Bargain-Bin Free Agents Pittsburgh Steelers Should Target to Fill Biggest Needs
Free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. Thursday, with teams finally allowed to sign veterans—whether their own or from the open market—to new contracts. The Pittsburgh Steelers may not be the most active team in the first days of free agency, typically when the most-coveted players get high-priced deals, but the bargain hunting in the days that follow can prove fruitful.
Here are seven bargain-bin free agents the Steelers may consider to help fill holes on their roster at several positions.
OLB Paul Kruger
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After four productive years with the Baltimore Ravens and three with the Cleveland Browns, linebacker Paul Kruger had a mostly disappointing 2016 season with the New Orleans Saints in which he had only 25 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks while working on a one-year $3 million deal.
But Kruger's lack of production wasn't his fault alone; the New Orleans defense has been markedly atrocious for years and did not have a place for Kruger despite seeking him out in free agency a year ago and starting him for 13 games. All of this, though, means that his potential 2017 payday should be even more affordable than his 2016 rate.
The Steelers could certainly use Kruger's situational pass-rushing services and the veteran depth he'd supply the linebacking group. They'd likely not need to outbid any would-be suitors, and Kruger would easily welcome a chance for a short-term opportunity with a Super Bowl contender. It would be a mutually beneficial situation for both.
RB DeAngelo Williams
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Though running back DeAngelo Williams spent the last two years with the Steelers, there are two facts to consider at present: Williams is now a free agent, and should the Steelers choose to bring him back, he'd doubtlessly be a bargain, financially.
Williams, who rushed 298 times for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns and who caught 58 passes for 485 yards and two scores over the past two seasons (after nine years with the Carolina Panthers), has proved to be a solid backup to Steelers starter Le'Veon Bell. But at nearly 34 years old, and in a limited role for the Steelers, his contract costs are low.
Through the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Williams made $4 million. Another one- or two-year deal with Pittsburgh could see his price tag drop even further. Given that Williams has fit right in with the Steelers, he may be the right running back to add to a roster that only boasts Bell and Fitzgerald Toussaint.
If it happens, though, it will likely be later than sooner. Steelers.com's Bob Labriola said this week that not only does the team aspire to get younger at running back, re-signing Williams is "on the back burner for now." While the Steelers could—and should—bring aboard a younger back via April's NFL draft, Williams' experience and solid fit in the offense may be too compelling to completely ignore.
ILB Manti Te'o
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Though linebacker Manti Te'o was college football's best defensive player of the 2012 season, that production never translated to the NFL ranks. Drafted by the then-San Diego Chargers in the second round, Te'o managed to appear in only 38 games with 34 starts over four seasons, and his time with the team came to a close in Week 3 of the 2016 season when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon.
In his professional career, Te'o has 160 tackles, 73 assists, an interception, nine passes defensed and 1.5 sacks. But perhaps he was miscast by the Chargers; Te'o was known as a versatile and explosive player for Notre Dame, and those are traits the Steelers can exploit from their interior linebackers.
With Te'o never producing to his collegiate billing and coming off of a significant injury, the Steelers could easily get him at a value to serve as depth behind Vince Williams and Ryan Shazier. As long as his health checks out, Pittsburgh may have interest.
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WR Cordarrelle Patterson
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Receiver and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2013, but he barely saw the field as the former, with only six starts as a rookie and which dropped to a mere one in 2015. However, Patterson had a strong 2016 season as a pass-catcher for Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford, with 52 receptions on 70 targets for 453 yards and two scores while also lighting up the field in the return game.
Indeed, the return game has been Patterson's strongest suit so far, with his 134 career kick returns netting 4,075 yards and five touchdowns for a 30.4 average. But there seems like Patterson has an untapped well of receiving talent that was only just beginning to make itself known in 2016. And as a free agent in 2017, he could have the opportunity to do so.
Pittsburgh would be a great option for Patterson, just as Patterson would be a smart addition for the Steelers. He has size and speed and could step in as a big-bodied target for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger both in space and the red zone. And his return skills would add another dimension to the Steelers' special teams—if he can return punts, that would free up Antonio Brown.
The only issue is the myriad reports that the Chicago Bears are aggressively pursuing Patterson, according to Alex Marvez of Sporting News (via Pro Football Talk). That could put his per-year salary average at $4 million or more, which may not be money the Steelers would be willing to pay for him. But that report could be a smoke screen; if the interest never materializes and there's no threat of a bidding war, the Steelers should be able to sign Patterson at an agreeable price.
TE Jared Cook
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Tight end Jared Cook wasn't the centerpiece of the Green Bay Packers offense in 2016. He had just 30 catches in the regular season, for 377 yards and a touchdown and appeared in only 10 games. Though a clutch performer in the playoffs, with 18 catches for 229 yards and two scores, it was one of Cook's least productive seasons of his eight-year career.
The Packers only brought Cook in on a one-year, $2.75 million deal. And though they are allegedly viewing Cook as a top free-agency priority, there has been no movement yet to bring him back in the fold. The Steelers could certainly try to lure him away.
Spotrac has Cook's estimated market value at $3.4 million per year, a figure that would rank him 25th at his position in average salary. That's a price that the Steelers could afford. And with Pittsburgh still trying to develop Jesse James and evaluate the health of Ladarius Green, a veteran like Cook would certainly be welcome when it comes to rounding out the tight end corps.
CB Alterraun Verner
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Three years ago, when cornerback Alterraun Verner was set to hit free agency after four years with the Tennessee Titans, the Steelers were reportedly one of the teams most interested in his services. It wasn't to be, however, with Verner signing a four-year, $25.75 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But the Buccaneers released Verner in February with one year left on his contract, hurtling him into free agency. And at only 28 years old, the Steelers could find themselves in place to finally grab the cornerback they were allegedly in hot pursuit of three years ago.
Verner's numbers with the Titans were impressive: 11 interceptions, 50 passes defensed and 226 solo tackles. They were less so, though, in Tampa, with only four interceptions, 140 tackles, 20 passes defensed and a mere 23 starts in 46 games.
This doesn't mean Verner is washed up; there are many factors that can decrease a corner's production, including the type of coverage scheme he is asked to play in. Verner could find a more comfortable on-field fit with the Steelers, while the Steelers don't have to worry about paying him $6.5 million per year—or what the Buccaneers would have owed him in 2017 had they not released him.
QB Case Keenum
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Much of quarterback Case Keenum's five years in the NFL has been spent as a backup. Of the 26 games he's appeared in, 24 were starts; of those, nine came in 2016 with the Los Angeles Rams. Eventually, Keenum's struggles saw him benched for Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 draft and a player who needed to someday take the field and control of the offense.
Keenum has a 7-7 record as a starter for the Rams (he was also with the team on another one-year contract in 2015). In 2016, he completed 60.9 percent of his 322 pass attempts, for 2,209 yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. With numbers like that—albeit in an anemic offense that nowhere near resembles that of the Steelers'—it's clear Keenum's best spot on the depth chart is at No. 2.
But that's all the Steelers need right now. Currently, Pittsburgh has only Zach Mettenberger as Ben Roethlisberger's backup. Signing Keenum would bring much-needed experience into the quarterback room. Roethlisberger is no stranger to injury, so having a backup familiar with playing in the regular season is imperative. Keenum can be that man—and at a very affordable price.
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