It's no secret the Pittsburgh Steelers not only lost the leader of their offensive line, but a perennial Pro Bowler at the same time this offseason. Maurkice Pouncey has been the leader of the Steelers offensive line since he was drafted out of the University of Florida in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Pouncey was a 9-time Pro Bowler, 3-time First Team All-Pro, 2-time Second Team All Pro and a member of the 2010's All-Decade Team. Now, the Steelers are stuck with the tall task of replacing the soon to be Hall of Famer and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Steelers are looking to sign a new center through free agency.
Per Overthecap.com, the Steelers currently have $3.9 million in cap space. This number is likely to increase over the next week as the Steelers re-negotiate current players contracts to free up more money for this offseason. A few names to keep in mind are David Andrews and Nick Martin. Neither player would be a flashy signing that will get fans super excited, but they are both proven NFL players that can help the Steelers right now.
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Andrews is a former New England Patriot and has been a mainstay on their offensive line since 2015. An un-drafted free agent from the University of Georgia, Andrews is a three-time Super Bowl champion that knows how to win and would be a leader along the offensive line. Martin, the brother of All-Pro Guard Zack Martin of the Dallas Cowboys, was a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Martin has been one of the best centers in the NFL since entering the league in 2016. He has started every game except for two since he was drafted by the Houston Texans and was awarded a three-year, $33 million contract extension by the Texans in the 2019 offseason. However, with the Texans in full re-build mode and attempting to empty their team of all large contracts, they released him this offseason.
Both Andrews and Martin would be great fits in Pittsburgh. However, with the small amount of cap space the Steelers currently have, these two players may be too expensive. The Steelers also brought back versatile offensive lineman B.J. Finney on a one-year contract as an insurance policy if they are unable to bring in a more solidified center.
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This offseason has been a relatively quite one, but there are glaring needs the Steelers have and they won't be able to address them all in the draft. With the loss of multiple free agents, the Steelers are going to have to make a few more moves in free agency to compete in 2021. Look for the Steelers to ink a new center in the next couple of days to fill the big hole left by Pouncey.
What moves do you want to see the Steelers make this offseason? Sound off in the comment section below!
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