Pittsburgh Steelers Guide to the 2017 Free-Agent Market

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't known for making many free-agent additions in any given offseason, but they also aren't completely silent when the NFL's new league year begins.

In the recent past, veteran signings like Mike Mitchell, Arthur Moats, Darrius Heyward-Bey and DeAngelo Williams have not just been given new deals by the Steelers but also become significant contributors.

Thus, it's hard to imagine the Steelers making zero moves when free agency starts in early March. Here are six positions the Steelers may try to supplement by turning to veteran talent rather than via the draft alone.

Running Back

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Should Eddie Lacy hit the free-agent market, could Pittsburgh be a destination?

The Steelers' top two running backs from the 2016 season, Le'Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams, are both set to be unrestricted free agents. It's highly unlikely that Bell even comes close to hitting the open market—he's headed toward being franchise-tagged if a long-term deal cannot be negotiated by that time, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport (h/t Kevin Patra of the league's official site).

But it's possible that the Steelers want to go younger at the No. 2 job, or at least younger than Williams, who turns 34 years old in April. The Steelers, though, may not want to go so young as to have a rookie on the depth chart behind Bell, which makes running back a position the team could look closely at bolstering via free agency.

Affordable-yet-effective options include Darren McFadden. Though the injury bug bit him yet again in 2016, causing him to miss most of the season, he was an effective backup in 2015, with nearly 1,100 yards rushing and another 328 receiving.

Another could be Eddie Lacy, but his availability is in question after the Green Bay Packers released James Starks. But Lacy's ankle injury could scare off the Packers and lead to the 26-year-old being a relative bargain for Pittsburgh.

A reunion between Williams and the Steelers cannot be ruled out, either. Williams may test the market and then find his best chance for acceptable compensation and a satisfactory amount of playing time will yet again be in Pittsburgh.

Tight End

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Jared Cook's veteran presence could lift up and educate young Steelers tight end Jesse James.

Tight end is one of the deepest positional groups in the 2017 NFL draft, a fact that could steer the Steelers toward preferring a young addition to the roster rather than another veteran. After all, the great Ladarius Green experiment of 2016 has yet to pay off and serves as an example of why veterans aren't always preferable to rookies.

But it is true that the Steelers need to round out their tight end depth chart. Jesse James is a solid all-purpose tight end, but the Green signing points to an offense that would like a receiving-heavy threat at the position as well. The key is to figure out which veteran on the market is capable of making that kind of contribution and which veterans are steering into past-their-prime territory.

One of the most intriguing free-agent tight end prospects this year is the Miami Dolphins' Dion Sims. Though Sims totaled only 256 yards on his 26 receptions, he had four scores. The 6'5" Sims could be a productive end-zone target for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

But he wouldn't come cheaply; Spotrac has his projected per-year pay at nearly $5 million (compared to $656,888 in 2016). The Steelers would have to divest themselves of Green (saving nearly $3 million in the process but also adding over $3 million in dead money).

Jared Cook could also be on the Steelers' radar. Like Sims, he didn't have huge numbers in 2016 (30 catches, 377 yards and a touchdown in the regular season), but at nearly 30 years old, his contract would be much more affordable than Sims'. Plus, Cook could help serve as a mentor to the 22-year-old James, which is never a bad thing.

Safety

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Much like the Steelers' signing of Mike Mitchell four years ago, bringing aboard veteran safety Quintin Demps could help augment a secondary that keeps getting younger.

Improving the secondary has been a priority for the Steelers for years. And though those attempts at improvement seem to be slowly taking hold, adding a seasoned veteran to the defensive backfield may be one way to accelerate the unit's development.

A safety, more so than a cornerback (where free agents are becoming more and more expensive to sign), could be on the Steelers' free-agency shortlist this year. And the potential is there for some highly talented players to hit the open market to join Mike Mitchell and/or Sean Davis in the starting rotation.

The Arizona Cardinals' Tony Jefferson, the Los Angeles Chargers' Jahleel Addae and the Houston Texans' Quintin Demps could all help round out the Steelers' thinning safety corps.

Addae came back in Week 12 from an early-season collarbone fracture to return a 90-yard interception for a touchdown while amassing 48 combined tackles. Jefferson had five passes defensed, two forced fumbles and 74 solo tackles in 2016. And Demps had six interceptions, nine passes defensed and 38 solo tackles on the season.

The issues? For one, all three teams could choose to bring their starting safeties back for 2017 and beyond. The other is that Addae and Jefferson are both in their 20s—Addae is 27 and Jefferson is 25—which is another sign the two could be primed for new deals from their long-term teams.

But Demps, at 31, may be a victim of the Texans' willingness to get younger in the secondary. He could be a strong, veteran bridge for the Steelers as they wait for Davis or another young draftee to adapt to the rigors of the NFL.

Quarterback

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Brian Hoyer could be an upgrade on the Steelers' current backup quarterbacks..

