The Steelers front office was hamstrung this offseason by limited cap space, but they could have avoided these three crucial errors.
Steelers fans hoping to see their favorite team splash big money in free agency were certainly disappointed. Pittsburgh simply didn’t have the cap space require to be a mover and shaker this offseason.
Instead, GM Kevin Colbert and his staff had to focus their attention on working around the margins. The Steelers have the high-end star talent required to be Super Bowl contenders, but the depth of their 53-man roster is a major concern.
Even if the Steelers’ offseason is graded on a curve due to their lack of resources there are still some really questionable decisions on the team’s ledger. The following three moves deserve serious scrutiny from the team’s passionate fan base.
3. The Steelers made a mistake drafting Najee Harris in Round 1
Harris may deserve to be called the best running back in his draft class, but there’s a significant amount of data out there that argues running back just isn’t a position that any team should address in Round 1.
Even if Harris is a talented enough back to be the exception to that rule, he still doesn’t make sense for Pittsburgh. They simply have too many other holes on the roster to fill to engage in the luxury of selecting a running back in the first round.
Nabbing a potential replacement for Alejandro Villanueva at left tackle or Bud Dupree at edge rusher would have been the more prudent draft strategy. Harris will rack up stats for the Steelers in 2021 but he might not add to his team’s win total.