to be done in order to be competitive in the AFC North.
So what comes next in this free agency frenzy? While it may seem like not much to the average NFL fan, Kevin Colbert seems to be willing to spend money. Daniels and Okorafor's cap hits in 2022 are just over $8 million combined which leads one to think more is coming.
The next steps in free agency need to be:
1.) Re-sign Ahkello Witherspoon
Witherspoon was one of the main reasons the Steelers passing defense improved over the last month or so of 2021. He led the team with three interceptions while only playing in nine games. The secondary needs to be addressed come the draft, but hanging onto Witherspoon will make it a bit less of an urgent situation. Witherspoon is deserving of at least two years with little to none guaranteed in year two in case he was a fluke the latter half of the season. With that said, the former third round pick played his way into a pay day and it needs to be with Pittsburgh.
2.) Re-sign Terrell Edmunds
While it seems as if Edmunds is expecting to play elsewhere, the Steelers have massive gaps at the safety position other than Minkah Fitzpatrick. Edmunds is testing the free agent market, but has yet to agree to sign elsewhere. My hope would be that teams come in lower than expected and Edmunds and his camp ask the Steelers to match an offer that is doable and worth it. Edmunds and Fitzpatrick have developed a chemistry in the deep secondary and while Edmunds has butter for hands, he quietly had a very strong season in 2021 and should continue to improve.
3.) Release Joe Schobert and Zach Banner; Sign an Inside Linebacker
The team still has some money to play with, but releasing Joe Schobert and Zach Banner will free up $15 million in cap space. This kind of money will leave the team with plenty of room to go after an inside linebacker. A name being thrown around is former Seattle Seahawk, Bobby Wagner. The 8-time Pro Bowler is not as young as he once was, but can still play at a high level and would be an incredible mentor for Devin Bush. The Steelers need to upgrade this position and grabbing someone now will prevent them from taking an inside linebacker with the #20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars also just released former second round pick, Myles Jack. Jack led the Jaguars with 108 tackles last season. The Steelers need a guy like this up the middle to make Bush's life easier.
There are more moves to be made and with cap space leftover, releases and restructuring to come; the Steelers may not be done spending.
What moves do the Steelers still need to make? Let us know in the comments below!
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