Pittsburgh Steelers: Addressing Offseason Free Agent Rumors

Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers went on a free-agent spending spree; well, by their standards, they did.

Pittsburgh brought back Antwaan Randle El and Larry Foote and signed Will Allen, Arnaz Battle, Jonathan Scott and Flozell Adams.

The Steelers also re-acquired Byron Leftwich and Bryant McFadden via trades. Flozell Adams was then signed late in the offseason.

Was it a change in organizational philosophy? No, the Steelers were simply adding depth and bolstering their special teams unit.

Recent rumors would have you thinking that Pittsburgh plans to make a big splash with some aging veterans.

Pittsburgh has been connected to running backs Tiki Barber, Reggie Bush and Willie Parker, as well as wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

The latter two would join the parade of former Steelers returning to Pittsburgh. But is it realistic, or practical, for Parker and Burress to return? For Barber or Bush to sign?

Logic says no, but could some of these options actually benefit the Steelers?

The Rumor: Reggie Bush

According to a story by Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports, the Pittsburgh Steelers are candidate to sign Reggie Bush with the goal of adding speed to their offense.

It became clear earlier this year that Bush was on his way out of New Orleans after the Saints gave him permission to speak with other teams.

Pittsburgh may be in need of another running back with Mewelde Moore’s free-agent status. That leaves Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman as the Steelers top two backs still, but they would lack a third down option.

Jonathan Dwyer, who will be entering his second season, remains a mystery.

Bush could fill the third down back role in Pittsburgh.

Will the Steelers Sign Bush?

Bush is scheduled to make $11.8 million next season and even with a new contract, he still expects to sign a deal more expensive that the Steelers would, or should, be willing to offer.

Though Bush would give the Steelers a unique talent who could play running back, wide receiver and returner, they already have a number of talented options at those positions and Bush expects to have a significant role in his new team.

Even with Bush’s strengths as a player, he would not be a good fit for the Steelers.

Mendenhall is a quality receiver out of the backfield and the Steelers rarely use him in that capacity. Pittsburgh also drafted two quick and speedy receivers last year in Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown.

Bush has also been injury prone, which has limited his role since being drafted.

Even though Bush is an exceptional talent who would add speed and the ability to make explosive plays to Pittsburgh’s offense, he doesn’t have a true fit.

The Steelers will not sign or even entertain signing Reggie Bush.

The Rumor: Tiki Barber

According to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, the Pittsburgh Steelers will sign Tiki Barber when free agency begins.

Barber has been away from the game for four seasons, but King cites Mike Tomlin’s connection to Tiki’s twin brother Ronde as the reason the Steelers would sign him.

Once again, with Mewelde Moore’s free-agent status, the Steelers will need a backup running back.

Mendenhall is entrenched as the starter and Redman has established himself as a viable backup with Dwyer as an unknown. However, all three are young backs and King says that the Steelers want a veteran backup if Moore is not re-signed.

Will the Steelers Sign Barber?

Pittsburgh may need a running back if Moore is not kept, but Barber is not the answer.

According to King’s sources Barber is interested in the Steelers, but also wants to play a lot. This does not fit the Steelers needs.

Any running back that the Steelers sign should be at best their third option to carry the ball. Mendenhall is poised to have a true breakout season and Redman has more than established himself as a viable backup.

But what if Barber took a more realistic view on what his role should be and accepted a reduced number of carries and Tomlin makes the push for the Steelers to sign him? Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t believe that it matters because the Rooneys have rejected players in the past.

According to Bouchette the Rooneys did not want to consider signing Michael Vick in 2009 and will not entertain signing Barber.

Moving past this, signing Barber is not practical. Pittsburgh can find an effective veteran who is not 36 years old and who has not been out of football for four years.

Barber will need to try his luck elsewhere.

The Rumor: Willie Parker

“Re-sign 39.”

That is the rallying cry on Willie Parker’s Twitter and Facebook page.

Can a player really start their own rumor? Apparently so, though there has been no word from the Steelers of any interest.

In an interview with KDKA Parker had a lot to say about his time with the Steelers and the decisions he made.

“When you’re going somewhere thinking the grass is greener on the other side,” Parker said, “and when you finally get there and you realize you left for the wrong reasons, it sucks.”

Parker signed with the Washington Redskins following the 2009 season in which he lost his starting job to Mendenhall. He declined an offer to remain in Pittsburgh.

“I didn’t burn any bridges,” Parker said, “but at the end it was kind of my decision.”

Parker quickly realized that the Washington organization was nothing like the first-class organization that Pittsburgh is. He was released in the final cuts before the season.

With a year out of the NFL, Parker has had the chance to get health and back into shape and after checking out some of his videos on his Facebook, Parker admittedly looks to be in good shape.

Why has Parker worked so hard?

