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2023 Pittsburgh Steelers. Banged up team loses to Buffalo. Looking ahead to 2024 now (6 Viewers)

So now with about $11-12MM in cap space, what are some realistic targets out there?  I know they need money for draft picks and like to set aside money for in-season injuries as well.  

 
So now with about $11-12MM in cap space, what are some realistic targets out there?  I know they need money for draft picks and like to set aside money for in-season injuries as well.  
I'm sure many will disagree, but I'd love to see Fournette signed with a similar contract as Carson.  It would allow us to fill a hole and leave more flexibility in the draft.

 
They re-signed Marsh instead of Ola.  I really hate that move.  When Highsmith was hurt, the D looked terrible with Marsh in -- but better with Ola on his limited snaps.  Not sure why Ola fell out of favor.

 
Leeroy Jenkins said:
So now with about $11-12MM in cap space, what are some realistic targets out there?  I know they need money for draft picks and like to set aside money for in-season injuries as well.  
don't know how realistic any of them are, but it appears these guys are available:

CB: Richard Sherman(32), Casey Heyward(31). Malcolm Butler(31), Brian Poole(28), Bashaud Breeland(29)

NT: Geno Atkins(32), Jurrell Casey(31)

Edge: Melvin Ingram(31), Justin Huston(32)

OT: Russell Okung(32)

TE: Jesse James(26)

RB: Duke Johnson(27), Matt Breida(26), James Connor(25)

i had been despairing, but maybe we can get a bargain or two.

 
You MIGHT be able to get lucky on a guy who is coming of an injury on a "prove it" deal (like, say, Casey), but even the older guys who can still play on your list are likely to expect to get paid more than Pittsburgh will be willing to accommodate.  Then you have to worry about schemes, which eliminate some of those names too (e.g. don't know that Sherman would work in Pittsburgh's D, etc.)

Of the guys on that list, there are three I like a lot better than the rest:

- Pre-injury Casey was borderline fantastic as far as getting QB pressures from the interior, and was an SOB vs the run for a pretty good while too.  Not sure what he might have left at 31 coming off a shredded bicep, but at least it's not a knee/hip.  If there's any way his value gets kicked in the #### to where he has to settle on a one year "prove it" type thing, the Steelers should sprint to the phone.  I expect he'll garner too much interest for them to be able to be a real player though.

- Brian Poole is an excellent slot CB, and might be able to be had at a reasonable price, if they are willing to go multi-year. He's been doing one-off contracts with the Jets for what feels like a while now. Can't imagine he wouldn't be at least intrigued if he could get something a little more secure.

- I like Duke Johnson a lot, but then I am probably in the minority there, since I think he's been misused for much of his pro career to this point.  He's a great receiver, but he can do more.  How much?  Dunno.  Maybe just a little....but maybe a lot. Wish someone would give him a shot to see if he could.

 
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You MIGHT be able to get lucky on a guy who is coming of an injury on a "prove it" deal (like, say, Casey), but even the older guys who can still play on your list are likely to expect to get paid more than Pittsburgh will be willing to accommodate.  Then you have to worry about schemes, which eliminate some of those names too (e.g. don't know that Sherman would work in Pittsburgh's D, etc.)

Of the guys on that list, there are three I like a lot better than the rest:

- Pre-injury Casey was borderline fantastic as far as getting QB pressures from the interior, and was an SOB vs the run for a pretty good while too.  Not sure what he might have left at 31 coming off a shredded bicep, but at least it's not a knee/hip.  If there's any way his value gets kicked in the #### to where he has to settle on a one year "prove it" type thing, the Steelers should sprint to the phone.  I expect he'll garner too much interest for them to be able to be a real player though.

- Brian Poole is an excellent slot CB, and might be able to be had at a reasonable price, if they are willing to go multi-year. He's been doing one-off contracts with the Jets for what feels like a while now. Can't imagine he wouldn't be at least intrigued if he could get something a little more secure.

- I like Duke Johnson a lot, but then I am probably in the minority there, since I think he's been misused for much of his pro career to this point.  He's a great receiver, but he can do more.  How much?  Dunno.  Maybe just a little....but maybe a lot. Wish someone would give him a shot to see if he could.
I like Poole in the slot. He's been consistent there, but I wouldn't sign him for the 5 mil he was just making with the Jets. Wait him out, and try for less. They could also look into Gareon Conley on the cheap for a prove it deal. Injuries have destroyed two of his seasons, but this kid has flashed in coverage when healthy.  

 
Still Curtain had a good "slide show" for who the Steelers should target in the round two of free agency.  I want them all except the OLB.

