Buy Or Sell: Steelers should target Ravens S Geno Stone.
Explanation: The four-year veteran is set to become a free agent after the Ravens allowed his contract to void. As Baltimore already has two starters at safety, Stone is likely to price his way out of town. The Steelers invested in veterans at safety last offseason, but they could stand an upgrade.
Buy:
The Steelers like players with ball skills, and Stone has them. He recorded seven interceptions last season, which is more than any Steeler since Troy Polamalu in 2010. The fact that he is a backup for the Ravens speaks volumes.
While Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal are under contract, neither is a full-time starter. The Steelers already rotated them last year, and frankly, neither need to return in 2024. Both are on cheap deals of $3 million or less.
Stone is younger and more talented than either one of them and more worthy of a starting job. I’m a little biased because I wanted the Steelers to draft him in 2020, I admit. They drafted Antoine Brooks Jr. out of Maryland instead, by the way.
Sell:
There is one glaring problem with the Steelers signing Stone: he’s primarily a free safety. So is Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is a much stronger tackler when he actually tries, but you don’t move him to strong safety on a full-time basis.
Fitzpatrick just had his least effective season of his career in 2023, even aside from injuries, in part because they moved him around. He struggled in the first half of 2021 when the Steelers moved him around too much as well. When they put him back in the deep end, he significantly picked up his play.
There’s that, and there’s the reality that Stone’s breakout season could be a fluke. He did well in coverage, but he’s a below-average tackler and a poor run defender. That’s a deal breaker for the Steelers when it comes to their safeties, strong or free. It’s not happening. Interceptions sound nice when you’re not missing tackles and allowing 70-yard runs because your safety can’t tackle.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
