The Pittsburgh Steelers Made a Splash in Free Agency

Sticking with the offense, the signing of Rico Dowdle secures a replacement for 2025 Team MVP Kenneth Gainwell.

Pittsburgh began the search for Gainwell’s replacement after he left for the beaches of Tampa. Dowdle is coming off his second career 1000-yard season, also running for a career-high six touchdowns. Bringing in Dowdle allows the Steelers to continue the split-backfield they ran last season with Gainwell and Jaylen Warren.

Defensively, adding Dean and Brisker bolsters a secondary that was toward the bottom of the league in pass defense last season.

Dean brings consistent play across from young star Joey Porter Jr. When he’s healthy, Dean can play up to the level of other top corners across the league. Brisker will almost certainly be a starter from day one at safety, allowing Jalen Ramsey, who switched to safety in the middle of last season, to transition back to cornerback.

Finally, adding Sebastian Joseph-Day to the defensive line adds a strong depth piece to an already powerful unit. Joseph-Day will likely serve in a backup role behind guys like Cameron Heyward and Derrick Harmon. However, a player of his caliber allows for a seamless transition when one of those guys needs rest during a game.

Other Potential Moves

The storyline of the Steelers’ offseason, along with the coaching change, is the need for a quarterback.

Some of the top options that had been on the radar for the Steelers have already come off the board. Kyler Murray joined the Vikings in Minnesota, and the Dolphins brought in Malik Willis after releasing Tua Tagovailoa. With each day that passes, it seems more and more likely that Pittsburgh will run it back with Aaron Rodgers. 

After adding a receiver and cornerback, the team now needs to look back to the trenches, this time on the offensive side.

Pittsburgh’s Pro Bowl left guard, Isaac Seumalo, joined the Arizona Cardinals. As it stands, it seems the Steelers like what they have in Spencer Anderson and may at least give him a shot at the starting job. However, it’s hard to imagine Khan won’t at least take a peek at the offensive guard market with guys like Joel Bitonio and Mekhi Becton available.

Despite the flurry of signings, Pittsburgh still ranks tenth in cap space. They still have plenty of money to go out and fill these gaps. It is also possible that they could wait until the NFL Draft next month.

In regard to the quarterback situation, they could look towards guys like Nussmeier and Allar. As for the now uncertain left guard position, it could be Iowa’s Beau Stephens coming in as a replacement.