Steelers Free Agent Analysis: Max Scharping
Position: Offensive Line
Experience: 6 Years (1 with Steelers)
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2024 Salary Cap Hit: $766,111
2024 Season Breakdown:
The Steelers acquired Max Scharping in-season on Oct. 1, a product of necessity. Days earlier, starting RG James Daniels suffered a season-ending injury, forcing a reshuffle of the unit. Suddenly, rookie Mason McCormick was a starter, Spencer Anderson the next man up. With Ryan McCollum the backup center, Scharping was the emergency ninth lineman.
A former second-round pick of the Houston Texans, Max Scharping hasn’t lived up to the billing. While he was a starter for most of his three years in Houston, he didn’t make the team in the final year of his rookie contract. He spent the next two years with the Bengals, signing with the Eagles in 2024. The Commanders eventually signed him to the practice squad, where the Steelers poached him in October.
From them on, Scharping dressed for all of two games for the Steelers, logging seven snaps. He took those seven snaps not at guard but at tackle, closing out the blowout loss to the Chiefs. But versatility is never a bad thing.
Scharping is capable of playing up and down the line, including center, and has also been used as a tackle-eligible. At 6-6 and 325 pounds, he does have the size to merit that kind of versatility. Despite his pedigree, however, he appears to be a jack of all trades, master of none. But every team needs those guys, which is why the Steelers picked him up.
Free Agency Outlook:
Considering the Steelers’ investments in the offensive line in recent years, cheap depth like Max Scharping wouldn’t be a bad thing. For the past two years, he has already been operating on one-year, Veteran Salary Benefit deals. Last year, the Eagles didn’t even give him a signing bonus.
Scharping isn’t going to move the needle for the Steelers, but re-signing him would not jeopardize anything. He is still 28 years old but has 33 career starts with over 2,000 snaps played. At the very worst, he is a versatile lineman with experience, and there are worse traits to have.
The Steelers have a long list of free agents this year, but not absolutely can’t-lose names. While it includes significant players like Najee Harris and Dan Moore Jr., they are not the team’s priority. The biggest question is the quarterback position, working to choose between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. There are some choice role players, but they wouldn’t fall apart if they lost the entire lot—minus a quarterback.
The Steelers have some key needs this offseason, and they may add to those needs through termination. This is an offseason on which they should focus on cleaning out some dead weight, which has accumulated over time. Perhaps they will turn over the free agents more often than usual, going back to the outside well.
