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With free agency quickly approaching, I am going to give a list of players the Steelers might have interest in. The Steelers have found themselves in a rare position for the team with approximately $27,096,582 in cap space. But if my experience with the Steelers tells me anything, they will try to keep their own free agents to signing the bigger deals and look to get bargain players in free agency. The players that usually fit the bill are guys under 30, and the team has some prior experience with them usually via the draft process.
Here are some guys I feel the Steelers will be interested in and a few that have been rumored that I feel they shouldn’t be:
Quarterback
Marcus Mariota fits the bill as a mobile QB, starting experience, has a SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness) well above average, and has had the tutelage of John Gruden whom whether you like or dislike has always been a QB guru. I feel like with the QB carousel going on, Mariota will likely be in demand, but from what I can tell, not nearly in demand as Mitchell Trubisky who is rumored to be to in line for a $10+ million a season. I don’t want to tie up too much guaranteed money in a free agent QB, so I would hope an incentive laid deal and a real opportunity to start would entice Mariota enough. At 28 years old, he fits the bill age wise and I am assuming since he was a high draft pick, the Steelers would have done some evaluating on, but I could not find any meetings or visits from 2015 that stated anything official was done.
Mitch Trubisky as stated is said to be in demand. But maybe that is fake news so I at the very least bring him into town and see what him and his agent want. Does he want to cash in and sign a long-term deal with as much guarantees as possible? If so, I would say we are not a fit. If we wants an opportunity to earn a starting stop and sign an incentive laid deal that could turn into an even bigger deal in 2023, then let’s talk. Trubisky is 27 and again, such a high pick, I would hope the Steelers did some evaluating on him but no official visit was set up.
And even though it pains me to do so, I would at the very least kick the tires on Jameis Winston. At 28, he fits the age bracket the Steelers covet in a free agent. He does have the most production by far out of the group, good and bad, and again was a high draft pick. He does have some character issues that the team would have to address, but he also was humbled a few years back when no one wanted to sign him and he took a very small contract with Sean Peyton to be Drew Brees’ backup. He played much more conservatively this last year and had a better TD:INT ratio. He also is the least mobile of the three. But I feel he might be the one with the best odds of taking an incentive laid deal and trying to prove himself. Risk vs reward is key to this potential free agent signing.
Wide Receiver
The only receiver that checks the boxes if the Steelers don’t re-sign a WR on the roster in 2021 would be Christian Kirk. He was a pre-draft visit and is 25 years old. He is coming off his best NFL season with 982 yards with 5 tds and had a nice 74.8% of targets caught. Spotrac estimates he will receiver $11+ million per season which could push the Steelers out of the equation for a guy who has never cracked 1,000 yards receiving in one season. But I feel the Steelers will at the very least put out some feelers come the 16th.
Russell Gage is another guy who checks the boxes with being 26, a pre-draft visit and coming off his best season with 66 grabs for 770 yards and 4 TD’s with a 70.2% catch percentage. Coming out of LSU, he tested well with a 4.42 40-time and a 39” vertical jump. He might be a cheaper option than Kirk and has some upside still.
Auden Tate did not have a pre-draft visit but he is a free agent from a rival AFC North team and has been on a team loaded at WR. His second season, Tate showed a lot of potential starting 10 and playing in 12 games with 575 yards, but only one score. He is the youngest free agent receiver just turning 25 and I feel would come in at a reasonable price tag.
Offensive Line
There isn’t a free agent that really fits the bill as the Steelers only had a handful of pre-draft visits with offensive linemen in 2016-2018 and they were either drafted by us or not free agents.
Cam Robinson makes some sense as he is only 26, comes from a top five college program and I would assume the Steelers did their fair share of research on him in the draft. He has improved each of his first five seasons. But he definitely is not a lockdown LT. He might actually benefit from a position move to RT.
James Daniels makes a lot of sense in my opinion. He is only 24 and has always been one of the better guards in the league. He is probably coming off his best season. Has a high SPARQ and came from a college program known for producing good offensive linemen. Spotrac says he should receive $7.98 million a season.
Austin Corbett has had some change of scenery already in his short NFL career but when he went to Los Angeles and was moved to guard, he really flourished. The 26 year old is enjoying his best NFL season and getting to play against the team that traded him (Cleveland) twice a year should be a little added bonus. Spotrac says he should sign for $8.7 million.
Connor Williams is coming off his best season at age 24 (25 for 2022 season) and might be a little out of our price range. Spotrac believes he will sign for $13.2 million annually and that just might be more than the Steelers are willing to spend. He however would immediately make an impact on our interior line.
Ethan Pocic in my opinion would fit what the Steelers do. Pocic, a former second round pick has improved each season, he had a good SPARQ, played at a top five college program, is position flexible as he can play both center and guard, and I feel he won’t demand a huge deal.
Bradley Bozeman might be the best center in free agency and does fit a lot of what the Steelers look for as in he came from Alabama, a top five college. He has consistently been one of the better centers in the NFL. He is coming from a rival AFC North division foe. But his $9.9 million Spotrac estimated annual contract might be a little hefty for a guy who isn’t the best athlete and might not be able to pull the way we traditionally use our centers. But never the less, he is a guy we should talk to and weakening a division rival is something that the Steelers rarely get the opportunity to do.
