Bring them back: RFA’s Ross Cockrell and Chris Hubbard

The NFL doesn’t really have an offseason, at least not for football junkies like myself and the rest of the crew here at SCU.  The season itself is officially over, though, by way of the Patriots’ comeback win over the Falcons in Super Bowl 51.

This means us nerds can shift our attention to the upcoming free agency period and subsequently the NFL draft process.

By March 9th, all teams must have decisions made on any player with an expiring contract, as the free agency period begins that day at 4;00 PM EST. This includes restricted free agents (RFA’s) and exclusive rights free agents (ERFA’s), both of which are vastly different from being an unrestricted free agent (UFA).

The basis of this article is to hypothetically make sensible decisions regarding who the Pittsburgh Steelers should bring back in terms of RFA’s. But first, let me explain what one is!

A restricted free agent is a player whose contract has expired and has fewer than four accrued seasons in the NFL. He may sign an offer sheet with another team, and his original team has seven days to match that offer to keep him. If the original team does not match the offer, they receive compensation in the form of draft picks from the signing team.

Now that everyone understands – let’s get to it!

The Steelers have only two RFA’s with expiring contracts: Cornerback Ross Cockrell and guard Chris Hubbard.

I believe both players should be, and will be brought back to Pittsburgh unless another team signs one of them to a ridiculously high offer sheet that the Steelers won’t match.

Cockrell has shown steady progress since being claimed off waivers before the start of the 2015 season. He was a starter for the majority of 2015 and all of 2016, and at age 25 there is still plenty of room for growth and improvement.

However, coming off his second one-year contract, I believe the Steelers should give him a market value extension on a three-year deal. They got him at a bargain in 2016, with a base salary of $600,000. I have to think teams around the league realize Cockrell may not be a superstar, but he has been solid. Also, his age provides upside.

It’s not out of the question that a team may sign Cockrell to an offer sheet, so if I’m Pittsburgh, I’m offering him a deal very similar to what they gave safety Robery Golden. Three years in the range of $4.5 to $4.9 million.

The Steelers will most likely look to draft another corner in April, but having Cockrell locked up provides a solid starter, upside, and experience at a bargain –  at a position that has been anything but stable since 2011.

Hubbard is another player who Pittsburgh should bring back. A team can never have too much depth and experience along the offensive line. Hubbard started four games in 2016, and was solid in doing so.

Unlike Cockrell, Hubbard isn’t very well known around the league. It wouldn’t cost the Steelers much at all to lock up a guy going into his fourth season to ensure depth. Hubbard knows the system, knows his surrounding cast, gained starting experience, and showed improvement. Bringing him back is a cheap no-brainer, and it also minimizes looking at the position in the draft.

Stay tuned for my next installment, where I’ll discuss Pittsburgh’s ERFA’s!