At the surface level, the decision by the Pittsburgh Steelers to cut ties with veteran center Mason Cole wasn’t all that surprising considering his struggles during the 2023 season snapping the football, not to mention serious issues in pass protection at times.
Based on his play in general, it’s not a surprise that the Steelers cut ties with him, freeing up $3.995 million in 2024 salary cap space due to Rule of 51. What is a surprise is the timing of the move, which came late Friday afternoon, hours after the NFL announced that the salary cap for the 2024 season would increase by $30 million.
Based on previous roster deletions of quarterback Mitch Trubisky, offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and punter Pressley Harvin III, the Steelers were sitting at around $251 million, which was below the announced salary cap of $255.4 million. Though the Steelers still needed additional room for 2024 rookie pool, the practice squad, Injured Reserve and the in-season injury replacement fund that the Steelers like to maintain, they were cap compliant.
Other moves like the release of wide receiver Allen Robinson II, a Cameron Heyward extension to lower his 2024 cap hit, and a restructure of Alex Highsmith’s deal could have freed up additional space. Instead, GM Omar Khan chose to cut his starting center.
Again, surface level it makes all the sense in the world. Cole had a poor 2023 season, and the Steelers could save money by moving on from him.
Digging deeper though, the move — for it to happen now — puts the Steelers in a tough spot entering free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft.
With Cole off the roster, the Steelers don’t have a true center. Though there are options in free agency such as former Titans center Aaron Brewer, who has ties to Arthur Smith, not to mention names like Denver’s Lloyd Cushenberry III, and Las Vegas’ Andre James, entering free agency with no center on the roster puts the Steelers in a position of need, a position that historically the franchise hasn’t wanted to be in.
Being in a position of need with no internal options can lead to reaching and overpaying for outside talent in free agency and/or through the draft. Though there should be a ton of belief and trust in Khan based on his first full offseason in charge last year, there should be some concern.
Center was always going to be a target in the 2024 NFL Draft; that much has been clear from the start of the offseason. Names like Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, and Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran-Granger have been talked about quite a bit when it comes to fits with the Steelers in the draft. But again, without a center on the roster entering free agency and no guarantee of a center signing in free agency, the Steelers could enter the draft with a glaring hole, which could lead to reaching on a prospect.
From a 10,000-foot view, the release of Cole seems like one that didn’t need to happen right then and there on Friday. Maybe he asked for his release early to get a jump on free agency. That’s certainly a possibility, and if that is what occurred, then more power to him and good on the Steelers. That doesn’t seem like that is the case though.
He wasn’t breaking the bank and could have been kept on the roster until the Steelers ensured they had landed a center of their liking in free agency. Or, if that didn’t occur, then hold onto him through the draft and make sure they landed a center they liked in the draft.
Instead, that won’t happen. Cole was cut loose and is free to sign wherever he’d like. Pointing to his salary seems ill-informed, too. Yes, he was set to make $5 million in 2024 and was coming off of a bad 2023 season. But let’s not act like that was some huge chunk of change the Steelers simply couldn’t afford.
Nate Herbig is set to count $5.6 million against the cap as a backup this season, according to Over the Cap. He’s played 156 snaps for the Steelers so far with those snaps coming at left guard and right guard. While some have pointed to his center capability, he has played nine snaps at center for the Steelers, all of those coming in the preseason in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last August.
James Daniels also has center versatility, but the thought of moving him from right guard where he’s been rather solid and plugging him in at center seems like a mistake. He’s always been better at guard than center and has really grabbed hold of the right guard position in the Steel City.
The decision to cut Cole was certainly a curious one, due to the timing. The Steelers were cap compliant and didn’t need to do anything with Cole at the time. But Khan and the Steelers’ decision makers felt otherwise. Now, they’re entering free agency with a glaring hole in the trenches offensively, which can’t be comforting. We’ll see what the master plan unveils in free agency and the draft, but the move to cut ties with Cole so quickly has put the Steelers in a tough spot, period.
