Roster Holes Steelers Must Fill Before Training Camp
All signs point to the Pittsburgh Steelers being back in the playoff mix in 2023. The Steelers won nine games a year ago, appear to have strengthened their roster through free agency and the draft and have a quarterback in Kenny Pickett who is entering his pivotal second season.
The time for reloading the roster is nearly over, as the Steelers are set to open training camp on July 26. From there, the focus will shift to evaluation, as Pittsburgh will face the difficult task of whittling the roster down to 53 players.
With $12.3 million in cap space remaining, Pittsburgh should strongly consider adding a few final pieces to their camp roster before the evaluation begins. The Steelers play in the loaded AFC North, and a few potential holes remain that could prevent them from challenging teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals within the division.
Below, we'll examine three lingering question marks and a few free-agent options for the Steelers to consider adding before camp.
Rotational Edge-Rusher
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The Steelers have a fairly complete roster, so for them, the term "hole" is relative.
Few would argue that Pittsburgh is in dire need of pass-rushing help. The Steelers managed to produce 40 sacks last season despite missing T.J. Watt (torn pectoral) for seven games. The starting tandem of Watt and Alex Highsmith is among the best pass-rushing duos in the league.
However, the Steelers could use some depth on the edge. Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was the only Steelers aside from Watt and Highsmith who topped two sacks in 2022, and no other linebackers had more than one quarterback takedown.
Behind Watt and Highsmith, the Steelers have fourth-round rookie Nick Herbig and free-agent addition Markus Golden, and that's about it. Golden is coming off a 2.5-sack campaign, and Herbig is totally unproven as a pro. Pittsburgh could benefit from adding another situational edge-rusher to the mix.
The good news is that the free-agent market is still full of options. Players like Jadeveon Clowney, Yannick Ngakoue and Robert Quinn remain unsigned, along with former Ravens pass-rusher Justin Houston.
Houston is a particularly intriguing option because of his experience in the AFC North and because he nearly signed with Pittsburgh two years ago.
"I was so close to signing with the Steelers," Houston said in 2021, per NFL.com's Jelani Scott.
Perhaps it's time to see if Houston is still interested in joining the Black and Gold.
Off-Ball Linebacker
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The Steelers made a positive leap in their run defense last year, finishing the season ranked ninth in rushing yards allowed after ranking dead-last the previous season. However, the pass coverage at the second level and in the secondary was inconsistent, and Pittsburgh ranked just 25th in yards per attempt allowed.
Unsurprisingly, Pittsburgh also reloaded its crop of inside and off-ball linebackers in the offseason. Devin Bush, Robert Spillane and Myles Jack were sent packing, and the Steelers added Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts to a rotation that includes Tanner Muse and Mark Robinson.
If the Steelers hope to field a truly dominant defense, it would be wise to add a coverage specialist to the linebacker position, and a couple of options are available.
Kwon Alexander appeared in all 17 games for the New York Jets last season and allowed an opposing passer rating of 89.5 in coverage. Jack, by comparison, allowed an opposing passer rating of 107.4 in coverage.
Deion Jones appeared in 11 games for the rival Cleveland Browns in 2022 and allowed an opposing passer rating of just 80.2 in coverage. He also recorded an interception, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Backup Cornerback
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On paper, the Steelers have their starting cornerback tandem in free-agent addition Patrick Peterson and rookie second-round pick Joey Porter Jr. Peterson is a future Hall of Famer, while Porter is a blue-chip draft prospect expected to start sooner than later.
However, after having a hit-and-miss coverage unit in 2022—ranked first in interceptions (20) and 19th in yards allowed—it would be smart to add some more experience to the cornerback room before camp.
Levi Wallace—who had four interceptions and allowed an opposing passer rating of just 73.0 last season—is Pittsburgh's top returning corner. The depth after him, Peterson and Porter is questionable, with players like Chandon Sullivan, James Pierre and rookie seventh-round pick Cory Trice Jr. rounding out the group.
Adding a corner with starting experience would provide valuable insurance on the back end of the defense, and a few intriguing players are available.
Among them are Marcus Peters, who last played for the Ravens and former Bengal Eli Apple—each of whom would bring AFC North experience to the proverbial table. Casey Hayward is another name to consider. Though Hayward missed 11 games last year with a shoulder injury, he has 118 starts on his resume and has held opposing quarterbacks below a 94.0 passer rating in each of the last five years.
*Cap information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.
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