The Pittsburgh Steelers had three projected compensatory picks in the 2027 NFL Draft after the first day of legal tampering on Monday. It seemed they were clearly aiming to repeat their 2025 offseason strategy to maximize the comp pick formula. That all fell apart on Day 2 of tampering.
CB Jamel Dean didn’t count as a compensatory free agent (CFA), but RB Rico Dowdle did. He canceled out what could have been a sixth-round pick for losing RB Kenneth Gainwell.
The league only awards 32 compensatory picks annually. So players like James Pierre, who technically qualify, are pushed out of the equation with the presence of 32 more valuable CFA signings above him. As of Tuesday morning, he was No. 32 on the list. According to Over The Cap’s latest projection, he is now pushed beyond the top-32 limit and is not projected to return a pick to the Steelers next offseason.
With 24 hours to go before the start of the new league year, the 2027 compensatory picks projection has already gone over the 32 pick limit. pic.twitter.com/On7dFbk9lF
— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) March 10, 2026
The Steelers may sign another CFA around $5 million APY to cancel him out and make this a moot point. But Pierre can technically work his way back into the top 32. If one or more qualifying signings cancel out, he could bounce in and out of the top 32 picture. At this point, my best guess is that he will not qualify.
This doesn’t eliminate his standing as a qualifying CFA lost for the Steelers. That could matter later in the process. For example, Calvin Austin III could sign for $6 million APY as another seventh-round CFA lost. Then, if Pittsburgh signs a similar value CFA, Pierre could cancel it out and net the Steelers a pick from Austin.
Other than Calvin Austin III, other former Steelers who could add to the formula include Kyle Dugger and Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers takes the unexpected route and goes to the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh could end up with roughly a fourth-round pick, depending on the size of the contract.
What looked like a promising early strategy for Pittsburgh probably isn’t worth pursuing anymore this offseason. They shouldn’t shy away from signing CFAs with the strategy out the window.
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