The Pittsburgh Steelers had a flurry of an offseason, experiencing one of the greatest turnover rates of their roster in recent memory. GM Omar Khan and the front office wasted no time turning over the middle and bottom portions of the roster from last season, signing numerous outside free agents while completing a trade to bring in an experienced veteran like WR Allen Robinson II to bolster the receiving core.
NFL free agency tends to be a frenzy every offseason, and the trades centered around that as well as the NFL Draft lead to a lot of notable faces changing places from one season to the next. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently came up with his 2023 NFL All-Offseason Acquisitions Team, creating a starting lineup on offense and defense of players that changed teams the past several months. The Pittsburgh Steelers had two names make Benjamin’s roster: OG Isaac Seumalo and CB Patrick Peterson.
The addition of Seumalo from the Eagles this offseason came as a bit of a shock to many as Seumalo was recognized as possibly the best offensive guard in free agency. After signing his former teammate Nate Herbig to a two-year pact, Pittsburgh managed to land Seumalo on a three-year deal worth $24 million, a value price to pay for one of the better guards in football. Seumalo helped anchor a championship-caliber offensive line in Philadelphia last season, playing alongside C Jason Kelce and OT Lane Johnson as Philadelphia bullied their way to a Super Bowl appearance.
Seumalo’s former teammate Kelce mentioned shortly after the signing that Pittsburgh is getting a “steal” in Seumalo, adding one of the more technically-sound blockers in the league to protect QB Kenny Pickett as well as boost the running game.
Shortly after losing CB Cameron Sutton to the Lions in free agency, Pittsburgh landing Peterson on a two-year deal worth $14 million. The former Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro may be getting long in the tooth but has proven to still be productive as he enters his age-33 season. Peterson picked off five passes last season for the Vikings and defended 15 more, showing he can still get the job done even if he’s lost a step athletically.
Peterson figures to start at CB for Pittsburgh with either Levi Wallace or Joey Porter Jr. likely to play across from him. While the Steelers will be counting on Peterson to provide consistent, steady play in the secondary, he also will be counted on to mentor the young cornerbacks Pittsburgh has in the room, aiding them in their development as makes a notable impact both on and off the field.
