Big Steelers takeaways from the first 3 days of free agency
The first big rush of free agency is in the books for the NFL and as usual, the news for the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t terribly exciting. The Steelers spent most of their energy working on the salary cap and so signing players wasn’t a top priority. Here are our big takeaways from free agency so far from a Steelers point of view.
No contract for JuJu
(AP Photo/Justin Berl)
I'm not at all shocked that JuJu Smith-Schuster isn't signed anywhere yet. While talented, the numbers might suggest Smith-Schuster has a higher market value than how other teams might perceive him. This could bode well for the Steelers if Smith-Schuster doesn't find anything he likes and instead wants to return to Pittsburgh.
The offensive line going young
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Matt Feiler is gone, Maurkice Pouncey is gone and Alejandro Villanueva remains unsigned. The youth movement at the offensive line is upon us, especially after Zach Banner was re-signed.
Not the time to panic
(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
It would be easy to look at the holes on the current roster and think the sky is falling. But Pittsburgh's front office has done this before. Slow and steady wins the race is their philosophy. We might not see the plan yet, but we will.
Losing Vince Williams hurts
Of all the comings and goings of the Steelers so far, the one that hurts is the release of linebacker Vince Williams. Williams is a starter and tremendous contributor. This puts guys like Robert Spillane and Marcus Allen in the spotlight to replace him and I don't see any way those guys can give the Steelers defense what Williams did.
Draft needs coming into focus
(Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini)
Given the Steelers lack of activity so far in free agency, the NFL draft needs of the team become much more clear. The team still needs a quality center, edge rusher to back up Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt and now an inside linebacker next to Devin Bush. This doesn't even include luxury picks of positions like running back and defensive tackle.
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