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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-3 at TIAA Financial institution Area on November 22, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photograph by Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs)
The Steelers have a ton of labor to do in free company, but it surely”s crucial for Pittsburgh to keep away from spending large on these three gamers.
Ben Roethlisberger’s contract challenge will dominate the headlines of Pittsburgh’s offseason, however that doesn’t change the truth that the Steelers have a ton of labor to do in free company. A number of big-name stars are set to hit the open market in search of large contracts. The staff could also be compelled to interchange them with veterans who’re prepared to simply accept extra modest compensation.
JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bud Dupree are the 2 gamers that really qualify as excessive profile free brokers for the Steelers. Smith-Schuster is probably not the league’s most dynamic deep menace, however he still caught 97 passes for 831 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. That’s wonderful manufacturing for a large receiver who will simply flip 25 subsequent season.
An damage restricted Dupree to simply 11 video games final season however he nonetheless came away with eight sacks. He was a key determine for Tomlin’s protection resulting from his capability to wreak havoc on the sting. Cross-rushers have a behavior of getting paid in free company. It gained’t be low-cost for Pittsburgh to maintain him.
Avoiding errors in free company is significant for the Steelers in the event that they wish to be a Tremendous Bowl contender in 2021. Paying market-rate for any of the next three gamers could be an enormous mistake.
3. Chidobe Awuzie
The Steelers will wrestle to retain cornerback Mike Hilton in free company which leaves them with a must discover a free agent prepared to contribute immediately within the secondary. Awuzie performed so much for the Cowboys in 2020, however the reality is he simply wasn’t superb.
He’s additionally a cornerback who must play in a zone-heavy scheme to carry up as a starter. The Steelers need their defensive backs to play aggressive man-to-man protection on a excessive share of snaps. Somebody goes to pay Awuzie to be a starter, however the Steelers must be too sensible to make that mistake.
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