With the 2021 NFL Draft now behind us, it will be interesting to see if the remaining glaring depth holes that the Pittsburgh Steelers have at a few positions might be filled with experienced free agents on the cheap in the coming weeks. On Thursday, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert was asked during his interview on 93.7 The Fan to discuss the possibility of a few more free agents being added to the offseason roster now that the 2021 NFL Draft has been completed.
“Yeah, I mean, we really are always looking at what’s available leftover on the street after free agency,” Colbert said. “You know, we actually met yesterday just to go back through and run through the players that are available and who could help us and how could we make them fit. Financially, it’s tight. Obviously, we were up against it this spring with our salary cap, and we still are. There’s very little flexibility in that area.
“So, we’ll continue to look at who might be available, whether we could afford them or make them workable from a salary cap standpoint. And that thing will constantly change. People that are available now may get signed and then people may still be getting cut as we move into the spring and the summer.”
As I pointed out Thursday morning in my most recent Steelers 2021 salary cap update, Colbert and the Steelers really don’t have much left in available salary cap space that they could use to sign street free agents that cost more than the minimum. In short, if the team does sign another experienced free agent or two this offseason, expect those deals to be extremely cheap.
Personally, I would like to see the Steelers add an experienced outside linebacker and slot cornerback on the cheap in the coming weeks, maybe even another strong safety with special team experience as well. Oh, and let’s not forget about the tight end position, either. Former Steelers tight end Jesse James is still unsigned after being cut by the Detroit Lions back in March. He would look great back in Pittsburgh for the 2021 season on a one-year veteran benefit deal.
There are still going to be a few players cut around the league in the next few weeks. I don’t think Colbert and Co. will get in a hurry to add to the team’s offseason roster. However, after the post-NFL Draft dust settles a few weeks from now and the totality of it can be fully examined, we could very well see the Steelers sign another free agent or two on the cheap.
