Phillip Lindsay rumors: 5 best fits in NFL free agency

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger is clearly diminished and limited, so another season where he finishes top-5 in pass attempts (608 in 15 games; third in the league this year) is not going to be ideal for the Steelers in 2021. That will require more commitment to, and more production from, the ground game. Pittsburgh had the league’s worst rushing attack this year (84.4 yards per game), while registering a league-worst 3.6 yards per carry and coming in near the bottom in attempts (373; 28th in the league).

James Conner is a free agent, and while he can probably be brought back cheaply the Steelers have also probably seen enough to move on. Benny Snell is a capably average back who has occasional nice games when he has to step in, and Anthony McFarland is a wild card after getting just 33 carries as a rookie this year.

The Steelers are over the salary cap with some big decisions to make, starting with how to extend Roethlisberger to reduce his massive cap hit and if they’ll be able to make a run to retain JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bud Dupree. But letting Conner pursue outside opportunities puts them in line to replace him, and Lindsay could provide a nice spark to a lagging rush offense.