With the Pittsburgh Steelers having all but one rookie signed, they have a better idea of what their cap space will look like for the upcoming season, as well as next season. The Steelers do need to be careful, however, as they only have a little over roughly $400K more in cap space for 2024 than they do this year, and that's without Joey Porter Jr. signing his rookie contract. With how rookie contracts tend to go, it's safe to say that Porter will have the least amount of cap space charged to the team in year one, so they can still acquire someone.
Steelers General Manager, Omar Khan speaks to members of the media at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, IN. Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today
Steelers' Current Cap Situation
The Steelers are going into the dog days of the offseason with just over $13.2 million in cap space. Roughly $2 million of that would likely go to Porter, which would lead to the Steelers having around $11 million in cap space. As of now, the Steelers only have just over $13.6 million in cap space for 2024. Even with the high likelihood of cap dumps and restructures coming in 2024, the Steelers still need to be careful about going crazy with a last-minute free agent signing or trade.
The Steelers still have ways to create cap space for 2023 if needed. With the re-signing of Miles Boykin and recent emergence of Hakeem Butler, Gunner Olszewski will likely be cut by roster cutdown day, so if they found someone they like, they can cut him and free up $2 million in cap space. Miles Killebrew would also save $2 million if he was cut, and that's only if he loses his spot on the roster to Tre Norwood and/or Elijah Riley. There are other options in case the Steelers do want to add more players.
Steelers safety Miles Killebrew makes a punt block in Week 1 2021 against the Buffalo Bills. Mark Konezny/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
Who Would The Steelers Sign?
The Steelers likely won't be in play for the big names still available like DeAndre Hopkins or Dalvin Cook, but you can never have too much depth. The Steelers would likely want to look at more competition and depth at the slot corner position behind Chandon Sullivan.
They could sign Troy Hill for that. Hill has some AFC North experience as well, since he played a season for both the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. He has experience in all three cornerback positions, including slot corner, where he had his longest pick-six of his career. While Hill would likely be more of a rotational piece than an every-down starter, the Steelers could use some extra insurance at the position and, like most free agents at this point, he would come cheap.
Craig Lassig / AP Photo
Steelers cornerback Chandon Sullivan makes a tackle during a game in 2022 against the Detroit Lions.
The Steelers would likely look for one more interior defensive lineman for some extra depth. Breiden Fehoko was signed this offseason, however, Renell Wren was placed on injured reserve in May. Dawuane Smoot could be picked up to help rotate with DeMarvin Leal on a defensive line that contains a pair of aging vets and a second-round rookie in Keeanu Benton. While Leal and Montravius Adams are also both considered solid depth, it would still be best if the Steelers had 3-4 solid depth players to go with the three starting defensive linemen whenever the Steelers run a play out of their base 3-4 scheme (as opposed to nickel defense).
Other Options For The Steelers
In Omar Khan's first season as general manager, he made a pair of cheap trades on roster cutdown day. While it's hard to tell exactly who he would trade for, that is still a viable option, as well as the most likely option for the Steelers. in 2022, Khan traded for Malik Reed and Jesse Davis to try and bolster the depth of the team that year.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers OLB Malik Reed makes his Steelers debut vs the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
If the Steelers decide that they don't want to sign or trade for anyone else, they can use some of the cap to lighten the load on Alex Highsmith's upcoming extension. For example, if the Steelers stay at their current number after finishing Porter's rookie contract and cutting Olszewski, they can take $4 million of whatever Highsmith will make and add it on to 2023's cap hit to save money in future years. If that scenario were to happen, the Steelers would still have roughly $9 million left for in-season transactions.
What do you think about how the Steelers' cap is set up currently, as well as the Steelers' options with the limited cap space they have left? Let us know down in the comments.
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