The Pittsburgh Steelers need a new starting center after releasing theirs; Pro Football Focus pairs them with a “perfect” free agent fit in veteran Lloyd Cushenberry III. Significantly, adding Cushenberry extends the list of numerical suffixes on the roster, joining Calvin Austin III and Allen Robinson II. These are the sorts of details around which championship teams grow.
Or perhaps not. But Lloyd Cushenberry III is a more attractive starting center option than Nate Herbig, their latest threat. Dalton Wasserman argues that he fits new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s outside-zone run game. The outlet graded him out at 84.6 for run blocking in outside zone.
The Steelers have an indirect history with Cushenberry. The Denver Broncos used one of the picks they acquired from Pittsburgh so it could move up in the 2019 draft on him. They also drafted QB Drew Lock and TE Noah Fant with the Steelers’ draft picks while Pittsburgh drafted Devin Bush.
In hindsight, the Steelers may have been better off just drafting Cushenberry. If they want him now, they are going to have to pay up. I have seen projections going as high as eight figures on a per-year basis. Cap & Trade projects a three-year, $27 million contract.
James Daniels’ three-year, $26.5 million contract signed in 2022 remains the largest the Steelers ever paid for an outside compensatory free agent. That’s just under $9 million per season. Is Cushenberry as valuable as Daniels? I will note that the salary cap has risen over 20 percent since then, so adjust for inflation at will.
Cushenberry has 57 starts in his career, every game in which he has played. He’s logged more than 3,600 offensive snaps in his career, playing every snap in 2023. He’s not a decorated lineman, but he’s consistently improved throughout his career, his best coming last season. He fits a similar profile to Daniels in that respect.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan feels good about his center options this year both in free agency and the draft. No doubt Cushenberry is one of the players on their radar. They weren’t in the market for a center in 2020 as they still had Maurkice Pouncey. But playing for LSU, you can’t stay hidden on tape.
Alex Kozora included him in his post-Combine mock draft back in 2020 in the third round. He praised Cushenberry’s competitiveness and mentality as a whole. He did not make Kozora’s free agent wish list, however.
Instead, he listed Matt Hennessy of the Atlanta Falcons, Danny Pinter of the Indianapolis Colts, and Lucas Patrick of the Chicago Bears as desired options at center. We usually don’t focus on the bigger names on the market because, well, we know who we’re covering.
Still, this year more than most offers the possibility of the Steelers signing a prominent free agent. We’ve heard different things from different reporters about their preferred targets. Some think they want to address cornerback and inside linebacker in free agency. Others say center or right tackle. Maybe they’re just open to the best options available to them. Imagine that.
