5 Perfect Free-Agent Fits for Pittsburgh Steelers

After winning their first AFC North title since 2010, the Pittsburgh Steelers entered the playoffs with high hopes of a long postseason run. Those dreams came to a halt with a disappointing exit in the first round.

Rather than dwell on what could have been, the Steelers must move forward with their offseason plans. The first step will be to test the free-agent market.

Typically not big spenders, general manager Kevin Colbert dipped into free agency in 2014 to add seven players from different teams. While the results were mixed, it showed that the front office would turn over every stone to help improve its team.

As they enter the 2015 offseason, the Steelers have plenty of work to do in order to maintain their status as one of the top teams in the AFC. However, they must overcome a lack of salary-cap room to make things happen.

According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com, the Steelers once again have one of the worst salary-cap situations in the NFL. He has the Steelers at $2.901 over the cap with an extension for Ben Roethlisberger on the horizon.

While this may alarm many teams in the league, it is par for the course for the Steelers. Colbert and the front office always find a way to make enough room to not only sign their own players—they have 12 unrestricted free agents this year—but also sign others from outside the organization.

This article will focus on players from outside the organization who can step in and help the Steelers as they look to make a deep playoff run in 2015. However, the Steelers are not big spenders and will not look to add a big-ticket item—sorry, no Justin Houston.

Instead, the Steelers can make several shrewd signings of players who will not only fit their scheme, but also come at an affordable price. Here is a look—by position—at five free agents the Steelers should target this offseason.

Brett Kern, P

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It is not a sexy position—and some may argue that they are not even football players—but the Steelers are in need of an upgrade at punter.

Brad Wing had a respectable season; however, there is plenty of room for improvement. He ranked 31st with an average of 43.7 yards per punt and 21st in net average at 38.8 yards per punt. His 20 punts downed inside of the 20-yard line ranked 28th out of 33 punters.

Rather than hope for improvement, the Steelers can take a proactive approach and get the best punter available on the open market, per Pro Football Focus.

Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean summarized Brett Kern’s season with the Tennessee Titans: "Punter Brett Kern had another strong season in 2014, averaging 46.8 yards with a 40.8 net. The latter was a career-best for the seventh-year pro, who put 28 punts down inside the 20 and broke the franchise record he set in 2012."

Kern's gross average (46.8) ranks fourth in franchise history. He owns the top four net punting seasons in franchise history (2011-14).

Field position is such an important factor in the NFL, especially when the defense struggles. Any extra yardage that the Steelers can gain from the play of the special teams will only help.

Kern may not an exciting signing, but he would be one that provides a significant upgrade to one of the weakest positions on the roster.

Roy Helu, RB

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The Steelers found a quality running back to play behind Le’Veon Bell when they signed LeGarrette Blount last offseason. Unfortunately, it did not work out, and they released him after just 11 games.

That puts the Steelers back in the market for a backup running back again this offseason. During the regular season, the backup running backs combined for just 87 touches for 381 yards—Bell had 373 touches for 2,215 yards.

With so much of the load placed on Bell’s shoulders, the Steelers do not need a lot of production from their backup running back. Instead, they need someone who can give Bell a breather and step in as a threat if Bell misses any action.

One player who can do that is Roy Helu.

Best fit as a No. 2 running back, Helu will be an affordable option. In four seasons, he has averaged nearly 64 carries for 283 yards per season on the ground. That is exactly the type of production the Steelers need from their backup.

Besides his ability as a runner, the 5’11”, 215-pound Helu is a productive receiver with 129 receptions in his career. He could step in and allow the Steelers to reduce Bell’s workload on passing downs.

The Steelers do not need much from their backup running back, but they do need a dependable option who is ready to go when called upon. Helu fits that bill.

Jabaal Sheard, OLB

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Dick LeBeau is famous for his aggressive defensive schemes that found creative ways to get to the quarterback. Those are no more as the Steelers continue to struggle to get to the quarterback.

Over the past four years, here are their sack numbers: 35, 37, 34 and 33.

Those numbers are light-years away from the 48 sacks that Pittsburgh’s defense accumulated in 2010—the same year of its last Super Bowl appearance. The Steelers must improve in this area if the defense wants to regain some of its bite in 2015.

A significant portion of those sacks may be on their way out of town very soon, as Jason Worilds, James Harrison and Arthur Moats are all free agents. These three players combined for 17 sacks this year. That leaves only Jarvis Jones—who had two sacks—at outside linebacker.

