The Steelers have some work ahead of them to improve on the 9-8 finish in 2022 and take the next step toward competing for the playoffs.
This should be the Steelers' offseason plan on the defensive side of the ball. And frankly, unlike the plan on offense, this one is going to be much more difficult to pull off. It'll also be more expensive from a salary cap standpoint.
Let’s start with the team’s impending free agents. Here is that list of the ones in order of who matters most: Cam Sutton, Larry Ogunjobi, Terrell Edmunds, Damontae Kazee, Robert Spillane, Chris Wormley, Malik Reed, Devin Bush, Tyson Alualu, Marcus Allen and Karl Joseph.
James Pierre is a restricted free agent. Bringing Pierre back is very important. He played well this year. Ideally, he is the Steelers' fourth cornerback. Pierre would be very valuable depth as well as bringing a lot of special teams value. It will be very interesting to see how the Steelers tender Pierre but expect him to be back in the mix next year without costing all that much. And that is a very good thing. Cornerbacks don’t grow on trees.
Jamir Jones is an exclusive rights free agent. He certainly should be back to compete for the fourth outside linebacker job as well as being a major special teams contributor. Jones has been a nice find.
Let’s go position by position, from the big guys to the cornerbacks, and devise a plan for the Steelers' defense this offseason. Once again, there are a lot of moving parts here and it won’t be easy to pull it off exactly as described below.
Also, none of the free agents from outside the organization will be discussed today. Those options will come in the coming weeks though -- promise.
The Steelers typically keep six true defensive linemen, but that could go up to seven. Cam Heyward of course leads this group and is coming off another outstanding season. But Heyward turns 34 years old in May. Asking Heyward to contribute over 800 snaps again, as he did this year, might be a little risky. But that will probably be exactly what is asked of Heyward.
Last year’s third round pick, DeMarvin Leal, will also return, hopefully in an expanded role. He should triple the 175 snaps he played as a rookie. Montravius Adams is penciled in currently as the starting nose tackle and is signed for another year. Ideally, Adams would give way to a more playmaking nose that isn’t currently with the team. As for Isaiahh Loudermilk, next training camp will be put up or shut up time for him as he enters his third season.
That leaves room for two or three additions to this current group. Wormley would make sense in the same role he has had since the Steelers traded for him, but he isn’t a top priority and is unlikely to get scooped up real early in the free agency process. But signing him soon at a nice price could also alleviate the needs here with a known commodity without preventing the Steelers from upgrading. The other free agent here, Alualu, looks to have hit the end of a strong career and shouldn’t consider being retained.
As for Ogunjobi, he is a tough one. Ogunjobi won’t be cheap. The Steelers got a bit of a discount on him last year late in the process because of Ogunjobi’s injury situation. He is a high-quality player and certainly would have another large role next to Heyward. But what if the Steelers could upgrade here? There are a few really exciting -- and very expensive -- interior defensive linemen hitting the market this year. Do you lock up Ogunjobi or dip your toe in that rough water? Probably bringing back Ogunjobi makes the most sense.
Do the Steelers need to draft a defensive lineman high? “Need” might be a little strong but finding a talented young nose tackle that can push the pocket as a pass-rusher or finding what could turn into Heyward’s replacement should be very high on the wish list come draft time.
How about at outside linebacker? There is nothing more to say about T.J. Watt other than durability is a concern, the team is much different without him and his contract sets up to restructure, if need be, to free up more cap space. Some of that cap space should go to Alex Highsmith, who needs to be extended at some point before opening day. That could happen very soon or wait until the dog days of training camp.
Jones should be back, and the Steelers should consider retaining Reed, but ideally, an upgrade over Reed should be a priority. Reed did play just under 400 snaps in a Steelers uniform. Obviously, the Melvin Ingram experiment didn’t work out, but finding a veteran edge rusher that has had a lot of success in the league but is ideally now suited for more of a spot duty role isn’t something that is difficult to accomplish. The Steelers also could consider this position in the middle of the draft.
