On Monday at 4 p.m. EST, the deadline for newly signed unrestricted free agents to count toward the compensatory formula expired. This was a significant deadline overall. In short, this means the players who will count in the compensatory formula for 2022 are now locked in. From this point forward, any unrestricted free agent player signed by a team will no longer factor into the equation. With this deadline passed, we can take a closer look at what the Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to receive in the way of compensatory draft picks for 2022.
As things stand right now, the Steelers are projected to receive two compensatory draft picks in 2022, according to Nick Korte of Over the Cap. One is a third round selection for the loss of outside linebacker Bud Dupree to the Tennessee Titans. The other is a fifth round selection for the loss of offensive lineman Matt Feiler to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Steelers’ loss of cornerback Mike Hilton to the Cincinnati Bengals is expected to be cancelled out by the team’s signing of offensive lineman Joe Haeg, according to Over the Cap.
For those wondering about the Steelers’ loss of running back James Conner to the Arizona Cardinals a few weeks ago, his one-year contract that he signed does not qualify to be included in the compensatory formula balance sheet as I recently posted. The same goes for Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, who signed a one-year contract with the Titans.
The Steelers signings of unrestricted free agents safety/linebacker Miles Killebrew (veteran salary benefit), running back Kalen Ballage (veteran salary benefit) and guard Rashaad Coward (veteran salary benefit) also won’t count against the Steelers because of the kind of one-year contracts all three players signed.
Qualifying Compensatory Losses
Bud Dupree ($16.5 million/year): third round
Matt Feiler ($7 million/year): fifth round
Mike Hilton ($6 million/year): sixth round
Qualifying Compensatory Gains
Joe Haeg ($2.3 million/year): seventh round
While this post is centered around projected estimates, Korte should be right on the money here when it comes to what the Steelers will receive next March in the way of compensatory selections for the 2022 NFL Draft.
