As of now, the Pittsburgh Steelers only have two inside linebackers from the 2022 53-man roster under contract for the 2023 season. Veteran, Myles Jack and first-year player, Mark Robinson should be back in the black and gold next season. Aside from that, the front office is going to need to target more than one player in the position.
The easiest answer is to try and re-sign Robert Spillane after his solid play late in 2022 and draft someone. However, Robinson may not be ready to start and if Spillane departs, the organization will be scrambling to find a solution.
Steelers linebacker, Myles Jack (#55) lines up on defense prior to a snap against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Brother of Terrell Edmunds, Tremaine Edmunds has been a popular name thrown around as he enters free agency after being a consistent member of the Buffalo Bills for the last five years. His contract, however, is projected to be north of $15 million a year according to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus. That may be a little steep.
Roughly a year ago, the Steelers went after AFC North journeyman, Larry Ogunjobi and signed him to a one-year deal after a failed physical lost him his three-year contract with the Chicago Bears. Once thought of as an enemy, mainly in part due to his participation in the Mason Rudolph/Myles Garrett fiasco, he was an important player of Pittsburgh's defense in 2022.
The team would be wise to make a similar decision in 2023 and even go after one of Ogunjobi's teammates when he was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals organization.
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker, Germaine Pratt. | Mark J. Rebilas / USA TODAY Sports
Steelers Should Target Bengals Germaine Pratt
If Pratt's name sounds familiar to Steelers fans, it should. He has been a pain in the team's side over the years. In 2022, he had three tackles for loss in the team's two contests. That's not the only reason his name may ring a bell, however. He was quoted after Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh in their second matchup in 2022 hinting that the Steelers' offense was essentially predictable.
"It was us giving them plays. We knew what they were going to do. They like to do the same plays over and over," Pratt told CBS Sports.
That may lead to fans having a bit of a grudge, but at the end of the day, the NFL is a business. According to PFF, Pratt may only demand around $8 million per season which is almost half as much as Edmunds may ask for. On top of that, Pratt has plenty of playoff experience and had two interceptions in 2022.
Bengals' linebacker, Germaine Pratt (#57) gets extremely excited and celebrates after making a big play against the Pittsburgh Steelers. | USA Today
Pittsburgh is going to need help at the inside linebacker position and depending on which way they decide to spend the free agency money they drum up following cuts and restructures, Pratt could be an attractive target. He is not a huge name that will cost the team too much financially, familiar with the division and is a relatively consistent player.
Don't expect the people making decisions to hold his comments in 2022 against him. If he seems like the right fit and can help the team win, it makes sense to look at him as an option during free agency. It worked bringing Ogunjobi over almost a year ago and targeting another player from Cincinnati could be beneficial once again.
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