These four imminent free agents are not game-changers, but they are players the Steelers should consider adding for the upcoming campaign.A core value of the Pittsburgh Steelers is stability.
All of this is to say that the Steelers don’t have a lot of intriguing free agents available this summer. which is not surprising at all. To put it plainly, Pittsburgh keeps its truly valuable players off the free market. Before contracts are even a concern, top performers sign extensions; the others? The brass of the team believes they can be replaced, though.
The Steelers are coming off a 10-7 campaign and a postseason trip at the same time. It’s not as though 53 new players will join them in 2024. At the appropriate price, some of these men should be brought back because they are stars or at least contributors.
To see this shown, just take a look at the announcement that Mike Tomlin is anticipated to return for his 18th season as head coach in 2024. As a group, the Steelers are adept at figuring out what works and sticking with it.
What “these guys” are we talking about? I’m glad you inquired. Let’s examine the prospective free agents for the Steelers and who the team ought to re-ask.
QB Rudolph Masonry
Rudolph most likely would not be on this list if this article had been written even one month earlier.
However, he is on the list, and it wasn’t written back then. What are you trying to say?
Nevertheless, Rudolph had essentially clipboard duties for the third straight season before being forced into starting duty in Week 16. The Steelers had to be satisfied with what they got from Rudolph, their former starter, since Kenny Pickett was hurt and Mitch Trubisky was playing like Mitch Trubisky.
An excellent audition with three starts throughout the regular season, three victories, and zero interceptions on 71 pass attempts. Although he only completed 60% of his throws in the playoffs and threw two touchdowns, his performance was inconsistent, to be expected from a third-string quarterback.
The quarterback for the Steelers in Week 1 of 2024 is probably not on the roster right now. Trubisky is going to be cut go, and even though Pickett has started 24 games, he hasn’t shown he can play for Pittsburgh.
Since 2018, Rudolph has been employed by the company. He has demonstrated his ability to perform well off the bench, and having a reliable backup quarterback is a valuable asset. Rudolph’s services should be retained by the Steelers as long as he isn’t returned to start.
Markus Golden, OLB
An NFL club with too many potent pass rushers has never existed. It does not exist. For modern defenses, taking down the quarterback is crucial, and Golden can help with that.
For Pittsburgh’s defense, T.J. Watt is the center of attention, and for good reason. However, Watt can only cover one side of the field as far as we know. Even though Alex Highsmith has shown to be a useful supplementary edge player, Golden still has room in the rotation.
The seasoned defender did not play even forty percent of the defensive snaps in the 2023 regular season, yet he still finished with four sacks, ten QB hits, and six tackles for loss.
Golden recorded another sack, quarterback hit, and tackle for loss while standing in for an injured Watt during the playoff defeat to the Buffalo Bills. Considering his age (33 when the next season begins), he won’t be overly costly, but the Steelers know how to make use of him. We say, bring him back.
S. Miles Killebrew
Killebrew, who just won his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection, is Pittsburgh’s special teams wizard. The most memorable moment of his season occurred in Week 5, when he successfully stopped a punt that resulted in a safety, helping the Steelers to win 17–10.
That play demonstrates how crucial a player like Kelly Killebrew is to a group like the Steelers.
With an offense that was, to put it mildly, inconsistent, the importance of the defense and special teams is enormous. With a smart sack, fumble recovery, or clutch interception, Watt’s defense produced multiple plays that changed the course of the game.
However, the special teams unit must be a game-changing force if the club is to win close games with mediocre or below-average quarterback play. The Steelers need to win by a narrow margin in their current configuration. Killebrew and other players make sure that happens.
It doesn’t matter if the majority of supporters outside of Pittsburgh are unaware of his name—he is still a quality player. Killebrew ought to remain in gold and black.
Chandon Sullivan, C.B.
It is imperative for teams to have an adequate number of pass rushers and coverage players. It’s great news for Tomlin and company that 2023 second-round selection Joey Porter Jr. is becoming a standout, but they’ll need to keep depth in the secondary.
What Sullivan offers is that. As the team’s nickel corner, Sullivan performed admirably in a respectable sample size. More playing time—would that expose him? Very likely. However, he demonstrated with encouraging results that he can manage the workload of a third or fourth cornerback.
Sullivan is a cerebral player who doesn’t depend too much on his athletic prowess. In 2024, he ought to be a member of the Steelers.