Gareon Conley - CB

Jesse James - TE

Avery Williamson - ILB (resign)

Geno Atkins - DT

We have about $8M in "useable" cap space right now.  Assume we can create more with a restructure of Tuiit and extension of Watt.  Other moves available?

 
Was this already posted?

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/bud-dupree-thank-you-pittsburgh-steelers-nfl-football?fbclid=IwAR3vuN30iWYc6-6eST8GOpQqBDjT41oFyPWpIvrVcUbP1vB4o80v-YiWC0A
 

He did NOT want to leave. But got so much money that he had to.

What LB that left the Steelers ever lived up to his hype or performed at same level other than Kevin Greene?  Porter? Gildon? Chad Brown? Woodley? Harrison? Kirkland? Nickerson?  None of them did iirc
What a great thing to do.  Bud is a good dude and I wish him success in Tennessee (except when playing the Steelers) and wherever his life takes him.   

 
Was this already posted?

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/bud-dupree-thank-you-pittsburgh-steelers-nfl-football?fbclid=IwAR3vuN30iWYc6-6eST8GOpQqBDjT41oFyPWpIvrVcUbP1vB4o80v-YiWC0A
 

He did NOT want to leave. But got so much money that he had to.

What LB that left the Steelers ever lived up to his hype or performed at same level other than Kevin Greene?  Porter? Gildon? Chad Brown? Woodley? Harrison? Kirkland? Nickerson?  None of them did iirc
I believe it. How could you turn it down really? Steelers couldn't have offered anything close to this.

 
Was this already posted?

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/bud-dupree-thank-you-pittsburgh-steelers-nfl-football?fbclid=IwAR3vuN30iWYc6-6eST8GOpQqBDjT41oFyPWpIvrVcUbP1vB4o80v-YiWC0A
 

He did NOT want to leave. But got so much money that he had to.

What LB that left the Steelers ever lived up to his hype or performed at same level other than Kevin Greene?  Porter? Gildon? Chad Brown? Woodley? Harrison? Kirkland? Nickerson?  None of them did iirc
Nickerson was actually pretty bananas for Tampa.  Made the "all decade" team for the 90's, etc.  He was good in Pitt. He was great in Tampa's 4-3 behind Sapp/et al.  Hell, his last two injury free years as an old man "mercenary" were pretty good too.

All the others? You can probably make that argument. Nickerson was better after he left Pittsburgh though.

 
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Was this already posted?

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/bud-dupree-thank-you-pittsburgh-steelers-nfl-football?fbclid=IwAR3vuN30iWYc6-6eST8GOpQqBDjT41oFyPWpIvrVcUbP1vB4o80v-YiWC0A
 

He did NOT want to leave. But got so much money that he had to.

What LB that left the Steelers ever lived up to his hype or performed at same level other than Kevin Greene?  Porter? Gildon? Chad Brown? Woodley? Harrison? Kirkland? Nickerson?  None of them did iirc
This is fantastic. Class act.

 
Takes dline off the draft board really. 
Maybe early, but Alualu IS 33.  I can't say they wouldn't necessarily go looking for DT anyway, if the right guy was sitting there for them at some point.   Re-signing him lets them be able to not feel like they HAVE to take one though, which is a plus for sure.

Really good to see him back though.  Their run D would have missed him.

 
Maybe early, but Alualu IS 33.  I can't say they wouldn't necessarily go looking for DT anyway, if the right guy was sitting there for them at some point.   Re-signing him lets them be able to not feel like they HAVE to take one though, which is a plus for sure.

Really good to see him back though.  Their run D would have missed him.
Maybe late. But we have the same DL rotation now. 
 

I think they are going LB or CB in the first based on their pro day visits. Especially if all 3 top rbs are still there. Then OL and RB in 2 and 3 depending on who is there. 
 

Seems like Villanueva may be back on the cheap. So a center in 2 or 3 and a rb. Then T later in the draft deeper at that position. Their fa signing gives them depth — and can draft a potential day 1 starter at center in 2/3 with Finney and Hauser as plan b. 

 
My understanding is that Coward is a FA and so would not involve a trade.  But my question is why do we want this guy?  He wasn't exactly a star with the Bears.

The consensus from Chicago fans is that he was the weakest link on a pretty bad offensive line.
No clue.  Just saw the reddit thing.

Sound to me like Villanueva is coming back.  Curious if they are still paying him close to some kind of market value.  This allows them to draft RB, LB, CB, and C in the first few rounds and wait on a tackle in a draft deeper at that position.

 
No clue.  Just saw the reddit thing.

