While the Steelers did not make any draft moves to address inside linebacker, there's still some realistic possibilities of moves the team could make before their season opener against the Browns. Those moves still might not address inside linebacker as a position, but it could open up different opportunities to improve the roster.
However, nobody should feel the Steelers need to rush into any situation with the free agents now available, even with some big names on the market like NaVorro Bowman, Mychal Kendricks (who I expect to be signed soon), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Dez Bryant.
The point is the Steelers can still make a move with the approximate $5.7 million in cap space available for this season. That's enough money to sign a player that's waiting in the wings, and most of the players that are available now will still be available once training camp begins in August.
Other linebacker free agents the Steelers could consider include Gerald Hodges, Korey Toomer and even Lawrence Timmons — all as guys that can be an immediate backup to Vince Williams and Jon Bostic should the Steelers still not feel comfortable with Tyler Matakevich being in that role again.
But there are also a few outside linebackers the Steelers could consider as depth players to play behind T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree, along with Anthony Chickillo and presumably Keion Adams. Junior Gallette is a player desperate to be in the good graces of an NFL team after all his off the field problems, while older players like Willie Young, Connor Barwin and Ahmad Brooks are all options for cheap one-year deals that could be a quick filler on the depth chart to help the Steelers fill a need.
So why should the Steelers wait when there are options sitting out there? Because training camp always yields surprising opportunities.
There are always the surprise injuries in camp that hurt teams across the league and force them to consider trade options to fill roster spots they once thought were secure. On the other hand, there are also players that step up in training camp and become answers to problems that nobody could have predicted, like Mike Hilton did for the Steelers last year.
Already in OTAs, the Eagles have lost their new inside linebacker acquisition in Paul Worrilow and the Chargers lost Hunter Henry, the young star they hoped would flourish at tight end.
When injuries occur, teams that have decent stock in a certain position will start fielding calls. The Steelers are certainly one team that has depth that they can afford to move in the offseason, if they get the right price. Sometimes that could be a draft pick, but sometimes that might be a switch in depth players that could help fill either spot at inside or outside linebacker positions.
One such area for the Steelers could be cornerback, as the team is confident in Artie Burns and Joe Haden as starters with four depth players on the roster in Hilton, Cam Sutton, Brian Allen and Coty Sensabaugh. Hilton is the presumed starting slot cornerback after a very good 2017 season, but if a team desperately needs a slot cornerback in today's NFL — that demands such players — the Steelers could hear offers from interested teams.
Hilton presents an interesting option because he's young, cheap, and his first year looked very good. The Steelers also have Sutton, who I personally have pegged as a significant player in the team's future. Sutton could be the immediate slot replacement for Hilton, as he played all over the field for the University of Tennessee. Sensabaugh is a player that can sit as the last option on the depth chart, showing the ability to cover in the slot and be a zone cornerback outside the numbers, albeit not a great one.
For the Steelers to get a decent linebacker that was good enough that a team wanted to keep them from free agency, dealing from the could be a way to get one.
But even if they don't make a move to trade a player, there are still options in free agency that wouldn't require blowing up the cap space to acquire Bowman, Hodges and others.
The Steelers are not a team that needs to feel any sense of desperation for roster moves at this time because they have plenty of talent with some decent options for moves. And often the best opportunities to capitalize on roster moves come when other teams feel desperation in training camp as they try to get their roster ready for opening day.
Patience is the best virtue here.
• I don't put much stock into the NFL Network's Top 100, but I do enjoy hearing commentary from players on each other and what they like in how each other perform. The Steelers got their first players mentioned this past week when they saw Cam Heyward ranked at 48, Ryan Shazier at 47, and David DeCastro at 44. That puts the team with three on the board with at least three more that will be in there in Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell and Ben Roethlisberger, with a possible fourth in Maurkice Pouncey (but I don't think he will be a top-40 player).
• Game 2 of the NBA Finals is tonight and could be another great one. While plenty of people muck about the NBA not being the same as it was in the 90's, there is a lot of great basketball being played. The Warriors do so many of the little things in basketball well, on top of being phenomenal shooters, that they present an offensive threat I've never seen. I don't watch nearly as much basketball as I do football, but it's the second sport I like diving into to learn and see what's going on. Watching LeBron James work basically by himself out there is amazing against one of the best dynasties in sports. I still chuckle at J.R. Smith's Game 1 gaffe, but I hope that moment doesn't lead to the Warriors running the Cavaliers out of the series in a sweep. I prefer longer series' and more basketball.
• I remember hearing reports that Dez Bryant wasn't even hearing offers from teams for cheap veteran contracts, and now there are reports that teams have expressed a lot of interest in him. It just goes to show you that when you're hearing things in the offseason, make a note of them and keep moving. Sitting on one report and thinking it will stay that way will lead to more surprises. And in today's information age, there's plenty of misinformation going around to stir the pot.