3 players Pittsburgh Steelers can sign with Bud Dupree’s money

2. Curtis Samuel

Wide receiver isn’t a position of profound need for the Steelers, but they will have an intriguing vacancy to fill if JuJu Smith-Schuster departs via free agency. Landing a versatile weapon like Samuel in free agency could add a lot of juice to Pittsburgh’s offense in 2021.

Samuel is a quality slot wideout who can turn short throws into solid gains. That’s of particular importance for the Steelers given Roethlisberger’s declining arm strength. It’s logical to assume they’ll need to produce more explosive plays from the line of scrimmage next season.

The real X-factor to Samuel’s game is that he also can help his team from the offensive backfield. The Panthers regularly lined him up as a running back on obvious passing downs. That could help Pittsburgh soften the blow of James Conner’s likely departure via free agency.

Samuel’s free agency price tag is tough to project at the moment, but his market will be depressed by the star power at the top of this year’s wide receiver class. The Steelers could swoop him and get him to sign for a relative bargain if they play their cards right.