This offseason the Pittsburgh Steelers will be able to have a list of top free agent targets. This is because for the first time since 2007 the Steelers will not be paying the big bucks to Big Ben (when he came off of his rookie contract). The Steelers have not been known to bring in top talent from the outside to the team, especially through free agency. But this could be one of the rare times we see it.

Pittsburgh has about $30 million in cap space to use this offseason. This is before trying to re-sign any of their own, move money around, or cut players to create extra cap. $30 million won’t let you sign all the top names, but you might be able to squeak out of the offseason with the best player at one position in free agency.

This article isn’t listing out five names Pittsburgh needs to get all of to have a good offseason. Rather, it’s a list of names that the Steelers should target and hope to come away with one of. If they can improve one of these position groups by adding a top-level talent, then there’s one less position to address in the draft.

With that said let’s get to the Free Agent Targets for the Pittsburgh Steelers!

1. J.C. Jackson – CB – New England Patriots

The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone through their rough patches in the defensive backfield. They are on the brink of another, with the departures of Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson last year, and potential departures of Terrell Edmunds, Joe Haden and Ahkello Witherspoon this year.

The Steelers are infamous for not drafting the cornerback position well. So the opportunity to bring in a tru shutdown corner at just 26 years old is something to consider. Over the last two seasons no player has more passes defended or interceptions than Jackson.

2. Brandon Scherff – G – Washington Commanders

Like the defensive backfield, Pittsburgh is re-tooling their offensive line. Gone are Alejandro Villenueva, Matt Feiler, Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro. In are Dan Moore Jr., Kevin Dotson, and…not much else. Rookie Center Kendrick Green had a disappointing year, and veterans Trai Turner and Chukwuma Okorafor are unrestricted free agents. Both had fine years in Pittsburgh in 2021, but if the team wants to improve the line, letting them both walk is the right decision.

Enter Brandon Scherff. Entering his 8th NFL season Scherff is one of the best guards in the league. He was elected to his fifth Pro Bowl this year and was an All-Pro in 2020. Scherff has dealt with injuries in each of the last four seasons, but is still one of the top rated guards by Pro Football Focus. As the best guard in this class he could help Green look better at Center, or if Pittsburgh moves Green to guard, he could fill in a few games for Scherff when he is inevitably injured.

3. Ryan Jensen – C – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ryan Jensen is one of the best centers in the NFL. He’s huge (6’4, 319 pounds) and extremely physical. His mentality would certainly help toughen up this young Steelers offensive line. He also spent four years as a Baltimore Raven, meaning he knowns what it’s like to play in the AFC North. Jensen also benefitted from playing center for Tom Brady over the last two years, and would certainly bring a certain amount of knowledge and leadership to Pittsburgh.

At 30 years old Jensen still has a few years ahead of him. Especially because he didn’t play much in his first three years in the league. Pittsburgh needs to make an improvement at the center position. But hoping to do that in the draft can be risky. It might be a good idea to bring in a ready-made center like Jensen in FA, and improve other parts of the team through the draft.

4. Davante Adams – WR – Green Bay Packers

I’m still firmly in the re-sign JuJu camp. But his latest viral Instagram post has me nervous.

Hopefully he’s just moving outside the city. Get a nice house in the suburbs to live out that long-term contract! But if not, it’s because the Steelers have let him know he will not be getting WR1 money. And other than JuJu, there’s not a guy on the roster who has proven to be a consistent WR1. Making that top option one of Pittsburgh’s possible top free agent targets.

There are however, a few of those guys on the market. Davante Adams leads that list. Adams is arguably the best receiver in the league. Adams has been sent to the Pro Bown in each of the last five seasons and has been an All Pro in 2020 and 2021. In those two years Adams has recorded 238 receptions for 2,927 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Adams is the longest shot I believe to come to Pittsburgh. Where it would take almost all of the salary cap to sign him, and the QB situation is dicy. But this is a list of targets. And if Pittsburgh feels they still need a true WR1, Adams should be the first call they make.

5. Tyrann Mathieu – S – Kansas City Chiefs

Similarly to JuJu, I’m team re-sign Terrell Edmunds. But not because he’s the best safety they could go for. It’s because he’s fine. He’d be cheap. And he works well with Minkah Fitzpatrick. However, if Pittsburgh wanted to go another way, they could look make a safety one of their top free agent targets. This would allow them makeup for any deficiencies at corner.

If that were the case. Pittsburgh could take a look at Safety Tyrann Mathieu of the Kansas City Chiefs. Mathieu is a playmaker first and foremost. In the last three years he’s made two Pro Bowls and two All Pro teams. In that time he’s missed just two games, has 13 interceptions he returned for two touchdowns, defended 27 passes, made three sacks and 171 total tackles (eight for loss) and recovered four fumbles. Adding that level of playmaker to Fitzpatrick would help the Steelers become a splash-play oriented defense to pair with the pass rush of T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward.

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