Who's leaving, who's staying among Steelers free agents? taken on the South Side (Steelers)

KARL ROSER / STEELERS

Terrell Edmunds

The Steelers somehow went 9-7-1 last season and made the playoffs despite finishing the season 24th overall in Football Outsider's DVOA rankings, weighed down by an offense that ranked 25th in the league.

Getting better in 2022 is obviously the goal. And with that, the team must weigh keeping some of its own free agents against looking to upgrade where it can.

Now, some of the improvement on offense will be expected to come naturally as a unit that included four rookie starters and two more who were in just their second season in the league continue to improve. But there's no doubt the team also should look at upgrading where possible.

And with more than $30 million in estimated salary cap space, the Steelers, for once, can afford to do so. But they'll also want to keep some of their own.

Who stays? Who goes? Let's take a look:

Priorities

Ahkello Witherspoon, CB -- Witherspoon will soon turn 27 and the Steelers were his third team after they acquired him from the Seahawks via trade. Seattle had acquired him as a restricted free agent from the 49ers on a 1-year, $4-million deal. It took him some time to get acclimated to his new team, and he couldn't get on the field early due to not being one of the team's top special teams players, but when Joe Haden missed time late in the season, Witherspoon came in and played well. In fact, according to Pro Football Reference, he allowed a passer rating of 35.1, the lowest of any defender in the league. He allowed 14 completions on 37 pass attempts in his coverage and had a team-high three interceptions. There could be some other suitors, but after seeing what happened last year in Seattle, Witherspoon might be inclined to stay in Pittsburgh. I wouldn't go above a deal that averages more than $7 million per season, though.

Terrell Edmunds, S -- Edmunds is a nice yin to Minkah Fitzpatrick's yang. He's never going to be a turnover machine, but he's a solid player. And if the Steelers don't re-sign him, they don't have anyone on the roster capable of replacing him. So, they would have to look elsewhere to do so. Now, perhaps the team could go with a cheaper option, but Edmunds is always available. He rarely misses time. And that can't be overlooked. He also just turned 25, so his career is still on the upswing. He allowed a passer rating of 63.7 in his coverage last season. A four-year deal at an average of $6 million per season with a decent signing bonus would make sense.

Definitely maybe

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR -- Smith-Schuster has gone from being one of the top young wide receivers in football to one who has averaged 8.6 yards per catch over the past two seasons. Much of that was because Ben Roethlisberger used him as a security blanket. The Steelers brought Smith-Schuster back on a one-year deal for $8 million last year. But he missed 12 games with a shoulder injury before returning for the team's playoff game. He's still just 25, so Smith-Schuster isn't over the hill by any stretch. But he's got a lot of wear and tear. He didn't get the big offer he desired last year on the open market and it's unlikely that happens this time around, too. Another one-year deal would make sense for Smith-Schuster to allow him to show the league he's healthy -- if he wants to return to Pittsburgh, which isn't a guarantee.

Joe Haden, CB -- If the Steelers can't get something done with Witherspoon, pivoting to Haden wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, even though he'll soon turn 33. But it would have to be at the right price. His locker room leadership can't be overlooked. It might even make sense to bring Haden back on a short-term deal with the idea that he would only play on the outside in nickel and dime, easing some of the wear and tear on his body. Maybe a deal similar to the one given Smith-Schuster in 2021 would make sense. One year at $8 million, but with a couple of voidable years to lessen the hit in 2022.

Chuks Okorafor, OT -- Okorafor is still just 24 and has 35 career starts under his belt. Okorfaor needs to clean up his penalties. He had 11 in 2021 -- though a couple weren't necessarily his fault as receivers left him uncovered at the end of the line of scrimmage -- but he also was credited with allowing just two sacks last season. Okorafor initially lost the starting right tackle job to Zach Banner in 2020, but after Banner went down with a knee injury in Week 1, Okorafor has stepped in and started 31 games. The best ability is availability and Okorafor has always been available. The Steelers gave Zach Banner a 2-year, $9.5-million deal last season. But they can create $5 million in cap space by releasing him. It would make more sense to release Banner and give that money to Okorafor with perhaps a bump up from that. If you look at the free agent tackle class, it's pretty bleak. Allow Okorafor to walk and you're counting on Banner to stay healthy. Maybe he does, but I don't know if I would want that to be my plan at an important position.

On the cheap

S Miles Killebrew; WR James Washington; DT Montravius Adams, CB Arthur Maulet -- Killebrew played just sparingly on defense, usually when the opponent went to a bigger package. But he blocked two punts and was an excellent special teams player. ... Washington has never blossomed into what the Steelers hoped he would when they selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft. But he's had his moments. And he led the team in receiving yards in 2019. If Smith-Schuster wants to go elsewhere, bringing Washington back wouldn't be the worst option in the world. ... Adams was OK at times last season after being signed off the Saints' practice squad, but his main attribute was that he wasn't one of the other players the Steelers had been running out to replace Tyson Alualu. He's worth taking to camp next season, but you'd like to outdraft him. ... Maulet isn't going to make anyone forget about Mike Hilton, but he has his moments. Like Adams, you'd like to outdraft him or perhaps even find someone else on the roster capable of keeping him on the bench, but he has value as a backup.

Time to move one

TE Eric Ebron; QB Josh Dobbs; RB Kalen Ballage; WR Ray-Ray McCloud; C B.J. Finney; G Trai Turner -- Ebron's coming off an injury and has been supplanted by Pat Freiermuth and Zach Gentry. ... Dobbs isn't going to compete for the starting job -- those who think he can need to take a look at his career stats -- so there's no sense bringing him back, even as a No. 3. All he'll be doing is clogging the roster. ... Ballage had his chance to win the backup job behind Najee Harris and showed little. The Steelers need a better veteran backup option there. ... McCloud did some good things in 2021 -- some. But not enough that it should have the Steelers wanting to spend even low-end money to bring him back. Anthony Miller can do many of the same things and perhaps do them better. ... Finney's back issues have made him expendable ... Turner was OK in 2021 as a temporary replacement for David DeCastro for what the Steelers paid for him and when they got him, but they need an upgrade at right guard. And now, they can afford one, either through free agency or in the draft. Maybe both.


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