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The Pittsburgh Steelers signaled early in the offseason they were not happy with the standard of play from their center position. The team released Mason Cole in late February after his second season in Pittsburgh was marred by bad snaps and poor blocking. Pittsburgh is now on the hunt for a new center. The organization started the search with an aggressive push to try and sign former Buffalo Bills Pro Bowler Mitch Morse. The team met with the free agent center shortly after his release by the Bills, but the sides couldn't agree on terms as he left for a meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A9202-544x306.jpg "Steelers Mason Cole")
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Former Steelers center Mason Cole was released after an awful finish to 2023.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said on X that the Steelers made an aggressive push to try and sign Morse before he left the city to visit the Jaguars. He signed a two-year contract with Jacksonville to remedy their center position.
#Steelers made an aggressive push for free agent center Mitch Morse, who signed with Jacksonville (as @mikegarofolo said)
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 11, 2024
Morse has played nine seasons in the NFL, split between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Bills. He would've been a prime candidate for the Steelers offensive line, but the team will now have to look at other options to find their upgrade in the middle of the unit.
Harry Scull Jr. / Buffalo News
Former Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl center Mitch Morse stands in the tunnel before a game.
The Steelers' free agent center options are starting to get thinner after a few teams got things going early in free agency. The Jaguars signing Morse takes one prime candidate off the market, and the Las Vegas Raiders snagged another. The team announced the re-signing of Andre James on March 10, which took another solid option off the table for the Steelers.
Steelers Still Have Other Avenues To Upgrade At Center
The good news for the Steelers is even though the team missed out on Morse and James, there are still other opportunities to find an upgrade on Cole. Lloyd Cushenberry of the Denver Broncos could make a lot of sense for the team now after signing Russell Wilson, the quarterback he worked with for the last two seasons.
Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Center Lloyd Cushenberry gets in position on the offensive line.
Pittsburgh will have other free agent options outside of the former Bronco. The team could also look to find Cole's successor in the 2024 NFL Draft. Jackson Powers-Johnson of Oregon has caught the eyes of many as a center of the future for whichever team decides to call his name. West Virginia's Zach Frazier is another potential choice, and the team is reportedly in love with him.
Pittsburgh has a long history of the offensive line being led by a dominant center. The organization hasn't had one since Maurkice Pouncey hung up his cleats at the end of the 2020 season. The search for his true successor might be instituted in the 2024 offseason after the stop-gap solutions of Kendrick Green and Cole proved that they were not up to snuff.
Who do you think the Steelers should get as their next center? Comment below!
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