While the rest of the NFL has sprinted through the start of free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers have opted to sit on their hands. Outside of Malik Harrison, a run-down linebacker in a filled room, this team has not taken advantage of the numerous top names available.
That alone is frustrating. The Steelers have a large amount of cap space yet they have watched the quarterback market dry up and most of the top free-agent cornerbacks go elsewhere. The top needs that this team was supposed to spend money on have gone elsewhere.
That is only the tip of the iceberg though.
In addition to this lethargic start, the Steelers have also seen quite a few of their own starters depart for reasonable deals. While I am fine with Najee Harris and Dan Moore heading elsewhere given their cost, the decision to let the other names walk is hard to stomach.
The Pittsburgh Steelers appear directionless in free agency
The first disappointment was that Justin Fields ended up going to the Jets. The Steelers had a deal in place with him, but he received a more competitive offer from New York. Now, the quarterback market looks ugly, and Pittsburgh is lacking options.
That isn’t the only issue though. We saw Donte Jackson sign for a reasonable deal with the Chargers. While not elite, he was serviceable last year. At that cost, and considering what options are still out there, retaining Jackson would have made sense.
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The two worst offenders was James Daniels and Elandon Roberts. While Harrison is essentially the replacement for Roberts, the Steelers are paying more for him than Roberts.
It isn’t like he has a clear role either. The linebacker room is filled right now, so Harrison is essentially a depth player. I would have taken the leadership and cheaper contract associated with Roberts.
Daniels is the worst offender. We have seen the guard market explode in recent years, with deals close to and over $20 million a season. While Daniels wasn’t expected to get that coming off an injury, it still seemed likely that he would sign a prove-it deal north of $10 million.
Nope! He inked a three-year deal with the Dolphins for $24 million total. For those of you counting at home, that is less money than what he signed with the Steelers for. Pittsburgh looks foolish for not giving him a deal like that.
All in all, this start of free agency is about as bad as it could have been. There are no great new names, and this team allowed its own players to leave for cheap contracts. I’m not sure what this team is doing, and the franchise is being steered like a rudderless ship.
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