The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t the busiest team in free agency, but they did make quite a few moves. Multiple of the biggest needs on the roster saw additions, and the Steelers avoided anything too risky while adding solid depth across the roster for good value.
Overall, it’s hard to be upset with most of their moves. That’s something The Athletic’s Robert Mays agrees with. But he is a little more concerned with the long-term outlook, one he doesn’t really understand from Pittsburgh.
“They are absolutely better. My question, just about them, is gonna be, to what end?… They’re better for 2026. They’re better, they absolutely are. But when this team is ready to compete, are any of the things they did going to be in service of that goal?” Mays said Monday on his Athletic Football Show. “How does this feed into a team trying to build a Super Bowl-caliber roster? And I don’t know the answer to that, because I don’t think they’re a Super Bowl-caliber roster now. And a lot of the moves they made are in service of them being a better team now, and maybe not in 2027.”
The Steelers are a better team in 2027, for sure. The quarterback still needs to be addressed, but there aren’t any glaring needs on the roster yet. Receiver, running back, the secondary, and the offensive and defensive line all saw additions. Pittsburgh probably could stand to add at left guard, but with Spencer Anderson in the fold, it doesn’t feel too urgent.
That said, it’s not as if the Steelers signed a bunch of aging players who only have one year left in the tank. Michael Pittman Jr. is 28 years old, the same age as DK Metcalf. Jamel Dean is 29 and will be 32 by the time his three-year deal expires. Rico Dowdle is 27, and Jaquan Brisker is only 26. They’re not extremely young. But it’s certainly not as if those players are about to fall off the cliff.
Pittsburgh also signed some key players, like Pittman and Dean, to three-year deals. It’s not that long of a commitment, and it also coincides with a quarterback’s rookie contract. Say the Steelers turn to Will Howard, and he ends up playing well. His four-year rookie deal would end at the same time as Pittman and Dean’s. Or Pittsburgh could draft a quarterback, and it would be a similar situation.
In today’s NFL, lots of teams try to contend during their quarterback’s rookie deal, when it’s much more affordable to do so. Whether that’s what the Steelers want to do or not, it’s something they can do. The Steelers aren’t Super Bowl contenders yet, but their free-agent moves aren’t going to prevent them from getting there in a couple of years.
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