The Steelers’ latest free agent signings likely not their last
During the past couple of days, the Pittsburgh Steelers were an active franchise when it came to wheeling and dealing in the NFL free-agent marketplace. Typically, fans are anxious to see who Mike Tomlin and company negotiated with enough to convince a marriage between player and Pittsburgh. Like the Rooneys’ Irish roots had blessed St. Patrick’s Day, the Steelers signed five players within the first 24 hours of free agency on March 17 that very well could make them a championship team in 2022. Despite the latest signings, however, the Steelers likely have not signed their last free agent in this flurry of player movement across the league.
March 16 opened the door to the period for both restricted and unrestricted free agents. On April 22 the door will close for those tagged “restricted” but will remain open until July 22 (or the first scheduled day of NFL training camp, whichever is later) for the “unrestricted.” Without going into the nuances of the NFL free agency period and terminology, the Steelers have actively been talking with guys who want to come to, or remain in, Pittsburgh and don the black and gold.
Say what you will about Kevin Colbert as he mans the helm before he departs after the Draft, the scouts, Coach Tomlin, Art Rooney II, and others in the organization, but the Steelers boldly fortified their roster by signing five players on-site in Pittsburgh on Thursday: quarterback Mitch Trubisky, cornerback Levi Wallace, offensive linemen James Daniels and Mason Cole, and linebacker Myles Jack.
“[My agent and I] went through all of the options… When we found out Pittsburgh had interest, I talked to my agent and said this is where I want to be.” – Mitch Trubisky
Trubisky, Wallace, and Jack signed two-year deals; Cole and Daniels put pen to paper on three-year contracts. Without dipping into accounting, the Steelers managed the salary cap well in order to get these deals done and still have room to keep some negotiations open.
“Once I got on the phone with Coach Tomlin and got to speak with him, the first thing he said is we are trying to win a championship and we need that on defense. Once he said that it was a no-brainer. That’s what I am here to do. That’s all I want to do, get to work and play football.” – Myles Jack
There were four areas of concern for the Steelers as they exited the 2021-22 NFL season.
The first was how to address the quarterback position following Ben Roethlisberger‘s retirement. Talk of allowing Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins, and Joshua Dobbs to fight it out in training camp was unappealing to many Steelers fans. The options in the upcoming Draft, a collegiate quarterback class that looks thin, didn’t really appeal, either. And while fans bickered, begged, and pleaded for big names on the free agency list to be picked via social media, the Steelers organization made a move that looks highly intelligent at this point with the signing of Trubisky. He didn’t eat their entire budget and he’ll still have to duel at least Haskins (who re-signed with Pittsburgh) to earn the starting quarterback position.
Related: The pros and cons of the Steelers signing Mitchell Trubisky
The second area that needed to be addressed was the offensive line. Last season proved that the available personnel were not effective, even when the mixing and matching rotation began and things picked up at the end of the year. Having personally seen Daniels play at the University of Iowa, I can say that he tenaciously earned that 2008 ESPN All-Rookie team honor with the Chicago Bears. His ability to play center and guard isn’t lost on the Steelers’ staff. Cole came from the Big 10 as well (Michigan) and is known to be able to move defensive linemen well as either a guard or center. He looks better at center, and it would not surprise me if the Steelers were to have Kendrick Green get another year of experience under his belt but behind the veteran this upcoming season.
“I never cared where I play [on the offensive line], it’s about whatever I can do to help this team win and bring a Lombardi Trophy here to the City of Pittsburgh.” – Mason Cole
The third area was the defensive backfield. The signing of Wallace is a major step towards making the 2022 Draft one where Pittsburgh will not be forced into a pick. The college walk-on who earned a scholarship at Alabama, playing with Minkah Fitzpatrick, signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft. He started 52 games, the most by an undrafted defensive back since 2011, and recorded 58 tackles, 10 passes defensed (team-high), two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a tackle for a loss in 2021.
The fourth area was debated as to whether it was as crucial to address as the first three by many, even in our back rooms at Steel City Underground. Devin Bush didn’t have the best season last year (he wasn’t horrible, though), but he was coming back from a relatively serious knee injury. The Steelers let Joe Schobert walk after they brought in Jack. In his six seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jack started 83-of-89 games (every game he played in following his inaugural season). He recorded 511 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 19 tackles for a loss, three interceptions, 17 quarterback hits, 15 passes defensed, two forced fumbles with four fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns.
The Steelers still have some in-house free agents they could invite back this year, including receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and safety Terrell Edmunds. They’re unlikely to be finished doing what Tomlin calls “due diligence” in looking over potential fits among other teams’ free agents, either. The excitement level in Pittsburgh has been elevated and signs are that the Steelers aren’t waiting around for a shot at another title or sitting back in total rebuild mode.
