Steelers Offseason Update

Eli Rafail

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The NFL free agency period is one of the most interesting times of the offseason. Many teams use this time to bring in veterans to fill holes and improve their team in hopes of bringing home the Lombardi trophy. The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a few moves this offseason as well in hopes to improve the team.

Steelers have made a few moves in terms retaining and gaining some talent. In terms of retaining, to start, 38 year old linebacker James Harrison was also granted an extension for two years. This is a key resign as the linebacking corps would be thinning without a wily veteran  The biggest move was resigning Antonio Brown to a 4 year deal worth 68 million dollars. Brown is arguably the best receiver in the game, so many believe this is a good deal.

“I love this move,” said Steeler fan Dustin Schimansky. “Having the best receiver in the game for a number of years to come will give us a better chance of making it to the Super Bowl.” There has also been a question if the Steelers overpaid, but Schimansky had his opinion on that as well. “You can’t overpay when it comes to the best at a position. AB is great at what he does, and as long as we have him, we’ll have a dangerous offense.”

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke had this to say about the Brown extension. “Each of the past two off-seasons Pittsburgh had kicked extra money Brown’s way, in lieu of taking his contract beyond 2017. But relative to his place in the league’s receiver hierarchy, Brown was still underpaid. That is no longer the case.” He is absolutely correct. Brown earned every dollar that he was paid, and Steelers fans can rejoice for the resigning of AB.

Another headline is that of Le’Veon Bell receiving the franchise tag, guaranteeing that he will be on the team for at least one more year. Football fan Jordan Jento had this to say about the all-pro sticking with the Steelers. “Bell might be the best back in all of football. As long as he stays out of trouble off the field, they need to sign him to a new contract after his tag year.”

Outside of two superstars being signed, the Steelers have made some subtle moves in free agency. They have added wide receiver Justin Hunter, running back Knile Davis, and cornerback Coty Sensabaugh to help improve the team. These aren’t splash signings by any means, but they are necessary and beneficial to keep the team in a good state.

The Steelers have never made huge moves in free agency, and the fans seem to be getting a little upset with that. But when they have won the most Super Bowls in league history and made an appearance in the AFC Championship game last year, they must be doing something right. Jeff Hartman of Behind the Steel Curtain agrees with this point fully. One example from is full article about this is “The wait-and-see approach is frustrating for fans, but it ultimately works.”

With the draft just around the corner, the Steelers will look to make even more improvements to the team for next year in hopes of winning a Lombardi trophy.