The start of free agency isn’t that far away, and Pittsburgh Steelers fans are eagerly awaiting potential signing news. Will they target Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins, which seems like a far-fetched idea? Or will the Steelers attack the other side of the ball, addressing defensive tackle?
Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo could see that as the team’s biggest need this free-agent cycle. It would involve the Steelers cutting DT Larry Ogunjobi first.
“If they’re going to cut Ogunjobi, they’re not going to count on a rookie to come in and start right away,” Fittipaldo said Monday on the North Shore Drive podcast. “So, to me, that’s probably your biggest free agent need. To me, when I look at this roster, and I’m assuming Ogunjobi’s going to be gone because he underperformed on that contract, to me, d-tackle is the biggest need right now.”
Ogunjobi doesn’t play a position where a player necessarily piles up stats. He’s primarily supposed to occupy space to allow other defenders to make plays. In 2024, he played 15 games with 41 total tackles, five tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and seven quarterback hits.
But Ogunjobi struggled to occupy space, especially in the Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He struggled against double teams and one on one. That’s not going to help the Steelers, and they owe him $7 million in 2025. So cutting him makes sense financially.
But then that leaves them with a gaping hole, both figuratively and literally, in the center of their defensive line. DL Keeanu Benton is better at defensive end than at tackle. And Fittipaldo doesn’t expect the Steelers to rely on a rookie to fill that hole. That’s simply not the Steelers’ modus operandi.
Which is why Fittipaldo thinks replacing Ogunjobi in free agency is the Steelers’ top priority. The question is whether there’s a defensive tackle who can do a better job than Ogunjobi on the market. The Steelers want a big, strong nose tackle to hold the line in the middle. Perhaps that could be DL Poona Ford from the Los Angeles Chargers. He had a 78.8 run defense grade in 2024, the seventh-best grade among interior defensive linemen per Pro Football Focus. PFF ranks him as the seventh-best interior defensive lineman in the upcoming free agent class and 76th-best overall.
There could be other names joining the free-agent market in the months to come, and the Steelers will certainly be keeping an eye out for space-eating defensive linemen.
