Pittsburgh Steelers Display Proactivity in Early Free Agency

During the first ten days of the agency, Pittsburgh has made some big moves and, while there's still work to do, early activity in General Manager Omar Khan's second full offseason in charge will enthuse Steelers supporters and sports bettors for the upcoming season.

Pittsburgh simply had to do free agency business in a bid to halt a stretch of eight years without a playoff victory. The Pennsylvania franchise has not disappointed so far, making some of the NFL's most high-profile signings early doors.

From a Pennsylvania sports betting perspective, the value these signings bring to Acrisure Stadium sees the chances of an AFC Conference title win shortened in the early projected odds for the 2024/25 season. With betting for the season still to open, free agency activity ongoing, and the 2024 NFL Draft pending, punters using the best sportsbooks in Pennsylvania can expect odds of +4500 on The Steelers.

While this only ranks twelfth in the AFC, far behind the favored Kansas City Chiefs (+330), Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens (+500), Cincinnati Bengals (+700), and Miami Dolphins (+1000), the strong run-in to the Wild Card playoffs in 2023 indicate the Pittsburgh Steelers was a team transitioning to better things, and the early improvements could make the franchise something of a value bet to watch.

After injury problems to regular quarterback Kenny Pickett during 2023, Mason Rudolph started the final few regular season games and the Wild Card playoff loss against the Buffalo Bills. It became evident to the Steelers hierarchy that neither option was a long-term solution in the pivotal position and much work has been done in the offseason to secure replacements for the pair.

On 15 March, Pittsburgh finally got its man. After prolonged negotiations, the experienced Denver Broncos quarterback, Russell Wilson, signed as a free agent, opening the door for Pickett's trade to local NFL rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, a day later. 

In 35-year-old Wilson, The Steelers secured an ex-Super Bowl champion during his time with the Seattle Seahawks and a nine-time Pro Bowl selection with over 200 NFL appearances. While life at The Broncos hasn't been too kind to Russell Wilson over the past two seasons, hopes are he will provide the stability, tactical nous, and passing talent at quarterback that the Pittsburgh franchise has been lacking recently.

Despite starting in the three-game winning streak to end the 2023 regular season and see The Steelers into the Wild Card round, Khan and the franchise ownership didn't see Mason Rudolph as a long-term starting quarterback option. It was not surprising when the 28-year-old was traded to the Tennessee Titans on 15 March, with trade negotiations for backup quarterback target Justin Fields complete.

Fields arrived at Acrisure Stadium the following day, successfully traded from the Chicago Bears. The 25-year-old, an eleventh overall first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was in the final year of his rookie contract in Chicago and was hence an economical option with unquestionable pedigree. 

With 38 starts in his three seasons with The Bears, Pittsburgh sees Justin Fields as a young, talented quarterback who has benefited from NFL game time and will serve and learn as an understudy to the experienced Wilson. With Wilson's mentorship, the hope is he'll be completely ready to assume the starting quarterback role sooner rather than later.

Fields and Wilson appear to be quarterback upgrades in the Arthur Smith offensive gameplay at Pittsburgh. They are both statistical improvements in off-play action to Pickett and Rudolph, which should make them better fits in the head coach's favored system. 

While the quarterback position has been a pressing concern for a while in Pittsburgh, reinforcements and replacements were due in other areas as well. It seems the ongoing Steelers' quest for a top-class linebacker might be over with the recent acquisition of Patrick Queen from the Baltimore Ravens.

Queen experienced a sharp upturn in form for The Ravens in 2023, with career-highs in tackles and pass breakups earning him his first Pro Bowl selection before the end of the regular season. With Baltimore declining the fifth-year option on his contract before the start of last season, his motivation to perform throughout the campaign earned the 2020 NFL Draft first-round pick a three-year deal with The Steelers on 15 March.

Together with Roquan Smith, his middle linebacker teammate at The Ravens, Queen formed arguably the best middle linebacker pairing in the NFL last season. Now, without his erstwhile partner, the 24-year-old has expressed his eagerness to play with Cam Hayward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and T.J. Watt while proving he has what it takes to be "that guy" in The Steelers midfield defense. 

Australian-born Cameron Johnston arrived in Pittsburgh as a free agent from the Houston Texans, where he spent the last two seasons. After suffering a calf injury in late August 2023, Johnson missed much of the business end of the regular season which, at 32 years old, was of concern to his employers. 

With his contract expiring the experienced punter, with over 21,000 NFL punting yards in his career and a longest recorded punt of 74 meters, opted to sign a three-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The contract has made Johnston one of the NFL's highest-paid punters, as Pittsburgh recognized his stellar performances when available in the last campaign.

Despite missing much of his final regular season with The Texans, Cameron Johnston's 30 punts completed inside the opposition's 20-yard-line tied him for seventh in the league, and he ended 2023/24 with the fourth-highest net punt average in the NFL. Pittsburgh's hierarchy views the Australian as an improvement on its previous punter, Pressley Harvin III, who was released as a free agent in February.

The Pittsburgh Steelers still have much to do to become a consistent force in the NFL. The promising start to free agency, and the 2024 NFL Draft to come, has left fans and those supporting them at the bookies hopeful of an improved campaign in the season ahead. 

Although competing for the AFC Conference title may seem a way off, playoff qualification and that elusive postseason win remain an immediate priority at Acrisure Stadium.