The Steelers are now in their offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2022, coming up just a game short of sneaking in as the seventh seed. They needed help in week 18 and only got some of it, so instead, they sat home and watched the playoffs with the rest of us.
On tap is figuring out how to be on the field in January and February instead of being a spectator. They started out 2-6, digging a hole that proved too deep to dig out of even if they managed to go 7-2 in the second half of the year.
Starting from the end of the regular season and leading all the way up to the beginning of the 2023 season, there are plenty of questions that need answering, starting with who will be the offensive coordinator. Which free agents will be kept? Who might be let go due to their salary? How might they tackle free agency with this new front office? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout this offseason, as we have for many years.
Question: Which positions should the Steelers consider adding to in free agency?
Free agency is just around the corner at this point. The Steelers are going to have to do some figuring beforehand, which includes giving consideration to which of their own free agents they might re-sign. That has to factor in what help might be available from the outside, both among veteran players and rookies.
So the question of the day is, realistically speaking, which positions should the Steelers consider in free agency? They have open positions in the starting lineup at safety, cornerback, inside linebacker, and the defensive line. They have starters at each of those positions hitting free agency, but should they consider an outside veteran at any of those positions over their own?
And again, let’s keep this realistic, as in players that they would actually be able to afford, and ideally, players they are more likely to pursue. They don’t go after older players, for example, or those with character concerns typically.
Obviously, we’re not limited to positions at which they might lose starters. We could talk about adding another starter along the offensive line, or adding depth at tight end, or a slot receiver, for example. Basically, how might the Steelers be best served this year by adding veteran players from outside their own roster?
Necessarily, the answer to this question will dictate how many moves they will have to make in terms of creating cap space as well. There are certain anticipated moves, namely cutting William Jackson III, but could they make other cuts like Myles Jack or Ahkello Witherspoon? What kind of restructures might they undertake as a result of their actions in free agency that they might not have otherwise?
