Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Best Free Agent Signings in Steelers History

The Steelers aren't big players in free agency. We've heard that played over and over again for years, and it is very true. The Steelers are draft builders. They don't play the free agent game very often.

When they do, however, they rarely miss. They've had some gems over the years. Here's the five best signings they've ever made in the free agent market.

James Farrior (2002)

In 2002, the Steelers decided to go out and get a new inside linebacker for their 3-4 scheme. The guy they picked up was a former first-round pick perceived as a bust after playing little as a backup on the outside in New York.

After five seasons as an unknown, Farrior's career really took off in Pittsburgh. He became a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker on the inside and never looked back. After 10 years in black and gold, Farrior was let go a couple weeks back.

Farrior is certainly the best free agent addition to the team in the last decade and perhaps the best ever.

James Harrison (2004)

Perhaps the most interesting journey to the NFL for a guy who might one day end up in the Hall of Fame, Harrison was on and off the Steelers' practice squad in his first year and was allowed to sign with Baltimore in 2003.

In 2004, the Steelers picked him up after an injury to Clark Haggans. Harrison took this second chance seriously and never looked back.

Since then, he's replaced Joey Porter on the outside and has become one of the the most feared hitters in the NFL. His hits have drawn the ire of the league and the admiration of his teammates and fans.

It really is quite the journey for a guy who now seems like someone who would have been a first-round draft pick. That just shows how fickle things can be at times.

Ryan Clark (2006)

The Steelers needed a solid complement for Troy Polamalu, so they went out and signed the underrated Clark in 2006. He'd played with the Redskins and Giants previously, but he hadn't drawn many headlines.

That would change in Pittsburgh, where Clark has emerged to become a force on defense. He's one of the league's fiercest hitters and has helped take away the middle of the field in a secondary that was vastly improved in 2011.

Clark is just one of many players that seems to have found real purchase after stepping into Dick LeBeau's defensive scheme. He should be productive for many years to come and has been one of the team's most consistent performers.

Jeff Hartings (2001)

With the Steelers tasked with replacing longtime center Dermontti Dawson in 2001, they went out and signed Jeff Hartings, who'd played with Detroit since entering the league as a first-rounder out of Penn State in 1996.

Hartings, who'd been a guard in Detroit, moved in to center and became a mainstay on the team's great offensive lines of the early 2000s. He helped block for Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker and also was there for the early years of Ben Roethlisberger's career.

He retired after the 2006 season after having continued the legacy of great centers that goes back to Mike Webster and Ray Mansfield in the 1970s.

Gary Anderson (1982)

Anderson was drafted in 1982 by the Buffalo Bills, but they cut him loose before the season started. The Steelers snapped him up as a free agent and were never sorry. He spent 12 seasons with Pittsburgh (1982 to 1994) before being replaced by another great addition (Norm Johnson).

Anderson is one of the greatest kickers in the history of the NFL, and he spent the bulk of his NFL career with the Steelers.

For a team that seems to always be looking for a new kicker, Anderson was a constant for the team in the post-dynasty days of the 1980s and the early 1990s.