The Pittsburgh Steelers have an interesting salary cap situation heading into the 2023 off-season. There will be players released, while others are asked to restructure their contracts to help the team's financial situation. Every positional need can't be addressed in the draft, so after coming off of a 2022 off-season that was the most aggressive in the franchise's history, it'll be interesting to see what new general manager, Omar Khan decides to do with the amount of cap space he has to work with. One position that is extremely light and needs some backup is at edge rusher behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Steelers linebackers T.J. Watt (#90) and Alex Highsmith (#56) run a drill during 2022 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. | Photo credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The organization brought back a former sixth-rounder in Quincy Roche in January and although the terms of the deal are just a future's contract, he could find himself in the rotation come the preseason. He hasn't necessarily proven himself to be a #3 edge rusher quite yet, so the front office is definitely going to look to add to this positional group.
Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus did another great job with his Top 100 NFL free agents for 2023. It was released Monday morning and has contract value predictions for each of the players. The Steelers are likely to spend less allowing to add depth in several places, so let's stay away from the big names like Jadeveon Clowney and keep it realistic.
1.) Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Okoronkwo played in all 17 games for the Houston Texans in 2022 after signing a one-year contract in the off-season. While he only started eight games, he managed five sacks and ended the year with all of them coming in December or later. He also played in all four playoff games that led to a Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl victory the year before.
Spielberger has him projected at a modest two-year, $11.5 million deal. That will be well within reason once Khan gets to work with the salary cap and could provide a great depth piece to work in the rotation with Watt and Highsmith.
Steelers’ owner Art Rooney II introduces Omar Khan as General Manager. (Maya Giron/Post-Gazette)
2.) Justin Houston
He's not as young as he once was, but who wouldn't love grabbing Houston and taking him away from the Baltimore Ravens? He only started one game for Pittsburgh's division rival in 2022, but still managed to have 9.5 sacks. He will be entering his 13th season and adding another veteran to the locker room is never a bad idea.
His projected contract from PFF currently lands at just one-year and for $4 million. Entering his age-34 season, he is more fit in a role that has him as the #3 guy and it just so happens that the Steelers are going to be looking for someone that can help with that. Bringing him in would give Pittsburgh three edge rushers that combined for 29.5 sacks in 2022, and Watt missed half the season.
3.) Kyle Van Noy
Another veteran who is entering free agency is Van Noy. He started 13 games for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022 and had five consecutive games with a sack in December down the stretch, which was a key factor in the team's playoff appearance. At 31 years of age, he can still play and if he likes the situation with the Steelers, despite being the third guy, it could be a solid partnership.
Pending free agent and edge rusher, Kyle Van Noy (#8) gets excited after making a play against the Tennessee Titans in 2022. | Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
Spielberger sees Van Noy signing a two-year deal worth only $6.5 million. That is a perfect number for a Steelers team who will have money dedicated elsewhere throughout the off-season. Van Noy has been extremely consistent the last four seasons and would bolster the edge rusher position for Pittsburgh.
After Watt missed half of the season due to a pectoral injury, it was evident that the defense was missing a lot of playmaking ability. None of these guys would replace the pass rusher if he is unfortunately injured in 2023, but they are all better options than what is currently on the table and one of them could potentially be signed for an incredibly reasonable price.
Who do you think the Steelers should target in free agency, if anyone, to help Watt and Highsmith? Let us know in the comments below!
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