The first week of NFL free agency has passed, and Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan did not hesitate to get to work.
Big Acquisitions for Pittsburgh
Within an hour of the “legal tampering window” opening on March 9, Khan struck a deal with the Indianapolis Colts to bring wide receiver Michael Pittman to Pittsburgh. The two teams also swapped late-round picks. As part of the deal, Pittman reworked his deal to a three-year, $59 million contract. This is a move that lowers his cap hit for the upcoming season.
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Hours after bringing in Pittman, the first signing was agreed to. Jamel Dean, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, agreed to a three-year, $36.75 million contract. Later the same day, Pittsburgh finalized a two-year, $12.25 million deal with Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle.
The following day, former Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker inked a one-year, $5.5 million deal to join the Steelers. Defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day, previously with the Titans, later signed a two-year deal worth $11 million.
How Do These Additions Help the Steelers?
Bringing in a player like Pittman gives the Steelers the second receiving option that they have needed for the last two seasons.
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Pittsburgh has been searching for a second great receiver since trading Diontae Johnson in 2023. It seemed like they had found that number two last offseason after acquiring DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks. However, the Steelers later traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, leaving them in the same situation.
Pittman provides another weapon for Mike McCarthy’s offense that the defense will need to scheme around. Rather than having to worry about guys like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, defenses will now have to adjust for Metcalf and Pittman. This proves a stark upgrade from statistically one of the worst receivers at getting open last season.
Sticking with the offense, the signing of Rico Dowdle secures a replacement for 2025 Team MVP Kenneth Gainwell.
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Pittsburgh began the search for Gainwell’s replacement after he left for the beaches of Tampa. Dowdle is coming off his second career 1000-yard season, also running for a career-high six touchdowns. Bringing in Dowdle allows the Steelers to continue the split-backfield they ran last season with Gainwell and Jaylen Warren.
Defensively, adding Dean and Brisker bolsters a secondary that was toward the bottom of the league in pass defense last season.
Dean brings consistent play across from young star Joey Porter Jr. When he’s healthy, Dean can play up to the level of other top corners across the league. Brisker will almost certainly be a starter from day one at safety, allowing Jalen Ramsey, who switched to safety in the middle of last season, to transition back to cornerback.
Finally, adding Sebastian Joseph-Day to the defensive line adds a strong depth piece to an already powerful unit. Joseph-Day will likely serve in a backup role behind guys like Cameron Heyward and Derrick Harmon. However, a player of his caliber allows for a seamless transition when one of those guys needs rest during a game.
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Other Potential Moves
The storyline of the Steelers’ offseason, along with the coaching change, is the need for a quarterback.
Some of the top options that had been on the radar for the Steelers have already come off the board. Kyler Murray joined the Vikings in Minnesota, and the Dolphins brought in Malik Willis after releasing Tua Tagovailoa. With each day that passes, it seems more and more likely that Pittsburgh will run it back with Aaron Rodgers.
After adding a receiver and cornerback, the team now needs to look back to the trenches, this time on the offensive side.
Pittsburgh’s Pro Bowl left guard, Isaac Seumalo, joined the Arizona Cardinals. As it stands, it seems the Steelers like what they have in Spencer Anderson and may at least give him a shot at the starting job. However, it’s hard to imagine Khan won’t at least take a peek at the offensive guard market with guys like Joel Bitonio and Mekhi Becton available.
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Despite the flurry of signings, Pittsburgh still ranks tenth in cap space. They still have plenty of money to go out and fill these gaps. It is also possible that they could wait until the NFL Draft next month.
In regard to the quarterback situation, they could look towards guys like Nussmeier and Allar. As for the now uncertain left guard position, it could be Iowa’s Beau Stephens coming in as a replacement.
The post The Pittsburgh Steelers Made a Splash in Free Agency appeared first on The Lead.
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