Sound to me like Villanueva is coming back.  Curious if they are still paying him close to some kind of market value.  This allows them to draft RB, LB, CB, and C in the first few rounds and wait on a tackle in a draft deeper at that position.
Just curious what you're basing this on.   I haven't heard anything on Big Al

 
The longer he goes un-signed it just seems more likely.  Plus the big ben factor.  And also, he MAY have taken his house back off of the market in Pittsburgh,
I didn't hear that he pulled his house in Pittsburgh off the market.  That definitely could mean something.

I thought he had a pretty bad season last year but a lot of things went into that and really the entire line sucked.  I would be okay with him signing a reasonable short term deal.  That would eliminate another pressing need to fill going into the draft.

 
I didn't hear that he pulled his house in Pittsburgh off the market.  That definitely could mean something.

I thought he had a pretty bad season last year but a lot of things went into that and really the entire line sucked.  I would be okay with him signing a reasonable short term deal.  That would eliminate another pressing need to fill going into the draft.
Latest rumor now is that the house is under contract, but the Steelers are telling him not to sell just yet.  Who knows.

In other news, apparently Javonte Williams ran a 4.58.  Maybe that helps him drop to us in the 2nd.  Le'veon Bell ran a 4.60 back in the day.

 
Godsbrother said:
My understanding is that Coward is a FA and so would not involve a trade.  But my question is why do we want this guy?  He wasn't exactly a star with the Bears.

The consensus from Chicago fans is that he was the weakest link on a pretty bad offensive line.
You were right.  Non-tendered RFA.

Steelers just signed him.

And Jordan Berry.

 
Leeroy Jenkins said:
The longer he goes un-signed it just seems more likely.  Plus the big ben factor.  And also, he MAY have taken his house back off of the market in Pittsburgh,
Looks like Big Al found a buyer for his home:

Free agent left tackle Alejandro Villanueva has yet to make a decision on where he will play next season, but his real estate dealing could indicate he will not be returning to Pittsburgh.

The Athletic’s Ed Bouchette joined The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan Monday, and reported that Villanueva’s Pittsburgh home is up for sale, and Steelers Now was able to confirm that the property is under contract, but has not been officially sold yet.
https://steelersnow.com/steelers-free-agent-ot-alejandro-villanuevas-pittsburgh-home-under-contract/

 
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I thought I heard something yesterday that he had his house up for sale but then the Steelers asked him to take it down and he did. The posts above show I'm incorrect.

 
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What do these signings mean for our Comp Picks? Did we cancel out a 3rd rounder to sign Ballage or Coward? If so, the FO is being idiotic...

Hopefully contracts of a sufficiently small amount don't cancel. 

From Overthecap:

Cancel Out CFAs Lost With CFAs Gained For Each Team

Once each team’s list of CFAs lost and gained are determined and valued, one-to-one cancellations are applied.  Cancellations work as follows, as stated in App. V, §3(a):

  1. A CFA gained by a team cancels out the highest-valued available CFA lost that has the same round valuation of the CFA gained.
  2. If there is no available CFA lost in the same round as the CFA gained, the CFA gained will instead cancel out the highest-available CFA lost with a lower round value.
  3. A CFA gained will only cancel out a CFA lost with a higher draft order if there are no other CFAs lost available to cancel out.
Any team that has more CFAs lost than CFAs gained will then be eligible for compensatory picks for the CFAs lost that were not cancelled out by CFAs gained.
We've lost 4 (Dupree, Hilton, Ola, and Feiler, and signed Killebrew, Haeg, Coward, Ballage. I think that if they don't make the team, and we cut 1 or more of them, we can still get picks back. But if we stand pat and lose at least a 3rd and 5th for Dupree and Hilton, that's ridiculous. Maybe they're hoping more steelers sign elsewhere, like Big Al, James Conner, and Avery Williamson. 

 
Seeing which days Tomlin and Colbert attended is telling.  

https://steelersdepot.com/2021/03/2021-steelers-pro-day-tracker/
Yes and no, historically the biggest sign was who they took to dinner. That was almost 50/50 whether they would pick them or not, but I highly doubt they're allowed to do that with prospects now. 

I think a few years ago the team took 0 players from schools that Colbert/Tomlin visited, but then in other years the number is a lot higher. 

Another sign used to be how many times they interacted, that was about 20-30% if they would take that player and the player was still available. Some players they met with at Combine, and pro-day, and official visit. 

Right now I'm thinking the FO likes the OLB from Georgia, Azeez, and Rodgers from Clemson. 

 
What do these signings mean for our Comp Picks? Did we cancel out a 3rd rounder to sign Ballage or Coward? If so, the FO is being idiotic...

Hopefully contracts of a sufficiently small amount don't cancel. 