This is a compilation of Highsmith’s highlights halfway through the season, the majority of which doesn’t include Watt demanding massive amounts of attention on the other side of the formation. It is clear that Highsmith has arrived on his own and needs to be locked up.
Off the ball linebacker is the weakest area of this team right now. The Steelers could easily get out of Myles Jack’s contract. That could make some sense, as trusting Jack from a playmaking and health standpoint is difficult right now. But having Jack in the mix either on his current deal or on a restructure also isn’t a terrible idea. Bush is as good as gone. Spillane is a favorite of the coaching staff, but really, the Steelers absolutely need to do better. If Spillane is reduced to a special teamer and third linebacker or place holder as Mark Robinson develops, fine. But looking at Spillane as more than that is nuts.
That leaves a gaping hole, and maybe two, on the second level of the defense. This is the spot, more than any other, that the Steelers need to go out in free agency and spend some money. There are a lot of good options in this regard, and as shown here, recent history shows that highly-drafted linebackers (like Bush), very often take a long time to acclimate to the NFL. The Steelers need a much quicker upgrade. They can’t wait for development.
They also could wait until free agency calms down and find a second linebacker that has been around a while, understands the league, has played a lot of meaningful snaps and could be adequate next year in addition to spending big money on a true top linebacker. Finding such a cheap vet is very easy to do at this position late in the free agency process. It is also time to move on from Allen.
Safety is an interesting situation for the Steelers. Minkah Fitzpatrick is quite possibly the best safety in football and is coming off a tremendous season. The Steelers could also restructure his contract to free up space. In a perfect world, bringing back both Edmunds and Kazee would be ideal. But that makes the safety position very expensive for this organization.
Is it wise to invest that much at this position? Probably, because the trio of Fitzpatrick, Edmunds, and Kazee gives the Steelers three players in their prime with very different skill sets. The usage of three safeties on the field together is something the Steelers should absolutely stick with and having both Edmunds and especially Kazee really frees up Fitzpatrick to use his immense variety of skills to impact games week to week.
If Edmunds or Kazee were to leave, a replacement is needed. That could come in the form of a free agent outside the organization or more likely, say a third-round pick, that wouldn’t tie up as much cap space. Miles Killebrew will also return as a core special teamer and Tre Norwood returns but shouldn’t guaranteed a roster spot. There probably is no reason to invest in Karl Joseph again but having him in training camp certainly wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Cornerback is tricky too. Pierre’s situation was already addressed, but you will see why getting that done is very important. The Steelers can easily get out of the Levi Wallace, Ahkello Witherspoon and William Jackson III contracts and Sutton’s contract is up. The most prudent move would be to keep Wallace at his current cost and move on from Witherspoon, who only played 248 snaps this season, as well as Jackson to gain more salary cap space. The Steelers could then go to either player, but most likely Jackson, and see if a new deal could be worked out that was more team friendly. Arthur Maulet is a tough guy in the slot but is a limited coverage player. He is under contract for another season and could be in the mix again.
Proven cornerbacks like Sutton demand big money. The Steelers should give it to him. He isn’t a No. 1 cornerback, but is a quality No. 2 that also has great value in the slot and as a team leader with a great mental aptitude for the game. Only Highsmith and Fitzpatrick played more defensive snaps this past year than Sutton. But that isn’t enough here.
Finding a potential number one cornerback in the draft, quite possibly in the first round, could very much be in play for the Steelers and would have a massive positive ripple effect to not only this entire position group but to the entire defense. How it sets up now in January, the middle of the first round looks like a sweet spot for cornerback prospects (those names to come later) and overall, there looks to be plenty of cornerbacks in the mix in the top 50 of the draft overall, an area in which the Steelers have three selections.
Sutton is a very good coverage player on the perimeter or from the slot. But, he also can play the run and is excellent in recognition in both phases. Here is a great example on fourth down displaying Sutton’s read and reaction skills, which likely stemmed from his preparation during the week leading up to this game.
This defensive offseason plan is a lot to pull off. There is no doubt about that. But, it also isn’t far-fetched or impossible.
