The Pittsburgh Steelers have had their craziest offseason ever this year. They have made multiple big trades and signed a few game-changing free agents. While the Steelers have accomplished a ton so far in free agency, there is still work to be done to improve the team further. They should look to free agency to continue to fill out the roster and there are three players they should consider signing.
3 Players The Pittsburgh Steelers Should Consider Signing
1: Tyler Boyd
While former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd is not in his prime anymore, he is still a good slot receiver and is better than any player the Steelers have for this position. Currently, the options the Steelers have to play that position would be Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin.
Jefferson was recently signed from free agency to a one-year contract. He has mostly played for the Los Angeles Rams in his career but was traded to the Atlanta Falcons during the middle of the season last year. He saw a good amount of playtime on the Rams but not as much on the Falcons. He didn’t produce much last season either, only registering 20 catches for 280 receiving yards. Jefferson has some versatility as he’s played in the slot and on the outside. However, he is a more outside-oriented receiver and should not be considered a top option for the slot position.
As for Austin, he missed his rookie season due to injuries but played last season only putting up 17 catches and 180 receiving yards. Austin is fast but that speed didn’t always translate into him separating well against good cornerbacks last season. Austin is also pretty small at 5’9 165 pounds which increases his chances of getting injured.
Boyd is 6’2 185 pounds. While from a weight perspective, he isn’t huge, he’s still a lot bigger and taller than Austin and as a result, should be more durable than he is. While Boyd isn’t bigger and is only a little bit taller than Jefferson, he is way more consistent and outproduced him statistically last season in receiving yards (667) and catches (67). The Steelers could look to the draft for a slot receiver but they need to focus on getting an outside receiver (unless they make a trade for someone) instead. So they should sign the best slot player available in free agency and get Tyler Boyd.
2: Myles Bryant
Unlike the other players on this list, Myles Bryant isn’t a big name, but the Steelers need a slot corner and Bryant would do a fine enough job as one for them. Bryant is a former New England Patriots corner, who didn’t play much during his first two seasons in the league but over the last few years has gotten more playing time due to injuries from other cornerbacks.
Bryant isn’t a star but he’s decent in coverage, can play multiple spots in the secondary, and is a good tackler. He is also 25 years old which would be younger than the players the Steelers had primarily play the slot position last year. He shouldn’t cost that much either and he would be a good fit for the Steelers secondary. This move would be better as a depth signing as there are a lot of better slot corners than Bryant. But if the Steelers were unable to get anyone else, Bryant should be able to do a decent enough job as the starter.
Similarly to the Steelers slot wide receiver position, the Steelers could also address the slot corner position in the draft. The issue is that the Steelers will probably prioritize the positions of outside receiver, center, and offensive tackle with the first few picks. This cornerback class is rather deep with a wealth of options but the guy or guys they may like in this draft who can play that position may be gone. So, getting Bryant would be great in case they missed out on getting someone good.
3: Justin Simmons
Besides wanting the Steelers to get Russell Wilson or Justin Fields (they ended up getting both), a player a lot of Steelers fans wanted to be signed is former Denver Broncos safety, Justin Simmons. He was cut this offseason and is 30 years old, but he is still a great player and was more than likely cut due to the Broncos being in cap trouble. It would be no surprise if a team’s fans were interested in a good safety such as Simmons but for the Steelers fans, this is intriguing, as Simmons is a free safety and the Steelers already have one in Minkah Fitzpatrick. This could make the fit of them together a bit odd, but if he’s willing to play strong safety or if Fitzpatrick is willing to move around a bit more, the Steelers should go after him.
Fitzpatrick and Simmons would become one of the best safety duos in the NFL. Both are excellent in coverage, and it would allow the Steelers to have a very talented back end of the defense. This also would give the Steelers the option to run more three-safety defensive sets and allow Fitzpatrick to play a variety of roles. For example, Fitzpatrick could play more of the slot cornerback position while having Simmons play free safety. So, while the fit may take some getting used to for Simmons and the rest of the defense, if the Steelers were able to come up with a good plan of how to utilize him and Fitzpatrick together, then they should sign him.
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