Steelers Insider Hints That 2023 Free Agency May Not Be A Colossal Change In Philosophy

The Pittsburgh Steelers are building from the inside out. Omar Khan and Andy Weidl addressed the interior offensive line and inside linebackers during free agency. The Steelers have a very specific plan for how they usually handle free agency and the type of player they sign. Khan and Weidl are perceived to have broken the mold, but is that really the case?

Brian Batko who covers the Steelers for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette joined the PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on Tuesday to visit with Chris Mueller. The pair discussed the Steelers’ free agency imports and the perception that Khan and Weidl are writing a new script in Pittsburgh.

“In quantity, it is about the same as last year,” Batko said. “In quality that is much more debatable. They are not making any of the moves that are getting talked about on Get Up in the morning or being evaluated on the NFL Network ad nauseum. I’m not saying they are bad moves by any means, but it isn’t some kind of paradigm shift as some people are suggesting under Omar Khan. I think they have their philosophies, and I haven’t seen much difference about how they went about it this year.”

The initial free agency signing of Patrick Peterson to replace Cam Sutton was a departure from the Steelers’ normal free agency target. Peterson did not drop off last season and the Steelers signed him at the price they were willing to pay for Sutton. Peterson is a future Hall of Famer cornerback and can help Pittsburgh in the short term but he is over 30 years old and not the type of player that Pittsburgh has pursued previously.

Steelers Assistant GM Andy Weidl Has Not Been Shy About Putting His Fingerprints On Free Agency

Mueller pointed out that Weidl’s fingerprints seemed to be all over the free agency class with multiple former Philadelphia Eagles joining the roster. Batko pointed out that is not necessarily a bad thing and that even if they had not brought in Weidl, many teams would try to follow the Eagles’ plan.

“It stands to reason that you are going to follow the Eagles’ blueprint to some degree,” Batko continued. “Even if he didn’t come from that organization, how they were a puzzle piece constructed around Jalen Hurts it would make a lot of sense for organizations to look to repeat that formula to some degree. The two offensive linemen, I guess three now with Le’Raven Clark, I am surprised they went that heavy on remaking the offensive line.”

The Steelers still have a gaping hole at strong safety, but it is not a new phenomenon in Pittsburgh. Batko points out that they waited a long time last off-season to address the position and Mueller asked him if John Johnson from the Cleveland Browns might be a potential solution since he is only 27 years old and is currently available.

“I think they will take a look,” Batko added. “They went about the safety position very similar to last year. A week before the draft it was an obvious hole they had to fill. I think Johnson is more of that deep post type they already have in Minkah Fitzpatrick. I don’t know that they want to bring another older guy into that secondary, it’s probably time to infuse some youth and some talent. Nothing would surprise me though."

Johnson played strong safety for the first three seasons of his career for the Los Angeles Rams and has started 49 games at strong safety in his NFL career and 31 at free safety. His versatility is appealing as a plan B but there are options in the upcoming draft that may be more appealing to Khan and Weidl. If Johnson remains available, closer to the draft, it is possible they will repeat last year’s strategy at the position.

The Steelers' signing of Isaac Seumalo is not getting much attention nationally but replacing Kevin Dotson with a top-five player at the position is going to make a big difference for the Steelers in 2023. Mason Cole and James Daniels are not going to be allowed to rest on any laurels from 2022 with the import of Nate Herbig and the rumored interest in drafting one of the top young centers. The Steelers will probably look to the draft for more tackle help but Clark is a professional who will add quality depth.

It may not be a heralded free agent class nationally, but it has been effective. It also signaled that the Steelers will at least consider older players who are not on their second contracts to fill key positions and provide depth. In Pittsburgh that is downright revolutionary.

What do you think Steeler Nation? Are you happy with how Khan and Weidl are doing as a partnership? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.

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