The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a strong offseason under GM Omar Khan, adding a bunch of talent at major positions of need, reshaping things from top to bottom ahead of their first season under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
Trading for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to take advantage of a salary cap dump by the Indianapolis Colts was a savvy move. So were the signings of cornerback Jamel Dean, running back Rico Dowdle and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day.
Even the one-year deals handed out to safety Jaquan Brisker, interior offensive lineman Brock Hoffman, and running back/special teams piece Travis Homer were good moves. On paper, the Steelers look pretty strong, even with some questions at quarterback and offensive line.
For Pro Football Focus’ Zoltan Buday, who highlighted the best and worst moves so far for all 32 teams, the Steelers have had an excellent offseason.
The Steelers’ best move was trading for Pittman.
“[It] was already a solid move by the Steelers, especially considering what they gave up for him. However, his extension makes it an even better deal,” Buday writes. “He is now the 25th-highest-paid wide receiver, and being a designated No. 2 could unlock a side of him that we have not seen before.
“Pittman might thrive while DK Metcalf gets most of the attention from opposing defenses.”
Landing Pittman for just a late-round pick swap, moving down 16 spots in the draft order, was a stroke of genius by Khan and the Steelers. Pittman plugs the WR2 hole and gives the Steelers two viable weapons on the outside.
I was against the Pittman extension, wanting to see how it plays out in his first year with the Steelers rather than extending him long-term. But the Steelers did well to significantly lower his 2026 cap hit and limit the ceiling on what he will cost moving forward as a WR2.
As for the Steelers’ worst move of the offseason, Buday believes they don’t have one.
“The Steelers have had an excellent free agency period so far,” Buday writes. “They were able to sign players at premium positions to reasonable contracts, such as Pittman and cornerback Jamel Dean, while adding other players, such as Rico Dowdle, Asante Samuel Jr. and Jaquan Brisker, to much cheaper, low-risk contracts.”
It’s hard to disagree with him here. The Steelers haven’t overdone it with any contracts so far in free agency. They’ve added some experienced players who can step in right away and contribute, which is vital if they expect to compete in 2026.
The work in free agency has positioned them well for the 2026 NFL Draft, too, where they hold 12 picks and have a chance to plug more holes and add talent as the roster retooling continues.
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