3 Available NFL Free Agents Steelers Must Pursue amid 3-2 Start
The Pittsburgh Steelers come out of their Week 6 bye in better shape with their injury issues.
Pat Freiermuth is in line to practice, Diontae Johnson has been designated to return from injured reserve and T.J. Watt had a week to rest the dislocated finger he suffered in Week 5.
A healthy Steelers team with all of those players contributing to victories would boost the chances of contending for the AFC North crown.
Mike Tomlin and his staff can't rush Freiermuth and Johnson back just for a Week 7 game against an out-of-conference foe in the Los Angeles Rams. They also may have to protect Watt from suffering any further injuries on his hand.
That could lead to a few short-term fixes on the free-agent market before the offensive stars are active again and Watt is healthier.
Sammy Watkins
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Pittsburgh is lucky to have George Pickens fill in for Johnson as the No. 1 wide receiver.
However, the depth behind the budding star is questionable at best right now.
Pickens is the only Steelers player with more than 200 receiving yards. No other wide out has more than Calvin Austin's 144 yards.
Pittsburgh could use a short-term fix, like Sammy Watkins, to bridge the gap to when Johnson is ready to play again.
Johnson told reporters that he is aiming to play against the Los Angeles Rams, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor.
The Steelers should err on the side of caution for one more week with Johnson since they have an upcoming three-game homestand. The first two of those games come against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans and could be important for playoff tiebreakers.
A veteran short-term fix in Watkins could allow the Steelers to bring Johnson back on a snap count. He could potentially stay around longer if Pittsburgh wants another veteran to work with Pickens and Austin along with Allen Robinson.
Frank Clark
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The assumption surrounding Frank Clark's free agency is that he could land back with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Clark was recently released by the Denver Broncos and he could explore options outside of his former employer.
Pittsburgh could use one more veteran pass-rusher to help its quest for the AFC North crown, and to ease some of the pressure on Watt.
The last thing the Steelers want at this juncture of the season is for Watt to injury his hand more and miss a significant amount of time.
Clark's four-year stint with Kansas City could draw him back there, but if the Steelers jump in, they can at least make the pitch for him to join their roster to partner Watt to form what could be one of the most dominant pass-rushing tandems in the AFC.
Melvin Ingram
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Melvin Ingram is the other veteran insurance policy the Steelers could go after.
The free-agent edge-rusher had a six-sack season with the Miami Dolphins in 2022, so he could come right in and make an impact opposite Watt.
A potential Ingram signing carries the same logic as Clark's possible addition.
The Steelers would provide an extra body to their already strong pass rush and allow Watt to take some plays off, or at least distract some attention away from him in certain games.
The Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers taught us in 2022 that a contender can never have enough pass-rushers available.
Pittsburgh would be adding to its depth and that would be a sign of its playoff intentions.
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