Lolley: One week into free agency, what's remaining for Steelers

We're now a little more than a week into the free agency period. This is the time when the Steelers typically start to get a little more active in free agency, scooping up bargains after the smoke has cleared from the initial wave.

Things are a little different, however, this year.

The Steelers were uncharacteristically active in the opening salvo of free agency, signing five players, including quarterback Mitch Trubisky, guard James Daniels and linebacker Myles Jack.

They also were busy re-signing some of their own free agents, most notably offensive tackle Chuks Okorafor and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.

The spate of signings leaves the team with approximately $12.5 million in available salary cap space. But they also still have some remaining holes to fill, most notably at strong safety and wide receiver.

But when you consider that it will cost the team about $5.5 million to sign its draft picks and that the Steelers also need about $5 million to carry into the season for injury replacements, that doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room.

Roster displacement will take care of some of that. For example, a $2.5-million addition doesn't just count $2.5 million against the cap. Another player making the minimum drops off the top 51 salaries -- the offseason rule is the top 51 salaries, not top 53 count against the cap -- meaning that $2.5-million addition in reality only counts around $1.7 million in additional cap space needed.

But the fact remains that unless the Steelers restructure some contracts, they won't be making any more "big" signings.

Now, obviously they could use the available cap space now and worry about restructurings later. So, if a bargain presented itself -- even if it were a bigger contract -- they could afford the signing. But at some point, a restructure or some other cap adjustment -- trade or release -- would need to happen.

That's just one reason why the constant clamoring to sign another veteran star, such as safety Tyrann Mathieu, just isn't in the cards. Mathieu is coming off a three-year, $42-million contract with the Chiefs. He made a $14.55 million in 2021 in base salary and counted $5.5 million on the first year of that deal when he signed it in 2019.

Could the Steelers afford him? Sure. But adjustments would need to be made later to accommodate that move. At 29, Mathieu still has plenty of suitors and isn't likely looking to take a bargain deal.

• When it comes to signing Mathieu, it also comes down to this: Does he fit?

Now, certainly players such as Mathieu can be fit into any defense. He has 26 career interceptions and 10 career sacks. He's a difference maker.

But at 5-foot-9, 174 pounds, does he truly profile as a strong safety? Do you really want him being in the box to tackle Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon twice a year each?

What Mathieu happens to be is a better -- and older -- version of Mike Hilton. He turns 30 in a few weeks.

While there are reports the Steelers have "inquired" about Mathieu, and it would be nice to add a slot defensive back such as Mathieu, he wouldn't necessarily fill the team's need for a true strong safety.

And I don't believe the Steelers have any interest in playing Minkah Fitzpatrick -- their All-Pro free safety -- at strong safety.

• There's also this rule in free agency: Pay a player for what he's going to do for you, not for what he's done for another team.

As mentioned above, Mathieu turns 30 May 13.

It's no coincidence the players the Steelers signed in free agency all have been younger players. Trubisky, at 27, was their oldest signing. Okorafor and Daniels still just 24.

Signing young and still improving players -- not ones who are headed for a decline -- is how you make yourself a better team.

• Now, if the Steelers could sign a player such as Jabrill Peppers on a cheaper deal, that would make sense. He's still just 26 but is coming off three injury-plagued seasons with the Giants.

But he was a high-pedigree guy and the Steelers were interested in him when he came out in the 2017 draft.

Even he might be a little too expensive given those issues. The safety market, however, has been a little depressed.

While stars such as Marcus Williams have gotten big money deals, the rest of the safeties who have signed thus far -- and there have only been 12 thus far in free agency -- have gotten shorter terms and lower money deals.

It's much more likely the Steelers re-sign Terrell Edmunds or add a player such as Ronnie Harrison or Keanu Neal than it is they sign a bigger-name player.

And they still could bring back Karl Joseph, who fits into that same profile -- a younger player with experience they can fit into their scheme.

• The only thing that might change that is if the team wants to make some schematic shifts in how they use their safeties under new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.

