The Pittsburgh Steelers have invested heavily into their defense. Oftentimes, the results haven't exactly translated onto the field in 2023. To be fair, the offense's incompetence has led to a lot of time on the field for the defense. Last offseason, the front office moved on from several defenders in an effort to revitalize the unit. With the cornerback and linebacker rooms needing upgrades, Ahkello Witherspoon and Robert Spillane did not return to Pittsburgh.
Spillane was simply a free agent, so the team let him walk while bringing in a plethora of other veterans. Witherspoon was released in a move to save the team $4 million. Both of them, along with Baltimore Ravens cornerback Arthur Maulet, are enjoying bounce back campaigns for their respective teams. ESPN's Bill Barnwell included all three of them on his roster of best bargain deals at each position.
"Yet another veteran linebacker imported to try to solve a problem that has flummoxed the [Las Vegas] Raiders seemingly for generations, Spillane has turned into a fun playmaker. The former Steelers backup wasn't able to consistently push for regular playing time with Pittsburgh, so my initial expectations were that Spillane would see some combination of special teams duty and rotation linebacker work for his new team," Barnwell said of Spillane.
The Steelers have faced all three of them this season for their new teams. Maulet's situation was different, as he actually requested to be released back in May. He felt as if he deserved more money, which the Steelers weren't willing to give him. Since joining the division rival, Maulet has been particularly good this year as a blitzer in subpackages. In 12 games with the Ravens, he has two sacks and one of the best pass-rushing grades at his position.
For a team that has lacked a legitimate option at the nickel spot this year, the Steelers sure could have used Maulet. Maulet's replacement, veteran Chandon Sullivan, hasn't exactly been good in his playing time. Witherspoon had an injury-filled 2022 season that forced him to play in just four games. Even when he played, he wasn't nearly as good as he was in 2021 for Pittsburgh.
Should The Steelers Have Kept One Of Their Former Cornerbacks?
That, along with the money factor, led to Maulet's release. Levi Wallace has been one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL this season opposite of emerging rookie Joey Porter Jr. With that, it's interesting to wonder if the team should have kept Witherspoon over Wallace. Pro Football Focus has the veteran ranked as the 65th-best cornerback this season, just one spot behind Patrick Peterson.
While that's not anything to exactly scoff at, it's still better than what Wallace has been. Additionally, both Maulet and Witherspoon are on small one-year deals, hence why they have been considered bargains by Barnwell. Spillane was perhaps the most surprising player that the Steelers moved on from. He did a lot of the dirty work in Pittsburgh, which led to him becoming one of Mike Tomlin's favorites in his four years in Pittsburgh.
Instead, the team opted to bring in three outside options in the form of Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, and Kwon Alexander. The three had the linebacker group playing at a high level, but injuries have derailed that success. Despite Spillane's success with the Raiders, it's hard to imagine where he would've fit in with this year's group before injuries. It's still interesting to consider the fact that the Steelers moved on from three of the league's biggest bargains in the same offseason.
Should the Steelers regret moving on from any of these former players? Of these three, who is enjoying the best season with their respective teams?
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