The Pittsburgh Steelers will have nearly $40 million in cap space to work with, based on the latest salary cap update from Steelers Depot’s Dave Bryan, and that significant chunk of change could allow the Black and Gold to be aggressive in free agency.
Though they have some free agents of their own to retain, there are a few players expected to hit the open market at the start of the new league year that could help Pittsburgh, particularly on defense.
One of those just so happens to be a local product in former Gateway and Penn State star Jaquan Brisker.
For ESPN’s Matt Bowen, who put together a list of best landing spots for each of his top 50 free agents, Brisker and the Steelers would make an ideal pairing.
“In Pittsburgh, Brisker would replace Kyle Dugger under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Brisker can play over the top in Cover 2, and he would be a disruptive box defender in Graham’s single-high schemes,” Bowen writes. “In four seasons with the Bears, Brisker had four interceptions, seven sacks and 14 pass breakups.
“The Steelers could also target a cornerback in free agency as they try to clean up the secondary.”
Cleaning up the secondary has to be a major priority for the Steelers. They believed they did that last offseason with the trade for Jalen Ramsey and the signings of Darius Slay, Brandin Echols and Juan Thornhill in free agency. Slay and Thornhill didn’t even make it through the season before getting released, and Ramsey was a bit of a disappointment overall.
Echols was a very nice addition and played well much of the year, and the Steelers traded for Kyle Dugger ahead of the trade deadline. Dugger gave the Steelers a bit of a boost, highlighted by a 74-yard pick-six against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11.
After that though, Dugger fell off in a big way. Now, the Steelers need to pivot and address the secondary once again, both in free agency and the draft.
Brisker would be a welcomed addition. He has played 3,214 snaps in four seasons with the Chicago Bears and has graded out at a 64.9 overall. He has logged 1,238 snaps in the box, 1,205 snaps at free safety, 339 snaps along the defensive line, 330 snaps in the slot and 101 snaps at corner in his career.
Last season, Brisker allowed 31 receptions on 41 targets for 302 yards and four touchdowns, intercepting one pass with four pass breakups, according to Pro Football Focus. The former second-round pick finished last season with 93 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack, along with one interception and eight pass breakups. In his four seasons, Brisker has 342 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks and four interceptions.
Though he plays a similar style to Steelers safety DeShon Elliott, the two could work well off each other in new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s scheme, giving the Steelers two physical, versatile pieces on the back end.
Pro Football Focus projects Brisker to land a three-year, $25 million deal with $17 million guaranteed, making him very affordable for the type of talent he is at just 27 years old.
Elsewhere in Bowen’s best landings piece, he highlighted the San Francisco 49ers as the best spot for Steelers free agent guard Isaac Seumalo and the New Orleans Saints as the best spot for Steelers 2025 MVP Kenneth Gainwell in free agency.
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