The Steelers always say their safeties are interchangeable, but in reality they haven't been for a while. They've played a true free and a true strong.

Now, if they could find a safety that has a similar skillset to Fitzpatrick, that could change. It would make them better able to disguise some of their defensive alignments.

But that guy would likely have to be added in the draft.

• There has been plenty of teeth gnashing over the team's loss of JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud late last week in what wound up being less than 24 hours.

But the reality the Steelers return the four players -- Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth -- who were their leaders in targets and catches in 2021.

Smith-Schuster, Washington and McCloud combined for 138 targets last season. They had 68 combined catches for 691 yards.

They most certainly can replace that production.

• It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Steelers took not just one, but two, wide receivers in the upcoming draft.

But Anthony Miller is still on the roster. The former second-round draft pick of the Bears had 101 combined catches for 1,141 yards in 2019 and 2020 for Chicago before falling out of favor with that coaching staff.

But it also was the same coaching staff that didn't know what to do with Trubisky and Daniels.

If Miller is the No. 4 or 5 receiver, the Steelers will be fine.

• The Steelers have made a show of being at the pro days of quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis the past two days.

And certainly the Steelers wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth if one happened to drop to them at 20 in the draft. But it's probably more likely they'll have a player graded higher at a need position than one of the quarterbacks -- unless Willis were to be available.

That seems unlikely, though, even though my latest mock draft had Pickett falling to them. That was done by a simulator -- with the exception of the Steelers picks. It's tough to keep up with all the moves happening around the league.

• Given the cost of some of the deals given out in free agency at quarterback, Trubisky's deal looks like an absolute bargain.

Jameis Winston got $28 million over two years from the Saints this week. Marcus Mariota got $18.75 million for two years from the Falcons. Teddy Bridgewater got $6.5 million for one season -- to be the backup in Miami.

While the Steelers' deal for Trubisky is two years at $14.285 million, he only counts $5.25 million against their cap this year. And he has an $8 million base salary in 2023. The Steelers can easily get out of that deal if things don't work out.

• One possibility for the Steelers in the first round that would actually make a lot of sense would be to take a cornerback.

They likely won't have a shot at one of the top three corners in this draft -- Ahmad Gardner, Derek Stingley or Trent McDuffie -- Andrew Booth Jr. of Clemson could be in play at 20.

Booth is very talented. But he also hasn't worked out in the pre-draft process, not working out at the NFL Scouting Combine because of a hamstring injury and sitting out Clemson's pro day last week because he'll have surgery on a core muscle injury that will take place this week.

But he's clearly a first-round talent.

The Steelers re-signed Witherspoon to just a two-year, $8-million deal, the same as what they also paid out to acquire free agent Levi Wallace from the Bills. Cam Sutton also is signed for just two more seasons.

Adding a talented, young cornerback such as Booth would make some sense. And he's likely to be available.

Spare me the "Steelers can't draft cornerbacks" argument. They've rarely been in a position to get a clear-cut first-round guy such as Booth.

In most drafts when they were looking for a cornerback, they were in a spot where the top cornerbacks were going to be long gone before they had a chance to pick one.

In this case, Booth's injury could benefit the Steelers much as Heath Miller's core muscle injury kept him from working out in 2005, allowing him to fall to them at pick 30.

If Booth were completely healthy, he'd likely be picked before the Steelers' selection.

• I'm not buying the "report" out of Cleveland the Steelers would jump at the opportunity to sign Baker Mayfield if/when he's released by the Browns.

First and foremost, there will be other teams bidding for Mayfield's services. The Panthers and Seahawks come to mind.

Why would the Steelers now get into a bidding war for Mayfield after signing Trubisky, especially if when you look strictly at their statistics, it would be hard to argue Mayfield is the better player?

Trubisky has a higher completion percentage (64.1 to 61.6), has been to a Pro Bowl -- Mayfield has not -- and a far better winning percentage. He also led the Bears to two playoff appearances to just one for Mayfield.

That's pure speculation from a reporter in Cleveland. Nothing more.