Pittsburgh Steelers' Updated to-Do List Ahead of Free Agency
The Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten some of their most pressing offseason business taken care of, by way of signing wide receiver Antonio Brown to a long-term deal and using the franchise tag to retain the services of running back Le'Veon Bell for at least the 2017 season.
But that's not all the Steelers need to get done this offseason, particularly as the new league year and thus the start of free agency is just a few days away. Here is the updated Steelers' to-do list for the remainder of the NFL's business period.
Shore Up the RB Position
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While the Steelers know that Le'Veon Bell will remain a heavy part of their offense for 2017, thanks to his $12.1 million franchise tag that it is likely a jumping-off point for a long-term contract, Pittsburgh still needs to finalize its depth chart behind him.
DeAngelo Williams, who has served as the Steelers' No. 2 back for the past two years, will be a free agent this week. That leaves only Fitzgerald Toussaint as the only other back on the roster at present. Pittsburgh will have to determine whether re-signing Williams, picking up another veteran free agent, drafting a running back later in the spring or some combination thereof will be the best course of action.
Williams is 33 years old, but he still rushed 98 times for 343 yards and four scores last year and had 118 receiving yards for two more touchdowns. He's more effective than his age would suggest and should have a salary-cap charge of no more than $2 to $3 million. Still, even if he returns, the Steelers would be wise to get younger at the position with the future in mind.
Further, the Steelers also have to finalize some type of a long-term deal with Bell. The NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala reported last week that Pittsburgh and Bell's camp are "heavy into negotiations" for such a contract. The salary-cap implications, not just for 2017 but for the future may be significant; Kinkhabwala says this could be a market-setting deal.
Though the first step on solidifying the running backs depth chart has already taken place, via the tagging of Bell, the Steelers have numerous steps to go before it is finalized.
What the Future Holds for Lawrence Timmons
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Lawrence Timmons has been a Steelers inside linebacker since 2007, when the team drafted him with their first pick. Since then, he's served as a full-time starter and has at times been one of the best interior backers in coverage in the NFL.
But now, for the first time, Timmons is a free agent and will be testing the open market before the Steelers determine whether they would like to re-sign him to a new deal.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, the Steelers "might have to wait until after the start of the March 9 free-agency period," citing the desire of players like Timmons to see what the market has to offer them.
Timmons is 30 years old but had a strong showing in 2016, with 78 tackles, 36 assists, two interceptions, five passes defensed and 2.5 sacks. Because of this, it's possible another team will be interested in paying him more than the Steelers are willing to spend.
If that's the case, the Steelers will probably have to look either to another free agent or the draft to help bolster their interior linebacking group. It also likely means more work for Vince Williams and Tyler Matakevich alongside Ryan Shazier this year.
Determine Who the Backup QB Will Be
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As of now, the Steelers have made no moves to re-sign Landry Jones, the 2013 fourth-round draft pick who has served as a backup quarterback to starter Ben Roethlisberger for most of the past four seasons. But that doesn't mean the soon-to-be 28-year old's time in Pittsburgh is up; it's just that no moves have been made yet to retain him.
Jones, who started two games in 2016 and four over the course of his NFL career, isn't likely to get calls from teams needing to add a starting-caliber quarterback to their rosters this spring. And as the Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette has pointed out, "the Steelers have expressed an interest to keep him." Given that Jones would be a bargain signing, at potentially little more than a million dollars per year, bringing him back—in due time—seems to be the end game.
Granted, the Steelers may instead opt to draft a quarterback and promote Zach Mettenberger to the No. 2 spot. Mettenberger, though, hasn't thrown a pass for Pittsburgh yet, while Jones is well-versed in coordinator Todd Haley's offense. That fact alone might be enough to influence the Steelers to eventually bring Jones back as Roethlisberger's No. 2.
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Add a Wide Receiver
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In terms of sheer numbers, the Steelers aren't hurting for wideouts. Not including the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Markus Wheaton and the suspended Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh possesses seven receivers on its current roster, headlined by Antonio Brown.
But of those receivers, few made significant contributions in 2016, and some of those who did, such as Eli Rogers and Cobi Hamilton, were mostly on the field to make up for Bryant's absence and Wheaton's numerous missed games due to injury. Though Hamilton and particularly Rogers can be useful to the Steelers in the 2017 season, Pittsburgh needs to make additions to the top of the position's depth chart.
The Steelers could go about this via signing a free agent (or two), drafting a receiver in what is pegged to be a strong class at the position or do both. In fact, the "both" option seems like the best path to take in order to keep the position robust for the upcoming season and those that follow.
Pittsburgh isn't likely to make a hasty decision regarding signing any free-agent receivers. Those getting new contracts in the first days of the new league year are most often the priciest ones, and the Steelers don't need to break the bank after giving Brown his four-year, $68 million contract to close out February. But once the dust clears, don't be surprised if a bargain veteran wideout is added to the Steelers roster, even if they have their sights set on a rookie in April.
Finalizing the Big Board
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With the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine over, the Steelers' final preparations for the upcoming draft will begin in earnest. Though free agency will prove to be somewhat of a distraction for the next week or two, the same span of time will also be a busy one for the team's scouts, who will doubtlessly be finalizing their big board of players.
The Steelers were able to observe all the positional drills at the combine as well as meet one-on-one with players who either intrigue them or who have raised questions that need to be answered before the Steelers can further consider them as prospects.
This process will continue over the next two or so months, with Steelers' coaching and front-office members attending specific school's pro days and conducting interviews and workouts with players at their own facility. The result will be the Steelers assembling their final master list of players they are willing to draft this year.
Free agency will also inform this process. If the Steelers add running backs, for example, via free agency, their desire to do so via the draft may diminish. But now is the time for the Steelers to really get their draft ducks in order and be fully prepared when the NFL draft kicks off in late April.
Thinking Toward the Future
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Not everything the Steelers will do in the coming months is solely with 2017 in mind. Beyond the contract extension for Antonio Brown, the eventual negotiation of a long-term deal with Le'Veon Bell and the new two-year deal for linebacker James Harrison, there are likely other contract moves they'd like to make during the 2017 offseason.
These include determining the future of cornerback Ross Cockrell and extending the contracts of defensive end Stephon Tuitt and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, according to Jim Wexell of Scout.com's Steel City Insider. Tuitt will be an unrestricted free agent in 2018, and Villanueva is an exclusive-rights free agent who has been earning league minimum salaries.
The Steelers will often take care of contractual business a year ahead of time to avoid last-second negotiations that could cost them more money than they were initially planning to spend (or to avoid losing a key starter to the open market).
Even with Brown's new deal, Bell's $12.1 million franchise tag and the additional $1.95 million tacked on in Harrison's contract, the Steelers currently have around $21 million in salary-cap space. It could easily result in Tuitt and Villanueva, in particular, agreeing to long-term deals as the offseason progresses.
Cockrell is set to play out his 2017 on an original-round restricted free-agent tender, worth $1.797 million, with the Steelers needing to match any other team's offer or otherwise receive a fourth-round draft pick in return compensation. But that doesn't mean the Steelers cannot see the tender as a beginning of negotiations with him for the future, though it also seems to point to Cockrell being less of a factor in Pittsburgh's defense in 2017 compared to last season.
Tuitt, meanwhile, is one of the most valuable members of the Steelers' front seven, while Villanueva has been a welcome surprise at the left tackle position over the last two years. The Steelers may want to assure themselves that both remain in Pittsburgh for the long term, especially as they presently have the money to do so.
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