C doesn’t stand for “degree” in the NFL. Amid the alphabet soup of acronym-based sites and reference points, Pro Football Focus (PFF) provides some of the most popular, if not controversial, grades among NFL players and teams. And something resembling “average” isn’t all that great. They recently doled out grades for each team’s free agency moves to date — a reasonable point, considering the majority of money committed to being spent is done in the first two weeks of the NFL’s free agency season.
The Steelers are a decent step ahead of a relative and subjective “average” mark, earning a B+ for their acquisitions, and departures, in free agency.
The signing of LB Patrick Queen is the focus of their analysis, citing:
We called our shot here on Queen becoming the next Tremaine Edmunds type signing, a fourth-year breakout of sorts — carrying over a strong second half of 2022 — who earned Pro Bowl honors as a former first-rounder. However, Pittsburgh was able to anchor this deal to the other upper mid-tier linebacker deals signed this offseason instead of closer to the true top of the market.
Queen signed a three-year, $41 million deal with the Steelers, shifting over from the Ravens after a decent four-year start to his career. While the Ravens didn’t pick up Queen’s fifth-year option, and traded second and fifth-round picks to Chicago for Roquan Smith, and then gave him a top-of-market contract, Queen’s value to the Steelers is excellent.
The Steelers also signed QB Russell Wilson, and will pay him the league minimum, creating the opportunity to give them, by far, the biggest value-add of the offseason. Starting quarterbacks rarely play for that price (this doesn’t account for the $38 million Wilson is being paid by the Broncos following his release).
The acquisition of QB Justin Fields is also notable, giving the Steelers a completely different quarterback room — minus Mitch Trubisky (cut), Mason Rudolph (signed with Tennessee) and Kenny Pickett (traded to Philadelphia).
They also jettisoned WR Diontae Jackson to Carolina for CB Donte Jackson and signed P Cameron Johnston to replace released Pressly Harvin III.
Author(s)
Neal Coolong is a co-founder of Resilience Media, partnering with The Sporting News. He was previously the breaking and trending news editor at Sports Illustrated, and the founder and managing editor of the NFL Wire Network for USA TODAY Sports Media Group after launching Steelers Wire for the network.
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