Helpful Free Agents The Pittsburgh Steelers Possibly Focused On Before Training Camp

Every move made by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2023 offseason has been for a reason. Whether the move was for depth, competition, or simply to upgrade a particular position, it seems like boxes have been checked on a weekly basis. The front office knew what they wanted to do and with training camp right around the corner, it seems all that's left is to take all the pieces and put the strategy into practice. With a few days remaining before the players will actually be on the field at St. Vincent College, is the roster the Steelers have in place complete or is there room for an addition here or there?

Steelers Have Use For A Single-Purpose Pass Rusher

It isn't breaking news that the injury to TJ Watt completely upset the first half of the Steelers' 2022 season. Even with the strong play from newly-extended Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh stumbled to a 2-6 record. Not taking away from what Highsmith brings to the table, but in the opening game against the Cincinnati Bengals when Watt went down, Highsmith tallied 3 sacks. In the rest of the games Watt missed, though, Highsmith had 4.5 sacks, making some wonder how reliant he is on Watt to have those star numbers.

Not wanting the lack of aggressive pass rush to occur if something happened to Watt again, Pittsburgh is hoping that they can use multiple players to replicate the kind of impact Watt has on games. Drafting defensive lineman, Keeanu Benton brought in a versatile player who can be used in multiple formations and positions. Markus Golden brings 13.5 sacks over his last two seasons, plus a desire to show what he has on his third team in his career. Everyone is curious to see what rookie linebacker, Nick Herbig can bring to the table and if he can also play a role in the revolving door that must mirror Watt.

Is that collection of players enough to ensure 2022 won't repeat? If the Steelers decide they need one more element, they might want to go back over the resume of free agent pass rusher, Yannick Ngakoue. One dig on Ngakoue's game is that he is a one-trick pony, relying too much on his pass rush and not becoming an all-round defender. In some situations that might be a downside, but in the particular situation that the Steelers are looking to build, it could be a positive.

Pittsburgh brought in linebackers Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts to do more all-around work along with multiple safeties that can move around the field, so they don't need Ngakoue to be that kind of player. In 2022 he put together a 9.5 sacks campaign, 19.5 in the last two seasons and never less than five sacks in a season. 

If this was the beginning of free agency, or even a few weeks ago, Ngakoue's price tag would be leaning heavily, but now a one-year "prove it" deal is looking more likely. If Pittsburgh can show itself as a contender to the journeyman, he could be that final piece to the Watt-like mixture that could come in handy.

Does The Steelers Receiver Room Need One More?

The Steelers made more big moves than they have in quite some time in the 2023 offseason, and one of the more unexpected was bringing in Allen Robinson II. The Pittsburgh wide receiver position group is a strong unit as it stands, with more than one of the young players eager to show that they deserve to be mentioned among the elite in the league.

Diontae Johnson wants to make everyone forget that he didn't score a touchdown in 2022, George Pickens is looking to make that major leap from talented rookie to NFL superstar, Calvin Austin III is seeing 2023 as his rookie year so he has everything to prove, Robinson wants the league to know that 31 other teams missed out on him when he has plenty left to give and Miles Boykin is eager to be known and earn his way as a regular pass-catcher again. In most cases, that would be a full house and anything more would be risking a "too many cooks" scenario, but Pittsburgh in 2023 invites competition in any form they can get it.

Robinson was brought in for a veteran presence in a very young receiver room, and perhaps the Steelers are looking for another player to bring more of that experience. Jarvis Landry has struggled as of late, spending the end of last year on Injured Reserve after posting career-low numbers. After having 1,174 yards and six touchdowns in 2019 with the Cleveland Browns, Landry saw a steady decline to 840 yards in 2020 and 570 yards in 2021. Landry may not be the kind of player that a team would bring in for the numbers, rather it would be for a locker room presence.

The question here is whether Landry sees himself in a realistic light. He is no longer the kind of player that can command anything more than a one-year deal without much attached. After being overlooked throughout the offseason, if Landry can prove himself to be healthy enough to compete, he might be worth a glance during training camp. If nothing else, Landry is a fierce competitor who could use the youth in Pittsburgh as fuel to overtake them. He won't be looking at a starting spot, but behind the scenes, he could be an addition that brings an emotional energy every team is looking for late in a season.

Competition is something Mike Tomlin loves and always tries to cultivate at training camp. Landry could be that surprise move that makes the receivers run that much faster and push that much harder. When training camp opens on July 27th we will see what the position groups look like, but until then there could be room for one more move.

Should the Steelers bring in either of these free agents before training camp begins? 

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