At noon Monday, the news began to flow fast and furious. None of these deals -- or at least very few -- were official, but agreements have been reached.
Not surprisingly, the Steelers have largely sat on their hands, waiting out the initial dance. According to the NFLPA website, they have $12.18 million in cap space, enough to make moves if they choose, but probably not in a marketplace in which average players are getting deals worth $10 million or more per season.
When players such as Ja'Waun James are getting $10 million or more per year -- as he did to leave Miami for Denver -- you know things are a little silly.
So where does that leave the Steelers? As usual in the opening flurry of signings, waiting for the smoke to clear. That does not, however, mean they will get shut out.
In fact, most of the activity that took place Monday involved non-playoff teams from a year ago. They were busy chasing the fool’s gold that is the early portion of free agency.
That will end sometime Thursday or Friday and then the bargain shoppers will be able to dive in for help. There also could be some interesting cuts still coming, as teams adjust their rosters after making all of these big-money signings.
A player such as Eric Berry, for example, might be out of a job in Kansas City after the Chiefs broke the bank on Tyrann Mathieu. Berry has appeared in just three regular season games the past two seasons, but he did see extensive playing time in the Chiefs' playoff loss to the Patriots.
At 29, it would be interesting to see what kind of market he might have. And he'll hardly be alone.
Here's a look at who's still available from a Steelers' interest standpoint:
WIDE RECEIVER
John Brown: The speedy Ravens wideout is what the Steelers need on the outside so that they can play JuJu Smith-Schuster in the slot if they so choose. He should be a moderately priced field-stretcher. Interestingly, few receivers signed deals in the opening flurry of activity. Brown isn't a big receiver, but his game is built on speed. He's also a better route runner than given credit for. A three-year deal worth $7 million per season would be my best offer.
Chris Conley: At the NFL Scouting Combine this year, every time a receiver did something great, he was seemingly the best to do so since Conley had been there. The production hasn't matched the talent, but that hasn't always been his fault. Early in his career, he played with Alex Smith, who rarely pushed the ball down the field. Last season, he was relegated to a fourth option behind Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins. Yet, he still caught five touchdown passes. At 6-foot-3, 205-pounds, Conley would be a nice compliment to Smith-Schuster and James Washington. A three-year deal at $12 million over the course of the deal could get this done.
Dontrelle Inman: Inman has been reasonably productive at every stop. He'll never be a star, but he certainly has some solid qualities. Last season in Indianapolis, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound veteran caught 28 passes for 309 yards and three scores on just 39 targets. But he's 30, so a short-term deal works best. He could then compete with a rookie draft pick for playing time, or give the Steelers another outside-the-number receiver to work with Washington. Two years, $5 million would be my offer.
Golden Tate: I'm only putting him on here because so many fans seem to want him. But Tate really doesn't fit what the Steelers need. First, he'll be 31 in August. Second, he has played mostly in the slot the past few years. Don't misunderstand, he's still a quality NFL receiver. And he's great after the catch and could offer some leadership to a young receiver group. But at what cost? He could be a nice addition if the Steelers could get him on a two-year deal, at say, $14 million, but the guess here is the interest in him could push that number slightly higher.
CORNERBACK
Bradley Roby: The Steelers are one of a number of teams who have reportedly shown interest in the 26-year-old former first-round draft pick. But he's coming off a down year. Early in his career, he was a solid third corner. But he was forced into the lineup as a regular last season and struggled at times. He does, however, have seven interceptions and 60 pass breakups in five seasons -- 1 interception and 12 PBUs last season -- which at least shows he can make plays on the ball. But I wouldn't go over $24 million over four years for his services.
Pierre Desir: At 28, Desir is a little older than you'd like to add, but at 6-foot-1, 198 pounds, he's the size teams look for in boundary corners. He had a solid season last year in Indianapolis, recording 79 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups in 16 games (12 starts). He's also generating interest from a lot of other teams. A two-year deal at $12 million would be as high as I'd go, but that might not get it done.
Jason Verrett: The 28-year-old Verrett has had a lot of bad luck on the injury front. But so had Kevin Johnson, and he was signed Monday by Buffalo. I'd be concerned about a player who has appeared in one game in the past two seasons, but he's talented when healthy. A one-year prove-it deal at, say $3 million would be my offer. If it works out, great. If it doesn't, it's a very low investment depending on his signing bonus, which would be low.
Morris Claiborne: At 29, Claiborne is coming off his best season. But given his early career struggles, that's not saying a ton. He did have two interceptions and 14 passes defended last season, both of which would have matched or beaten the Steelers’ best. I wouldn't break the bank here, either, but if he could be had at two years and $10 million, I would consider him.
INSIDE LINEBACKER
Jordan Hicks: There hasn't been much of a market on Hicks just yet. C.J. Mosley seems to be getting the most action. That's fine. Hicks is more what the Steelers need, anyway. A coverage linebacker, he had five interceptions and 11 passes defended in 2016. Since then, he's appeared in just 19 games. But that should drive his cost down. Sign Hicks to a three-year, $18-million deal and then still look to draft a linebacker early in the first round. If Hicks and the rookie push Vince Williams into a lesser role, so be it. The Steelers need speed in the middle of the field.
Deone Bucannon: Bucannon is light at the inside linebacker position, but he'd be an immediate upgrade over Morgan Burnett as a hit-and-run, coverage dime linebacker. The Giants and Bucs have shown interest, but neither one of those teams is going anywhere. Does Bucannon want a shot at winning? The Steelers would offer the best chance at that. A two-year, $8.5-million deal would be my breaking point.
SAFETY
HaHa Clinton-Dix: It wasn't that long ago Clinton-Dix was considered one of the most highly thought of free safeties in the league. Then, midway through last season, Green Bay traded him to Washington. And in nine games with the Redskins, he failed to make much of an impact. To be sure, going to a new team at midseason is tough, especially when you're expected to know what everyone is doing from the safety position. Would he be interested in a short-term deal at $5 million per season in a safety market that is loaded with high-end talent? If the Steelers signed Clinton-Dix, they could bump Terrell Edmunds to the dime linebacker role on passing downs.
Tre Boston: Boston has signed one-year deals in each of the past two seasons and responded with five and three interceptions, respectively. If the Steelers want to improve their takeaways, he could do so. The team could use him much like Clinton-Dix — as a way to use Edmunds in the box on passing downs. He's still just 26, and coming off two one-year deals, so maybe a two-year deal worth $10 million would work.