Starting free agency with a bang: The Steelers made an early splash in free agency, bolstering both sides of the ball with the addition of five new players at the onset of free agency.
The team acquired receiver DK Metcalf via a trade with the Seattle Seahawks and then signed him to a new contract. The team also signed cornerback Brandin Echols, running back Kenneth Gainwell, linebacker Malik Harrison and cornerback Darius Slay.
Brandin Echols: The Steelers signed cornerback Brandin Echols to a two-year contract.
Echols was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has spent the last four seasons in New York.
He has appeared in 57 games, starting 19 of them. He has 113 career tackles, 88 of them solo stops, three tackles for a loss, five interceptions, including two returned for a touchdown, one fumble recovery and 16 passes defensed.
In 2024, he appeared in 16 games, starting four of them. He finished the season with 36 tackles, 28 of them solo stops, two interceptions, three passes defensed, a fumble recovery and four special teams tackles. He had a career-high 10 tackles against the Miami Dolphins in Week 14, along with a pass defense.
Kenneth Gainwell: The Steelers signed running back Kenneth Gainwell to a one-year contract.
Gainwell was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the 150th overall pick, and spent the last four seasons with the Eagles.
He has appeared in 66 games, including four starts, and carried the ball 280 times for 1,185 yards, a 4.2-yard average, and 12 touchdowns. Gainwell also has 102 receptions for 721 yards, a 7.1-yard average, and one touchdown. He also has 27 kickoff returns for 612 yards, a 22.7-yard average.
The Steelers faced Gainwell in a Week 15 matchup against the Eagles in 2024, when he rushed for 20 yards on seven carries, and had three receptions for 40 yards. He also had 63 kickoff return yards, for a total of 123 all-purpose yards in the game.
Gainwell played in all 17 games in 2024, starting one, while carrying the ball 75 times for 290 yards, a 3.9-yard average, and one touchdown. He also had 16 receptions for 116 yards, a 7.3-yard average as he helped the Eagles on special teams as well during their Super Bowl LIX season as he returned 18 kickoffs for a career-high 456 yards, a 25.3-yard average.
Malik Harrison: The Steelers signed linebacker Malik Harrison to a two-year contract.
Harrison was originally drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the 98th overall pick and has spent the last five seasons with the Ravens.
Harrison has appeared in 76 career games, with 35 starts. He has 144 career tackles, 78 of them solo stops, and seven tackles for a loss. He also has two sacks, four quarterback hits, and one pass defensed. He also has 30 special teams tackles, including 17 solo stops.
Harrison plays with an edge, an aggressive approach that will have him fit right in with the defense.
In 2024, he played in 15 games, with seven starts, and had a career-high 46 tackles, with 16 solo stops. He also had career-highs with two sacks, three tackles for a loss and eight special teams tackles. Harrison was part of a Ravens' defense that was ranked No. 1 against the run in 2024 (80.1 yards per game) and No. 2 in sacks (54) and fourth down efficiency (42.9%).
DK Metcalf:The Steelers acquired receiver DK Metcalf in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. The Steelers will send the Seahawks their second round pick (52nd overall) and seventh round pick (223rd overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft, and receive the Seahawks sixth-round pick (185th overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft. Metcalf also signed a new five-year contract with the team.
Metcalf was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and spent the last six seasons in Seattle.
In those six seasons, he has appeared in 97 games, starting 93 of them, and has 438 receptions for 6,324 yards, a 14.4-yard average, and 48 touchdowns, which rank eighth-most among active players in the NFL. He has three touchdowns longer than 70 yards, including a career long 84-yard touchdown.
Metcalf has 15 100-yard games, including one against the Steelers in 2023, and a career-high 177 yards receiving against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020. He also has two 100-yard receiving games in the postseason. He also has three 1,000-yard seasons and has 13 catches of 50 yards or more in his career, which ranks seventh among active receivers..
Metcalf was a second-team Associated Press All-Pro selection in 2020 and a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 2020 and 2023.
Darius Slay: The Steelers signed cornerback Darius Slay to a one-year contract
Slay was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, the 36th overall selection. He spent his first seven seasons with the Lions before playing the last five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles after he was acquired via a trade in 2020.
He was a First-Team Associated Press All-Pro selection in 2017, a six-time Pro Bowl selection (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) and a starter for the Eagles Super Bowl LIX championship team.
Slay has appeared in 177 games, starting 167. He has 614 career tackles, 512 of them solo stops, and 16 tackles for a loss. He has 28 career interceptions, three of them returned for touchdowns including a long of 70 yards, 161 passes defensed, five fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one sack.
His 161 passes defensed since 2013 leads all NFL players. He also has four multiple interception games.
Slay was a force for the Eagles Super Bowl run in 2024, starting 14 games and finishing the season with 49 tackles, 39 of them solo stops, three tackles for a loss and led the team with 13 passes defensed for the Eagles No. 1 pass defense and No. 1 overall defense.