Pittsburgh Steelers re-sign safety Will Allen

Steelers re-sign safety Will Allen only hours after Polamalu retires.

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) April 10, 2015

On the heals of Troy Polamalu's retirement, the Pittsburgh Steelers have bolstered their depth at the safety position by re-signing safety Will Allen. The veteran safety out of Ohio State has been a great insurance policy for the team for years, despite spending part the 2013 season with the Dallas Cowboys.

In 2014, Allen played in all 16 games, starting 4 and had a combined 36 tackles with one forced fumble. Allen has only played sparingly in his time with the Steelers, but his re-signing makes for an interesting dynamic among the safeties currently on the roster.

When Polamalu was injured in 2014, the team turned to Allen over younger and less experienced Shamarko Thomas. Now with Polamalu out of the picture, it is assumed the team will hand over the reigns to Thomas, but one has to wonder if there won't be an open competition for the vacated safety position alongside Mike Mitchell next season.

Either way, this is a smart move by the Steelers bringing in the knowledgeable veteran as an insurance policy at the very least.