Steelers Free Agent Analysis: Dean Lowry
Position: Defensive Line
Experience: 10 Years
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2025 Salary Cap Hit: $3,125,000
2025 Season Breakdown:
Dean Lowry suffered a torn ACL in training camp last August, missing the entire 2025 season as he hits free agency this month. A 10-year NFL veteran, on the verge of 32, it’s not clear what, if anything, he has left in the tank. While he contributed some for the Steelers in 2024, how motivated are they to bring him back?
The first part of the equation is determining his health status and his timeline for return. Given that Lowry tore his ACL in camp, he will have a full year of recovery before the 2026 season begins. That should be enough time, but he is also on the wrong side of 30. And playing in the trenches puts a lot of stress on the knees.
Dean Lowry played 159 snaps on defense for the Steelers in 2024, registering 5 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pass defensed. Having spent most of his career with the Packers—and Aaron Rodgers—he has 271 career tackles, 16.5 sacks, and 18 passes defensed with 1 interception and 1 forced fumble. Surprisingly, he did not record any stats on IR last year.
Free Agency Outlook:
While the Steelers could always use defensive line depth, they don’t need 30-somethings coming off major knee surgery. For veteran backups of a certain age, an injury like Dean Lowry’s is frequently, effectively, career-ending. Not because they can’t physically play anymore, but because they are undesirable commodities.
Last year, the Steelers drafted Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black to add to the defensive line. They also potentially found a keeper in Esezi Otomewo, who is only a restricted free agent this offseason. Barring a rash of injuries, I can’t foresee a scenario in which they re-sign Lowry. At the very least, it won’t be a priority, nor will it happen any time soon.
The Steelers havea long list of free agents this year, but no absolutely can’t-lose names, at least debatably. Aaron Rodgers is the presumptive exception, the team already going on record expressing the desire that he return. While the list includes significant players like Kenneth Gainwell and Isaac Seumalo, they are not overwhelmingly pressing priorities. The quarterback question supersedes all, and I don’t foresee another Mason Rudolph spring. There are some choice role players, but they wouldn’t fall apart if they lost the entire lot.
And with the Steelers introducing an almost entirely new coaching regime, the direction of free agency is unclear. No doubt, we will see how things evolve between February and March. It’s possible they make some significant moves, a surprising cut, or work on a bold trade. After all, this is a new scheme into which they are now building.
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