The Pittsburgh Steelers were very active to kickoff the opening day of legal tampering, the unofficial beginning of the new league year. In total, Pittsburgh made six moves, ranging from re-signings, free agent signings, and trades. In light of those moves, these are my grades for every one of them.
Re-signing Samuel to a cheap deal made all the sense in the world. He played well in the handful of games he appeared in, and has been a quality starter in the past. Keeping Samuel in a now very deep secondary makes the cornerback group one of the best on the roster. Don’t be surprised if Samuel earns a nice pay day in 2027.
Holcomb is a nice piece of the linebacker rotation and has proven to be quality depth. Keeping him on board as the No. 3 behind Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson is a net positive move.
This is a depth signing more than anything Otomewo played in 12 games and logged nine tackles. It’s not a notable re-signing that moves the needle, but it’s not detrimental by any means either.
The Steelers wasted no time addressing the wide receiver position, trading for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman and signing him to a three-year, $59 million extension. Pittman was the Colts’ most reliable underneath receiver in 2025, catching 80 passes and seven touchdowns. Back in 2023, he caught 109 passes for over 1,100 yards and four touchdowns. A one-two punch of he and DK Metcalf is exactly what Pittsburgh needed. Terrific move by Omar Khan.
A starting cornerback duo of Joey Porter Jr and Jamel Dean has me very excited. Among all cornerbacks with at least 60 targets, he ranked first in completion percentage allowed, yards per target, completion percentage, and completion percentage over expected. In my [free agent cornerback rankings](https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/1101572/cornerback-rankings-2026-jamel-dean-buccaneers-alontae-taylor-saints-tariq-woolen-seahawks-jaylen-watson-chiefs), Dean took the No. 1 ranking. The Steelers landing the lockdown corner is a massive get.
Many were upset to see Kenneth Gainwell sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And while Gainwell had a tremendous season in Pittsburgh, it’s unlikely that he would replicate that success in 2026. Dowdle has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, including doing so in Dallas under Mike McCarthy back in 2024. He and Jaylen Warren will make for a terrific duo in the backfield.
_These grades will be continually updated with every signing/trade._
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