The Pittsburgh Steelers were very active throughout the 2023 free agency period. The organization had multiple holes to fill on offense and defense, and Omar Khan and Andy Weidl aggressively brought in veterans to address those needs. Some, like Isaac Seumalo, worked out, while others, like Patrick Peterson, did not.
The hit-and-miss nature of importing current NFL players is a cruel reminder of why the Steelers have traditionally stayed away from free agency. Khan is demonstrating that he is willing to break with tradition in Pittsburgh, even if it gets him red-flagged by his contemporaries. He is playing by his own rules and embracing the reality of the NFL in 2024.
Khan has more work to do. The Steelers may be doing things differently, but it is not likely that he has the green light from Art Rooney II to target multiple top-of-the-market players. Here are five practical targets that fit the Steelers’ evolving philosophy and could make a big impact in 2024.
1.) Justin Simmons – Safety
Khan shifted the Steelers paradigm in 2023 to include older free agents. Justin Simmons is 30 years old and has been a Second-Team All-Pro safety for the Denver Broncos in four of the last five seasons. Simmons is at the pinnacle of the free agent safety market and will likely command a top-of-the-market deal.
Safeties do not decline as fast as cornerbacks, and Simmons could still have productive years left at the position. Khan and the Steelers could catch lightning in a bottle if they sign Simmons. It will cost them, but the top of the safety market is nowhere near as expensive as what the best cornerback or wide receiver would cost them.
2.) Chidobe Awuzie – Cornerback
The Steelers had great success when they brought in Cleveland Browns’ top cornerback Joe Haden after the Browns gave up on him. What is good for Cleveland is good for the Cincinnati Bengals. Chidobe Awuzie has played well as their number-one cornerback over the last three seasons. He provided his services to the Bengals for just over seven million dollars per season.
Pro Football Focus projects Awuzie to command an annual salary of $10 million, which is about half of what the top free agent is expected to get at the position. Jaylon Johnson will get on the open market and Awuzie is not a number one cornerback anymore, but the Steelers don’t need that with the emergence of Joey Porter Jr. Awuzie is familiar with the division and would be a high-end number two.
3.) Willie Gay Jr. – Inside Linebacker
The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense was much more responsible for their Super Bowl run in 2023 than any of their previous championship runs. The man in the middle of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense was Willie Gay Jr. and now, he’s a free agent. Gay does not do anything great, but he does everything well. CBS Sports ranked Gay as the eighth-best free agent available at linebacker, with a projected contract between four and seven million dollars.
Gay has played in three Super Bowls and is the steady presence the Steelers crave in the middle defense. Best of all, he is affordable. According to Brian Batko from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he also generated at least some interest from the Steelers prior to the 2020 NFL Draft.
4.) Jermaine Eluemenor – Right Tackle
The Steelers have been linked to every top tackle prospect in the upcoming NFL draft. It is an exceptionally deep draft, and the Steelers need a bookend right tackle to move 2023 first-rounder Broderick Jones back to the left side where he belongs. Jermaine Eluemenor is an intriguing fit with the Steelers.
He is an experienced swing tackle who had the best two years of his career in 2022 and 2023 as a right tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders. Eluemenor will not command top dollar, but he was graded as a top-25 tackle over the last two seasons with the Raiders. It could allow the Steelers to take a tackle on day 2 and allow him to develop behind a solid veteran.
5.) Darnell Mooney – Wide Receiver
The former Chicago Bears fifth-round pick is an enigma at wide receiver. He has one 1,000-yard receiving season in his four-year career. However, he was ranked in CBS Sports’ top 25 list of offensive free agents. The infatuation with Darnell Mooney is understandable.
He oozes potential and has toiled in relative obscurity as the Bears have become less and less interested in throwing the football over the last two seasons. Mooney’s arrival could sound the death knell on any lingering Justin Fields trade rumors. Mooney is an affordable option with spectacular upside in a very thin wide receiver free-agent market.
Steelers Free Agency Targets Could Provide Very Valuable Insight Into 2024 Draft Strategy
Concentrating on tackle, linebacker, and safety in free agency could allow the Steelers to select the top center prospect Jackson-Powers Johnson in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. It could also mean that during the first two days of April, they could concentrate on the defensive line and a suddenly empty cornerback room to add to Mike Tomlin’s roster options in 2024.
Then legal tampering begins on Monday. There has been rampant speculation about where the Steelers will go in free agency and who they will target. Some of those questions will start getting answered this week, and the Steeler’s strategy for the 2024 offseason will move from rumor to reality.