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Here are some guys I feel the Steelers will be interested in and a few that have been rumored that I feel they shouldn’t be:
Quarterback
Marcus Mariota fits the bill as a mobile QB, starting experience, has a SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness) well above average, and has had the tutelage of John Gruden whom whether you like or dislike has always been a QB guru. I feel like with the QB carousel going on, Mariota will likely be in demand, but from what I can tell, not nearly in demand as Mitchell Trubisky who is rumored to be to in line for a $10+ million a season. I don’t want to tie up too much guaranteed money in a free agent QB, so I would hope an incentive laid deal and a real opportunity to start would entice Mariota enough. At 28 years old, he fits the bill age wise and I am assuming since he was a high draft pick, the Steelers would have done some evaluating on, but I could not find any meetings or visits from 2015 that stated anything official was done.
Mitch Trubisky as stated is said to be in demand. But maybe that is fake news so I at the very least bring him into town and see what him and his agent want. Does he want to cash in and sign a long-term deal with as much guarantees as possible? If so, I would say we are not a fit. If we wants an opportunity to earn a starting stop and sign an incentive laid deal that could turn into an even bigger deal in 2023, then let’s talk. Trubisky is 27 and again, such a high pick, I would hope the Steelers did some evaluating on him but no official visit was set up.
And even though it pains me to do so, I would at the very least kick the tires on Jameis Winston. At 28, he fits the age bracket the Steelers covet in a free agent. He does have the most production by far out of the group, good and bad, and again was a high draft pick. He does have some character issues that the team would have to address, but he also was humbled a few years back when no one wanted to sign him and he took a very small contract with Sean Peyton to be Drew Brees’ backup. He played much more conservatively this last year and had a better TD:INT ratio. He also is the least mobile of the three. But I feel he might be the one with the best odds of taking an incentive laid deal and trying to prove himself. Risk vs reward is key to this potential free agent signing.
Wide Receiver
The only receiver that checks the boxes if the Steelers don’t re-sign a WR on the roster in 2021 would be Christian Kirk. He was a pre-draft visit and is 25 years old. He is coming off his best NFL season with 982 yards with 5 tds and had a nice 74.8% of targets caught. Spotrac estimates he will receiver $11+ million per season which could push the Steelers out of the equation for a guy who has never cracked 1,000 yards receiving in one season. But I feel the Steelers will at the very least put out some feelers come the 16th.
Russell Gage is another guy who checks the boxes with being 26, a pre-draft visit and coming off his best season with 66 grabs for 770 yards and 4 TD’s with a 70.2% catch percentage. Coming out of LSU, he tested well with a 4.42 40-time and a 39” vertical jump. He might be a cheaper option than Kirk and has some upside still.
Auden Tate did not have a pre-draft visit but he is a free agent from a rival AFC North team and has been on a team loaded at WR. His second season, Tate showed a lot of potential starting 10 and playing in 12 games with 575 yards, but only one score. He is the youngest free agent receiver just turning 25 and I feel would come in at a reasonable price tag.
Offensive Line
There isn’t a free agent that really fits the bill as the Steelers only had a handful of pre-draft visits with offensive linemen in 2016-2018 and they were either drafted by us or not free agents.
Cam Robinson makes some sense as he is only 26, comes from a top five college program and I would assume the Steelers did their fair share of research on him in the draft. He has improved each of his first five seasons. But he definitely is not a lockdown LT. He might actually benefit from a position move to RT.
James Daniels makes a lot of sense in my opinion. He is only 24 and has always been one of the better guards in the league. He is probably coming off his best season. Has a high SPARQ and came from a college program known for producing good offensive linemen. Spotrac says he should receive $7.98 million a season.
Austin Corbett has had some change of scenery already in his short NFL career but when he went to Los Angeles and was moved to guard, he really flourished. The 26 year old is enjoying his best NFL season and getting to play against the team that traded him (Cleveland) twice a year should be a little added bonus. Spotrac says he should sign for $8.7 million.
Connor Williams is coming off his best season at age 24 (25 for 2022 season) and might be a little out of our price range. Spotrac believes he will sign for $13.2 million annually and that just might be more than the Steelers are willing to spend. He however would immediately make an impact on our interior line.
Ethan Pocic in my opinion would fit what the Steelers do. Pocic, a former second round pick has improved each season, he had a good SPARQ, played at a top five college program, is position flexible as he can play both center and guard, and I feel he won’t demand a huge deal.
Bradley Bozeman might be the best center in free agency and does fit a lot of what the Steelers look for as in he came from Alabama, a top five college. He has consistently been one of the better centers in the NFL. He is coming from a rival AFC North division foe. But his $9.9 million Spotrac estimated annual contract might be a little hefty for a guy who isn’t the best athlete and might not be able to pull the way we traditionally use our centers. But never the less, he is a guy we should talk to and weakening a division rival is something that the Steelers rarely get the opportunity to do.
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