After winning their first AFC North title since 2010, the Pittsburgh Steelers entered the playoffs with high hopes of a long postseason run. Those dreams came to a halt with a disappointing exit in the first round.
Rather than dwell on what could have been, the Steelers must move forward with their offseason plans. The first step will be to test the free-agent market.
Typically not big spenders, general manager Kevin Colbert dipped into free agency in 2014 to add seven players from different teams. While the results were mixed, it showed that the front office would turn over every stone to help improve its team.
As they enter the 2015 offseason, the Steelers have plenty of work to do in order to maintain their status as one of the top teams in the AFC. However, they must overcome a lack of salary-cap room to make things happen.
According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com, the Steelers once again have one of the worst salary-cap situations in the NFL. He has the Steelers at $2.901 over the cap with an extension for Ben Roethlisberger on the horizon.
While this may alarm many teams in the league, it is par for the course for the Steelers. Colbert and the front office always find a way to make enough room to not only sign their own players—they have 12 unrestricted free agents this year—but also sign others from outside the organization.
This article will focus on players from outside the organization who can step in and help the Steelers as they look to make a deep playoff run in 2015. However, the Steelers are not big spenders and will not look to add a big-ticket item—sorry, no Justin Houston.
Instead, the Steelers can make several shrewd signings of players who will not only fit their scheme, but also come at an affordable price. Here is a look—by position—at five free agents the Steelers should target this offseason.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1BJjM40
via IFTTT January 06, 2015 at 07:18PM
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