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Gerry Dulac, a Pittsburgh Steelers insider and beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, has been asked on numerous occasions during his Steelers Q&A chat periods about the Steelers potentially finding Maurkice Pouncey’s replacement via free agency.
Almost since the minute Pouncey retired, Dulac has been under the impression the Steelers will attempt to do just that. He previously stated both Corey Linsley and David Andrews should be the top targets, but the former became the league’s top paid center. The ladder, however, is still on the open market.
After weighing offers from the #Patriots all day, center David Andrews is going to free agency, source said. He’ll now look at offers from the rest of the league.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2021
In Dulac’s March 17th chat, he was asked by one commenter whether the Steelers are still in the market for a center, or if B.J. Finney should be penciled in as the 2021 starter. Dulac replied with this:
“I have stated many times that [finding a center in Free Agency] still is their desire. And I don't think they brought in Finney with the idea he will be their starter.”
When we see this from Dulac, and we apply it to the open market at the time of this article being written, the top centers available are:
David Andrews
Austin Reiter
Nick Martin
On paper, the first two names will command a price amount outside the Steelers’ range, unless they are unwilling to cut or restructure more players/contracts. Martin however, has been on the market for a long time now since his release from the Texans.
Some of you may point to the draft as a spot for the Steelers to add a center. However, unless they are willing to take someone with their 24th overall pick, the Steelers will not be selecting someone who's able to start on day one.
Dulac’s question period also named former Steelers tight end, Jesse James as a likely candidate to be brought back to the club. He would also add the Steelers should add a running back with their first round pick on this year’s draft — much to the chagrin of this writer and many other fans.
But what do you think? Will the Steelers be able to land a starting center in free agency? Who might it be? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below.
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