It’s been a rather busy, exciting offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a number of new faces have been brought in via free agency, while a handful of names have departed in the same process.
The Steelers have overhauled some key positions on the roster and strengthened up others ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Of all the moves made, one stands above the rest for the Steelers, at least according to Pro Football Focus’ Zoltan Buday.
Buday highlighted the signing of guard Isaac Seumalo as the key positive takeaway for the Steelers this offseason to date.
“The Steelers offense has struggled mightily over the last couple of seasons and one of the main reasons for that below-average play has been the lack of talent on the offensive line,” Buday writes for PFF. “Pittsburgh not only signed one of the best available guards in Seumalo, who graded out as the 10th-best guard in the NFL last season, but they also were able to get him on a team-friendly contract. While PFF’s contract projection expected Seumalo to get a three-year contract that is worth $33 million, the Steelers were able to sign Seumalo to a three-year, $24 million contract.”
Getting a guy of Seumalo’s caliber at such an affordable price tag was rather impressive for Steelers GM Omar Khan and provides a serious upgrade on the left side of the offensive line between left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and center Mason Cole at left guard.
While Seumalo played right guard last season for the Philadelphia Eagles and was an essential part of Philadelphia’s offensive attack on a run to an appearance in the Super Bowl, Seumalo has more than 2,000 career snaps at left guard. That makes him a seamless fit at the position in the Steel City.
Here’s what Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora had to say about Seumalo in his film room following the signing of the veteran guard:
“The Steelers are getting big and beefy up front with tough and smart guys who really love football. There are some overall athletic limitations here against quicker and more finesse rushers and there could be some quick losses along with quick wins, Meyer’s system doing well against power but being more vulnerable to swipes and dips with less chance to recover given the aggressiveness of these sets. But that’s the system he teaches; live by the sword, die by the sword.”
Seumalo is exactly the type of player this team needed up front. He’s a big, physical offensive lineman that brings some nastiness in the run game to the table, something the Steelers really needed inside as Mason Cole and James Daniels — while good players in their own right — don’t really bring that to the table.
The Steelers did a great job getting him at an affordable price, which includes a very low base salary and cap charge for 2023, giving the franchise a bit more flexibility moving forward.
