It was a quiet first day of the legal tampering period for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They made their splash with the pending addition of QB Russell Wilson late on Sunday night and then proceeded to add P Cameron Johnston as their only reported agreement on Monday. There is one position of need that will almost certainly be addressed at some point over the next few days or weeks—center.
The Steelers released Mason Cole earlier in the offseason, allowing him extra time ahead of free agency. It was already a need before he departed, but now it is near the top of the list. General manager Omar Khan recently said that the organization owes it to themselves to find the next great Steelers center this offseason. That almost certainly means investing in one early in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
That shouldn’t stop them from adding one in free agency. It would provide some relief in case the draft board doesn’t fall their way, and so they wouldn’t have to reach for a need. The top centers in the draft include Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, Duke’s Graham Barton, and Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran-Granger.
Sure, draft one of those guys to be the long-term solution, but especially now with Wilson as the QB, they need someone who they are certain can start in Week 1. The only issue is, the center market has been red-hot on Day One of free agency.
The following centers agreed to contracts over the last two days:
– Lloyd Cushenberry (Titans) – 4 years, $50 million
– Tyler Biadasz (Commanders) – 3 years, $30 million
– Mitch Morse (Jaguars) – 2 years, $10.5 million
– Andre James (Raiders) – 3 years, $24 million
– Aaron Brewer (Dolphins) – 3 years, $21 million
The Steelers were reportedly in on Morse and made an aggressive push to acquire him. All other things the same, that means the Steelers are looking for a center roughly within that $5 million average annual value range.
Here are a few remaining centers available that should be roughly within that range.
Coleman Shelton – Los Angeles Rams
Coleman is capable of playing center or guard, but he has played primarily at center for the last two seasons, starting there for the Rams in 2023. PFF credited him with allowing 34 total pressures, and he is a much better run blocker than he is a pass blocker. His most recent contract was two years, $8.75 million, so he should fit within what the Steelers appear to have budgeted for the veteran addition. The positional flexibility is also a plus.
Evan Brown – Seattle Seahawks
Brown has been in the NFL for five years and bounced around several different teams after going undrafted. He has started 30 games over the last three seasons primarily as a center. He struggled in 2023 with the Seahawks more than he did with the Lions the two years prior. PFF credited him with allowing 27 pressures and three sacks. His previous contract was a one-year, $2.25 million deal, so he would be an inexpensive option with some starting experience to allow the drafted rookie time to develop.
Matt Hennessy – Atlanta Falcons
There is an obvious connection with Hennessy as he spent the last three seasons with Steelers OC Arthur Smith in Atlanta. He just finished his rookie contract after being drafted in the third round of the 2020 draft. He spent the 2023 season on IR with a knee issue. In 2022 he only played 157 snaps and they were all at left guard. But in 2021 he played exclusively at center and had the best season of his career there. He knows Smith’s system and should come cheap with the 2023 injury.
UPDATE: 9:58 a.m.: Hennessy has agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles, per Bo Wulf on X.