From Overthecap:

We've lost 4 (Dupree, Hilton, Ola, and Feiler, and signed Killebrew, Haeg, Coward, Ballage. I think that if they don't make the team, and we cut 1 or more of them, we can still get picks back. But if we stand pat and lose at least a 3rd and 5th for Dupree and Hilton, that's ridiculous. Maybe they're hoping more steelers sign elsewhere, like Big Al, James Conner, and Avery Williamson. 
If that is the case, that is crazy dumb.  And anyone signed after the draft doesn't count towards/against the comp picks.

 
not all player signings count as a CFA (Compensatory Free Agent)

[A] Compensatory Free Agent (“CFA”) shall be defined as an Unrestricted Free Agent (“UFA”) who: (i) signed with a new Club during the prior free agency signing period […] prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Monday following the NFL Draft for that League Year1 […]; and (ii) ranked within the top 35%2 of all League players […]. Clubs that lose to other Clubs a greater number of CFAs than they sign or acquire from other Clubs shall be eligible to receive a Compensatory Draft Selection in the College Draft to be held in the following League Year subject to the provisions set forth below.

https://overthecap.com/the-basics-and-methodology-of-projecting-the-nfls-compensatory-draft-picks/

 
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not all player signings count as a CFA (Compensatory Free Agent)

[A] Compensatory Free Agent (“CFA”) shall be defined as an Unrestricted Free Agent (“UFA”) who: (i) signed with a new Club during the prior free agency signing period […] prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Monday following the NFL Draft for that League Year1 […]; and (ii) ranked within the top 35%2 of all League players […]. Clubs that lose to other Clubs a greater number of CFAs than they sign or acquire from other Clubs shall be eligible to receive a Compensatory Draft Selection in the College Draft to be held in the following League Year subject to the provisions set forth below.

https://overthecap.com/the-basics-and-methodology-of-projecting-the-nfls-compensatory-draft-picks/
If that is the case I don't think there are any concerns with Coward or Ballage

 
If that is the case I don't think there are any concerns with Coward or Ballage
Agree. Based on a cursory look at 2021, it seems like a player had to have an average salary of at least $2 million to be a "CFA". I think Joe Haeg is the only signing the Steelers have so far that would qualify. So they lost Dupree, Hilton, Feiler, and signed Haeg. Looks like Haeg and Hilton will cancel out. Based on OTC, looks like right now they would get a 3rd and a 5th. 

If Villanueva and Williamson sign with another team for enough money it could impact that.

 
My Mock Draft:

24.  Najee Harris - RB, Alabama

55.  Jackson Carman - T, Clemson

87.  Jamin Davis - ILB, Kentucky

128.  Trey Hill - C, Georgia

140.  Jamien Sherwood - S, Auburn

216.  Malcolm Koonce - Edge, Buffalo

245.  Joshuah Bledsoe - CB/S, Missouri

254,  Pro Wells - TE, TCU

 
Just because I am bored, My Tackle First Mock Draft:

24. Christian Darrisaw, T, VT

55.  Javonte Williams - RB, UNC

87.  Jamin Davis - ILB, Kentucky

128.  Trey Hill - C, Georgia

140.  Benjamin St.-Juste - CB, Minnesota

216.  Janarius Robinson - Edge, FSU

245.  Tony Poljan - TE, Virginia

254.  Greg Eisworth- S, Iowa State

 
Alternatively and maybe more likely, they go Collins in the first. Then LT and C in 2 and 3 depending on availability. Hubbard or Sermon in 4th and then bpa at edge, s, cb, and te the rest of the way. Maybe a wr but I think we have enough there this season already. 

 
Sorry to clog the thread with my mocks.  Just interesting to see how these play out.  This is what I get if I go Collins in the first.  I know I am repeating some guys a lot.  Missed on TEs here.

24. Zaven Collins - ILB, Tulsa

55.  Liam Eichenberg - T, Notre Dame

87.  Chuba Hubbard - RB, OK State

128.  Trey Hill - C, Georgia

140.  Benjamin St.-Juste - CB, Minnesota

216.  Malcolm Koonce - Edge, Buffalo

245.  Greg Eisworth- S, Iowa State

254. Shemar Jean-Charles - CB, Appalachian State

 
Sorry to clog the thread with my mocks.  Just interesting to see how these play out.  This is what I get if I go Collins in the first.  I know I am repeating some guys a lot.  Missed on TEs here.

24. Zaven Collins - ILB, Tulsa

55.  Liam Eichenberg - T, Notre Dame

87.  Chuba Hubbard - RB, OK State

128.  Trey Hill - C, Georgia

140.  Benjamin St.-Juste - CB, Minnesota

216.  Malcolm Koonce - Edge, Buffalo

245.  Greg Eisworth- S, Iowa State

254. Shemar Jean-Charles - CB, Appalachian State
I like looking at other’s mocks and have done several myself.... not much else to do football-wise at this time.

 

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