The Pittsburgh Steelers benefited so much from the steep salary cap increase that they are already in cap compliance before dealing with free agency and without restructuring any contracts. Yes, they cut a handful of players, including starters, but none that came as a shock. Importantly, all of those moves seemed at least equally personnel driven.
They are still not in a great position to make a splash in outside free agency, but they can get themselves there from where they are now. One move Mark Kaboly believes they should be able to make is to add a significant commodity to the defense. More specifically, he sees the Steelers adding a key defensive lineman in free agency.
“The Steelers should be able to add a veteran stud defensive lineman”, he wrote for The Athletic. “Cameron Heyward is turning 35 this year and coming off an injury, and Larry Ogunjobi will be 30 and hasn’t lived up to his contract. Throwing money at Christian Wilkins or D.J. Reader might be doable”.
Heyward, the perennial Pro Bowler, turns 35 years old in May and is coming off an injury-riddled season. Though he only missed six games in 2023, he never played healthy. He injured his groin in training camp and tore clean through it in the season opener.
Ogunjobi is entering his third season with the Steelers and the second of a three-year deal worth nearly $30 million. One can argue that he hasn’t lived up to his contract thus far, but they don’t have sparkling alternatives. His contract structure doesn’t make it very advantageous to cut him now, either.
They have last year’s second-round pick, Keeanu Benton, in the hopper, but he plays nose tackle. He can develop into a significant talent, but they still need another piece in the mix. And they need better depth than we thought they had last year.
Reader is coming off a four-year, $54 million contract he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020. He turns 30 years old in 2024, yet I’ve seen projections indicating he gets even more than his last deal. As for Wilkins, coming off his rookie first-round contract, the Miami Dolphins intend to keep him.
Wilkins broke out with nine sacks in 2023 and 23 quarterback hits, coming into his own as a pass rusher. He is already 28 years old but could make north of $20 million per season based on some projections.
The Steelers have a bit of breathing room and a clear need along the defensive line. Nevertheless, I don’t know that Kaboly is on the mark with his specific targets. Maybe if they part with one of Ogunjobi or Heyward, but otherwise I suspect their targets are set considerably lower.
The Steelers bargain hunted in free agency last year after re-signing Ogunjobi. They added Breiden Fehoko and Armon Watts, the latter of whom made the team and played well. He is one player they can and should re-sign on the cheap, but you certainly want to see them do a bit more. Wilkins, though? That’s probably a touch too ambitious.
