A day after agreeing to a free agent deal with one former Bears high draft pick, the Steelers agreed to terms with another.
Interior offensive lineman James Daniels will be joining former teammate Mitch Trubisky in Pittsburgh.
They then added another former Trubisky teammate, this time from last season in Buffalo, agreeing to terms with cornerback Levi Wallace on a two-year deal.
The Steelers agreed to terms with Trubisky on Monday on a two-year, $14-million deal. Tuesday, they added Daniels on a three-year, $26.5-million deal that includes an $8.74-million signing bonus. He'll count just $4.16 million against the team's salary cap in 2022. That increases to $11.16 million in both 2023 and 2024.
Wallace got $8 million over two years.
Daniels, 24, will immediately become the team's starter at right guard. But he also has center capability, as well, and joins veteran Mason Cole, who also agreed to terms Monday, as key additions to the Steelers offensive line.
Daniels, a native of Warren, Ohio, was a second-round pick of the Bears in 2018 out of Iowa.
He has appeared in 54 career games, making 48 starts, a big number for a player who doesn't turn 25 until Sept. 13.
Daniels will help bolster a line that started two rookies, tackle Dan Moore and center Kendrick Green, in 2021.
He's considered a strong run blocker and gives the Steelers even more flexibility than they had in previous seasons. Daniels was exclusively a center at Iowa, shifting back and forth between guard and center while with the Bears.
The Steelers could choose to start him at center and allow Green and Cole to battle at guard. Or, they could put Daniels at guard and allow Green and Cole to compete at guard. In other words, they now have options.
Daniels was charged with protecting Trubisky, the Bears' first-round pick in 2017. Trubisky signed with the Bills last offseason as a free agent before joining the Steelers this week.
All outside free agent deals can officially be signed at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
With the signings of Daniels and Cole, and the re-signing of offensive tackle Chuks Okorafor Monday, the Steelers are likely done retooling their offensive line in free agency. They could, however, still add to that group in the NFL Draft at the end of April.
That offensive line picked up an assistant line coach on Tuesday, as well, as the Steelers announced the hiring of former North Carolina Central coach Isaac Williams to work under offensive line coach Pat Myers, who also was hired earlier this year.
Wallace, 26, a former undrafted rookie out of Alabama, started 52 games for the Bills over the last four seasons, recording six interceptions -- including two against the Steelers -- and 219 tackles. He also had 30 pass defenses.
Wallace was a former walk-on at Alabama, where he earned a scholarship before his junior season. He was a starter on the Crimson Tide's national championship team in 2018, but went undrafted after a slow time in the 40-yard dash at his pro day.
The Steelers had hoped to re-sign Ahkello Witherspoon and/or Joe Haden in free agency and were reportedly close to a deal with Witherspoon to return earlier this week. But those talks stalled and the Steelers pivoted to Wallace.
At 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Wallace has the size to compete on the outside opposite Cam Sutton. He also is reunited with former Alabama teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Steelers' starting free safety.
The Steelers entered the day with $20 million in available cap space before tomorrow's 4 p.m. deadline for all teams to be under the salary cap. That included the Okorafor signing and restricted free agent tender offers to Dwayne Haskins, Robert Spillane and Marcus Allen.
After signing defensive tackle Montravius Adams and then adding the deals for Trubisky, Cole, Wallace and Daniels to the equation tomorrow, the Steelers will likely need to add some cap space.
They could release offensive tackle Zach Banner at a savings of $5 million, while releasing linebacker Joe Schobert would clear an additional $7.92 million in cap space.