At present, the two quarterbacks who have backed up Ben Roethlisberger for the past four years—Landry Jones and Bruce Gradkowski—are set to be unrestricted free agents. It doesn't seem in Gradkowski's cards to be re-signed after he missed the entire 2016 season with a hamstring injury. It's also possible Jones has played his last snap in Pittsburgh as well.

Though the Steelers could use a later-round draft pick on a young quarterback they could develop into a No. 2 behind Roethlisberger, the team may want someone more experienced to immediately back up Big Ben, whose playing style often exposes him to injury. 

There's much to be said about the merits of having a backup who has spent a length of time as an NFL starter, even if those starter duties were yanked out from underneath them for reasons of performance, contract or injury. The Steelers will just need to choose from this pool wisely. There's no need for, let's say, a Blaine Gabbert backing up Roethlisberger.

But someone like Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer or even Josh Johnson could prove to be upgrades over Jones. And if a bidding war doesn't break out for the services of Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup Mike Glennon, he could prove to be a far more affordable option with considerable upside despite his dearth of starting experience.

Getting a better No. 2 than Jones, though, would require the Steelers to be active in free agency rather than trying to find him in this year's draft. The emphasis at backup quarterback needs to be on NFL experience and not potential for the long-term future.

Wide Receiver

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The free-agent wideout market is a tricky one; depending on how it plays out, Kenny Britt could be available to the Steelers at a discount.

With Markus Wheaton out for most of the 2016 season with injuries and Martavis Bryant serving an indefinite suspension for multiple violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy, the Steelers had to get creative last season at wide receiver. Though they luckily had the services of Antonio Brown, the absences caused Eli Rogers and, later, Cobi Hamilton to take on more prominent roles on offense.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Steelers may have found themselves a gem in Rogers, who caught 48 passes for 594 yards and three scores on the year, and Hamilton proved himself to be a solid backup who can take the field and make plays in a pinch.

But Wheaton is about to be a free agent and likely won't return to the Steelers in 2017, and Bryant's status remains up in the air. While it would come as no surprise if the Steelers focus on wideouts in the upcoming draft, they may also choose to use some of their salary-cap space to add a veteran as well. 

The Steelers, though, will have to be careful. Alongside the expected franchise-tagging of running back Le'Veon Bell, the front office is also working on a contract extension for Brown that could make him the highest-paid player at his position, per Rapoport (h/t Conor Orr of the league's official site). Thus, Pittsburgh will have to spend wisely on any veteran receiver they sign this offseason.

That rules out the likes of Alshon Jeffery, Vincent Jackson, DeSean Jackson and other top-tier soon-to-be free agents. But the Steelers could take advantage of a saturated market—and a relatively deep draft class—in order to find bargains. Depending on the how things play out, Kenny Britt or even Robert Woods could be targets.

And if the Steelers want to take advantage of a smart and physical player closing in on the end of his career, Anquan Boldin is set to be available. There's also the matter of Cordarrelle Patterson to keep in mind; the one-time first-round draft pick never reached his potential with the Minnesota Vikings, but he could be a reclamation project in Pittsburgh in an offense that might just suit him perfectly. At the very least, his return skills could finally mean Brown no longer has to run back punts for the Steelers.

Outside Linebacker

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Could the Steelers sign Paul Kruger this offseason and bring him back to the AFC North, where he previously spent seven seasons?

Outside linebackers can be some of the most expensive free agents to add, but it doesn't have to be that way—just ask the Steelers about Arthur Moats, signed in 2014 at age 25 to a one-year deal. He used that single-year, veteran-minimum contract as a springboard to a long-term deal, with his solid performance leading to a three-year, $7.5 million deal a year later.

Indeed, it's about shopping smart when it comes to signing any free agents, especially those of the pass-rushing variety. 

It's not a pressing need for the Steelers, but it's also not a bad idea to cut off future requirements at the pass. Jarvis Jones is likely leaving in free agency. James Harrison has perhaps one season left. Moats' contract expires after the 2017 season.

While the Steelers have promising young pass-rushers in Bud Dupree and Anthony Chickillo, and will likely add more to the stable the unit via the draft, it would be wise for Pittsburgh to bring in one more outside linebacking veteran this year. Then, he could spend a year assimilating into the Steelers' defensive system and be able to take on a true leadership role come 2018. And as outside linebacker coach Joey Porter said two years ago, per Chris Adamski of the Tribune-Review: "You can never have enough pass-rushers."

Former Indianapolis Colts pass-rusher Erik Walden fits the bill. Though he'll turn 32 in August, he's coming off the best season of his career, with 11 sacks, 31 solo tackles and 11 assists in 2016. Though that productivity will carry with it a price, that will be tempered by his age, thus potentially making him within the Steelers' financial reach.

Paul Kruger, most recently with the New Orleans Saints and the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens before that, could also be a solid addition as a situational veteran pass-rusher Pittsburgh's defense. What Kruger needs most is stability in order to play at a high level; he wouldn't be beholden to the level of chaos he experienced in Cleveland and, to a lesser extent, in New Orleans. That could turn him into the Steelers' next Moats at a similarly affordable price.