Today’s free agent analysis for 2024 focuses on Pittsburgh Steelers DB Elijah Riley. A four-year veteran, he has played in Pittsburgh for the past two seasons. His role heavily revolves around special teams, in which he is a key contributor. He played on a one-year Veteran Salary Benefit deal in 2023 with no signing bonus.
Player: Elijah Riley
Position: Defensive Back
Experience: 5 Years
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2023 Salary Cap Hit: $902,222 (Veteran Salary Benefit contract reduced from $1,010,000)
2023 Season Breakdown:
Elijah Riley was in the running for playing time in the slot for much of the offseason. The Steelers parted company with Arthur Maulet in the offseason and had no fixed replacement. The role of nickel defender ultimately went piecemeal to a number of different parties, which includes the safeties.
Riley did make the 53-man roster, but he primarily served on special teams—some 216 snaps. He played just 10 snaps on defense in one game over the first eight contests. Over the next two games he logged 30 snaps, but suffered a high ankle sprain. He spent four weeks on the Reserve/Injured List as a result.
In all, he played just 50 defensive snaps, and most of his 12 tackles came on special teams. He managed to record one sack, which came in the second game of the season, but otherwise recorded no statistics.
The reason he started playing more in the middle of the season is simple: Minkah Fitzpatrick injured his hamstring. Riley lost out on the best opportunity for playing time after suffering an injury of his own.
After he returned, he played just 10 defensive snaps in the final three games. He did not even dress for the team’s playoff game in spite of his special teams value. He played 19 special teams snaps in the finale, but the coaches felt they could do without it in Buffalo.
Free Agency Outlook:
Finally reaching four accrued seasons, Elijah Riley is hitting unrestricted free agency for the first time in his life. Odds are it won’t be much different from previous offseasons. He has technically been on the open market before due to previous releases. Only technically, he was a street free agent rather than an unrestricted (i.e. compensatory) free agent.
His free agent status is likely irrelevant because I don’t anticipate him having much of a market. He has played some snaps before—386 on defense for the New York Jets in 2021—but how will teams see him? He won’t be near the top of the market, of that we can be sure.
Especially given his versatility to play either safety or in the slot, the Steelers should re-sign him. Provided they can retain him for a Veteran Salary Benefit contract, as should be expected, it’d be foolish not to. They lose nothing or next to nothing if he doesn’t make the team. And he knows the system as well. He may be a prime candidate for the practice squad.