As bad as it looks on paper, it is also an opportunity for the Steelers to reload at the position. Jabaal Sheard is player who could not only help the pass rush, but hurt a division rival in the process.

In four years with the Cleveland Browns, Sheard had 23 sacks, including 15.5 over his first two seasons. However, his numbers immediately fell once the team transitioned to a 3-4 defense in 2013. Even in his second year in the system, Sheard was unable to put it together and only had two sacks.

Although the low production is a concern, there are several positives associated with Sheard. First, his lack of sacks will lower his value on the open market. In addition, in 2013 he played under former Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton, so he will already have some familiarity with LeBeau’s defense.

Sheard is a well-rounded player as well, as pointed out by Will Burge of Bleacher Report: "ProFootballFocus.com (subscription required) had Sheard ranked second in the NFL at run stopping and tied for the 12th-highest rating in coverage at his position. The problem is that he registered just two sacks on the year at a pass-rushing position."

Sheard’s ability as an all-around linebacker is very enticing, even though his sack numbers do not support that. If signed by the Steelers, LeBeau would have to let Sheard loose as a pass-rusher to take advantage of his natural abilities.

By putting him in the right situation, Sheard could be a home run signing at a very affordable price tag.

Pernell McPhee, OLB

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Cleveland is not the only AFC North team with an outside linebacker the Steelers should be after. The Baltimore Ravens have one of their own with Pernell McPhee.

McPhee exploded onto the scene this season with 7.5 sacks, playing behind Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil, and both were impressed with him, as they told Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com back in October:

“He’s our specialist," Dumervil said. "A guy who’s that size, [with] that quickness, to be able to go inside, outside. I mean, he’s a special player. I’ve never been around a guy like that before.” 

"Whenever you’ve got an outside linebacker than can play all the spots on the front seven, that’s a special thing," Suggs said. "He’s clicking right now." 

Part of the reason why McPhee was able to play so many positions is because of his size. At 6’3” and 280 pounds, he is big enough to play on the line yet athletic enough to stand up. He would instantly be a threat in LeBeau’s amoeba defense yet has the size to help defend the run in the base 3-4.

Unlike Sheard—who had the lowest sack total of his career in a contract year—McPhee had the best statistical season of his career. Pro Football Focus took notice, as he is the second-ranked free-agent edge defender behind only Justin Houston.

Even as a part-time player, McPhee may have priced himself out of the Steelers' range, but if he hasn’t, he should definitely be one of their top targets in free agency.

Byron Maxwell, CB

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If a pass-rusher is the top need for the Steelers, then cornerback ranks as a close second.

William Gay is certain to return next season, but the rest of the cornerback depth chart remains a mystery.

Ike Taylor has played his last down for the Steelers, and though unlikely, Pittsburgh could admit a mistake and release Cortez Allen. That leaves free agents Brice McCain and Antwon Blake. The team will likely try to re-sign both, but neither should be in the starting lineup.

To upgrade their talent at the position, the Steelers could wait until the draft and select a cornerback in the first or second round, or they could take a more aggressive approach and sign a quality free agent.

Last year they took the aggressive approach to fix the safety position and signed Mike Mitchell. They should take the similar approach this offseason with Byron Maxwell of the Seattle Seahawks.

While some would consider Brandon Flowers or Buster Skrine as options, Maxwell offers something that the other two do not—size.

At 6’1” and 207 pounds, Maxwell has the size to match up against the big, physical receivers in the game as well as step up and contribute in run defense. Earning a spot in the starting lineup of one of the best defenses in recent memory doesn’t hurt either.

Last year, Tyson Langland of Bleacher Report saw Maxwell as a star in the making:

"

[Maxwell] has all the physical tools to develop into one of the most talented cornerbacks in the league. He just needs to find consistency on a per-snap basis. As soon as that happens, watch out. The Seahawks' secondary will become a more dominant force than they already are.

"

For the second straight season, Seattle had the top-ranked pass defense, and Maxwell was a part of that. After five starts last year, he started 12 games this season and has had a very good two-year stretch as a major contributor to the Seattle defense.

During this time, Maxwell has 67 tackles, 24 passes defended, six interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He has shown that he is not only a quality defender, but a playmaker.

This is exactly the type of player the Steelers are looking for in their secondary. They are desperate for defensive backs who can make plays on the ball, and Maxwell can do just that. His size, speed and versatility are exactly what this secondary needs, and signing him would be a significant step in the right direction.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com, all salary information is courtesy of Spotrac.com and all roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com.