“The bottom line,” he said, “I want to be back in Pittsburgh. The Black and Gold—I know the situation. Rashard’s the starter back or whatever, but I know what I can do.”

Will the Steelers Re-Sign 39?

After three injury-plagued seasons to finish his Steelers career, including a broken lead, knee and toe injuries, Parker has worked himself back into and apparently has regained the speed that made him “Fast” Willie Parker.

The problem is that the Steelers do not have the need for a starting running back; they already have one in Mendenhall and a capable backup with Redman.

Parker could become an option if the Steelers look to go four deep at running back and retain Moore or find another third down back in free agency.

Of the three running backs connected to Pittsburgh, Parker may be the best option. While he has been out of football for a year, he is only 30, which is older for a running back, but has had time to heal his injuries. He will also come at a very low cost and knows the system. He also has a chip on his shoulder and will be out to prove people wrong.

While Parker has a lot going for him, do not expect him to join the list of former Steelers returning to Pittsburgh. Nothing against Parker, his hard work or his campaign, but he is just not what the Steelers need.

Unless Pittsburgh has plans to carry more running backs, Parker will not be back in Pittsburgh.

The Rumor: Plaxico Burress

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers coaches would be interested in Plaxico Burress if the price was right.

The addition of Burress would mean that Antwaan Randle El would be released according to Dulac.

One person who would be happy if this happened is Ben Roethlisberger.

“I’ve talked to Plax a number of times in the last couple of weeks. I told him, ‘Hey if you came back here that would be awesome, but I’m just happy to see you playing again,’ because he’s a good guy,” Roethlisberger told the Tribune Review.

Bruce Arians doesn’t have an issue with Burress either.

"I couldn't say one negative thing about him," Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians told the Post-Gazette of Burress in '09. "He was a quality kid. He never gave me anything but great effort on the field and in the classroom ...”

With the coaches and quarterback on board, as well as the report from Dulac, there may be some substance to this rumor.

Will the Steelers Sign Burress?

Pittsburgh is pretty deep at wide receiver right now.

Mike Wallace is the top deep threat in the AFC and maybe the NFL and Hines Ward is still as dependable as they come, though he is a year older. Antwaan Randle El provides a veteran presence as the No. 3 or 4 receiver.

Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown are two intriguing second-year players who have earned more playing time.

Sanders could start on the outside with his superior speed, hands and route running ability. Brown is a nice fit in the slot, though he has showed the ability to make big plays.

Are the Steelers willing to sacrifice playing time for their two young receivers as well as a part ways with Randle El? They just may be.

Burress, who has not played since 2008, has been known as a lazy, underachieving receiver who had problems with Tom Coughlin in New York, but could be a more mature, focused man after spending time in prison.

By all accounts, Burress was not a major problem in Pittsburgh, though, and was a good teammate. He had a good relationship with Bill Cowher and great chemistry with Roethlisberger.

Burress only caught 35 balls in 11 regular season games during Roethlisberger’s rookie season but had an impressive 19.9 yards per reception.

Since Burress left, Roethlisberger has desired a tall receiver and Pittsburgh has never fulfilled that request, though they did try in 2008 with Limas Sweed.

Though Burress has not played in a couple of years he is still 6’5”. He never depended on his speed to get deep so he should, even at 34 years old, be a threat.

If defenses have to shift some of their focus on defending Burress, space should open up for Wallace, Ward, Sanders and Heath Miller.

Signing Burress would impede the development of the Steelers younger receivers but his presence would also make the Steelers offense better right now.

At the right price, Burress could return to Pittsburgh. However, some team will pay more than what the Steelers are willing to pay.

Though he is the best option, Burress is unlikely to land back in Pittsburgh. Plus, I do not think that the Rooney’s want to sign a convicted felon at this point.

Overview

A few things can be taken from these rumors. First, the NFL needs to work out a deal with the players. With nothing to talk about, rumors start to float, some more outlandish than others.

The idea that the Steelers would even consider signing Barber or Bush would qualify as outlandish. Given the history of the Steelers it is hard to believe that anyone would even report these rumors. If they are true, I would be stunned.

Parker’s effort to return to Pittsburgh is impressive and he is drumming up a lot of interest with a certain group of Steelers fans, but most know that that time has passed and that the Steelers will need to go in a different direction.

Burress is the most intriguing free agent and the one that could help them the most. Pittsburgh could use another starting caliber receiver (yes, in time I think Burress could start—at least for a season or two after he gets in game shape).

However, they need this receiver to take over after Ward retires or slows down to the point where he is no longer an option (he does plan on playing another two to three seasons).

What stands out with these rumors is that there are none discussing re-signing any of their own free agents and not one of these players fills the Steelers biggest need at cornerback.

With that stated and for the sake of discussion, rank the four rumored free agents in the comments section in the order that you would like to see them in a Steelers uniform.

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