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The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be a team content with there roster heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. Aside from bringing in Karl Joseph for a free agent visit, this before he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, the team has not been tied to any other free agents. There could be a number of reasons as to why they are not dipping into the market. But, for an organization that continues to push money into the future, they definitely look like an organization all in on 2021.
The Steelers have about a half dozen starting spots up for grabs, as well as multiple primary backup positions. Even if the Steelers nail the draft they would be reliant on a number of career backups to take on more responsibility. If we have learned anything from the last number of Super Bowl champions, it’s that those teams don’t have glaring holes and are deep at virtually every position. The Steelers would not be that if they neglect to sign anybody else.
The free agent pool is still littered with a plethora of talent. As the weeks go by, that talent loses more and more value. We are approaching a point where those players may be willing to take short term, and cheap, deals just to have a roster spot in 2021. From positional needs like Austin Reiter to players the Steelers had prior interest options remain a good thing.
Bottom line is this, there are players available that will improve the Steelers’ roster immediately. In any other year this talent would be in no way affordable for the Steelers, but with the salary cap dropping they should be able to steal a few players looking to cash in on a one year deal before hitting the market again in 2022.
Once the draft is over, so will the unrestricted free agency period. Meaning the remaining free agents become street free agents and can be signed without affecting the compensatory formula. The team won't be risking losing any of the compensatory selections they’re already due at this point. The team likely values those future picks, especially since the rule was changed and allowed these compensatory picks to be tradeable assets. With this period out of the way, they can round out their roster without affecting the future.
According to Over The Cap, the Steelers currently sit $10.4 million under the cap. With moves like restructuring Stephon Tuitt and Chris Boswell, and working an extension for Joe Haden and David DeCastro, they can free up an additional $15.9 million. If the Steelers had $26 million in cap space they could sign a number of free agents as well as have plenty of money for the draft class and in-season spending. If the Steelers want to win one more Super Bowl in the Ben Roethlisberger era, I see no reason why these moves wouldn't be made.
But what do you think? Should the Steelers sign players after the 2021 NFL Draft? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below.
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