Free Agent From Rival AFC Team Could Help Steelers Solidify Offensive Line

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 offseason is officially in full swing. The 2025 NFL season finally concluded with Super Bowl LX on Sunday night. Now the Steelers look ahead to free agency, as well as the upcoming NFL Draft, which the Steelers are hosting in Pittsburgh, PA. With much of the staff around new head coach Mike McCarthy rounded out, the Pittsburgh native will now work alongside General Manager Omar Khan to make improvements to the roster as the Steelers inch closer to the 2026 regular season. With several positions of need noted for the team, they could see an emerging free agent appear on their radar.

The Steelers have been linked to several different positions of need and names at those positions, from cornerback to wide receiver and beyond. One position of need that may arise for the organization ahead of the 2026 campaign is offensive line. 

Guard Isaac Seumalo, who had a strong 2025 season despite battling through a pectoral issue, may not return to Pittsburgh. Should that be the case for 2026, there is one emerging soon-to-be free agent available who could take his place in Pittsburgh next season.

Buffalo Bills guard David Edwards is set to become a free agent around mid-March when free agency begins around the NFL. Former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex mentioned last week that the Steelers should work to bring back Seumalo. 

However, Edwards would be an excellent backup plan should Seumalo not return for the 2026 campaign. Edwards has played some of his best football as a pro over the last couple years and boasted a 95% pass block win rate in 2025. That had Edwards ranked 12th among 65 qualifying guards in that category.

The 32-year-old Seumalo helped guide an otherwise younger group on the offensive line in the 2025 season. The Steelers lost tackle Broderick Jones to a season-ending neck injury in Week 12 and Dylan Cook stepped in, fitting in extremely well. Jones is just 24 years old and Cook is 28. 

Seumalo allowed a career-low 15 pressures in 2025, so the Steelers will need an answer should he not return. The team may have more questions than answers upfront at this point.

Steelers Can Stabilize O-Line While Getting Younger

With Seumalo being 32 and the veteran presence being a great asset to have, replacing him with Edwards would also make the Steelers' offensive line younger. Edwards will be 29 when he enters the 2026 season and would mesh well with Pittsburgh's already young unit. While the offense struggled at times in 2025, their offensive line was a unit that improved as the season went along.

Edwards' emerging play in the last two seasons, especially the season he had in 2025, should have the Steelers' eyes on him ahead of free agency. They're laser focused on quickly re-tooling rather than committing to a full-blown rebuild. If they do so, however, they must have a tactical and methodical approach. This would include being proactive rather than reactive by having their eyes on players at positions of need that should come up, such as possibly losing Seumalo at guard.

The Steelers can quickly get back to playoff success under McCarthy, something they have not seen in nine seasons. Smaller, under-the-radar moves like this will have to be a big part of that formula if they are going to do so.

Would you like to see the Steelers sign Edwards if they do not bring back Seumalo? Let us know in the comments below!

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