Steelers 2010 FA Wishlist, Dreaming Out Loud…
February 1, 2010 by steelerguy26
Filed under Blitz Blog
With the season over for the Pittsburgh Steelers it is time to turn our attentions to the next wave, free agency and the draft. We will have our draft post up in a few days, but until then I would like to focus on the upcoming free agency period. A possible wish list so to say of players around the league I feel would fill both needs for our beloved Steelers and fit into our scheme.
Going into the off season the Steelers have several needs to fill including, corner back, safety (free and strong), youth at linebacker and on the defensive-line, a heir apparent to James Farrior, half back, tight end, offensive-line and possibly a kicker.
With so many needs there is no way the Steelers can fill them all via the draft. As we all know they won’t fill many via free agency either, that’s just not how the front office works in Pittsburgh. Sure a value FA here or there but to make a splash would be uncharted water for the Steelers, they just won’t do it. Does not mean we can’t dream as fans or talk about guys who we would love to see in the Black & Gold, so……..
The running back position has been solid for several years in Pittsburgh with Willie Parker leading the way but he has been prone to injuries the last few seasons and is all but gone this year due to the emergence of Rashard Mendenhall. With Parker gone the Steelers are left with Mewelde Moore as the only experienced back up. Sure there is Issac Redman and Justin Vincent on the practice squad and the HB-FB tweener in Frank Summers on the roster but none have proven they can be the backup to Mendy yet.
Running Back:
One free agent on the market this year that should intrigue the Steelers, if not Mike Tomlin, is Chester Taylorof the Minny Vikes. Tomlin knows him well and he has the attitude to be a Steeler and the ability to step in if Mendenhall was to get injured or just needed a break. He is a solid runner and can catch out of the backfield as well and his ability to pick up the blitz, as a blocker, is one of his best qualities.
Another possibility would be Leon Washingtonof the Jets. He would make a real nice lightning to Mendenhall’s thunder. The problem with Washington is the Jets want him back at all cost and his chances of hitting the market are slim to none.
At corner back a dream come true for the Steelers would be to sign Dunta Robinson,he had a down season last year but can still be a great corner in the league and at just 28 years old he has several good years left in him. He would be an instant upgrade to a struggling secondary and fill a need while youngsters Joe Bennett and Keenan Lewis develop. It would also free up a high draft pick for other needs and not force the Steelers to draft a top tier CB on day one.
The safety position is one the Steelers could feasibly look into a free agent to help shore up, the won’t go big but they could use a guy like, Eagles Sean Jones to help hold down the fort until a younger replacement is developed. I would prefer them to re-sign Ryan Clark and draft a solid safety on day one but if Clark leaves via free agency Jones would be a decent fill in for the next season or two.
A dream scenario would be the Jets cutting Kerry Rhodes (real possibility) and him transferring over to the Black & Gold, he hits like a mack truck and has great ball skills, not to mention he is still relatively young and knows the 3-4 defense well. If I had just one FA, anyone I could have as a Steeler next year, Rhodes is the one.
Though wide receiver is not an must sign or absolute need today it will be in the next season or two. Hines Ward is not going to play forever and behind him Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace are the only proven players on the roster. I have not given up on Limas Sweed yet, but a great back up plan would be to take a look at the Giants, Domenik Hixon, or the Jets, David Clowney, both are young and have allot of room to grow but could help a special teams out with their return skills as well.
On the offensive-line the Steelers would do themselves a favor by enlisting the services of the Ravens, Marshal Yanda, he is young and talented and could help to bolster the line and take away the pressure on draft day to be forced to reach for linemen. Even if he can’t start, he gives the team some youth to work with and develop.
There are several other players on the market the Steelers could take a look at but many of them will either be restricted with no CBA agreement or too old to waste the money on. The Steelers do not have a lack of talent but rather a lack of an infusion of youth to build on for the future at several key positions. So no need to spend dollars on 30+ players as we already have plenty of those.
What I want to see is youth and talent for the future added to the team via free agency. Players like Ward, Casey Hampton (who the Steelers really need to re-sign), Farrior, Brett Keisle, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, Deshea Townsand and many others are on borrowed time and aging legs and there needs to be some talent added to the team to groom as replacements.
We all know the Steelers will be looking at Corner, Safety, O-line, Linebacker and D-line in the draft but if they are able to get one or two of those players at a discount rate, via free agency, then I am all for it. Specially if it opens up the draft to best player available instead of reaching to fit holes or needs.
I would love to hear everyone else’s wishlist in free agency so feel free to respond to this post guys with who you would like to see wearing the Black & Gold next season. Thanks for reading and until next time, take care all.
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Chester Taylor is high on my list. He’s kind of like the deluxe version of Mewelde Moore as a multi-purpose back. It would be fun to steal Adam Terry from the Ravens to move to Right Tackle, but not very likely. Dunta Robinson would be great. Kerry Rhoades not so much. The Steelers tend to stay away from guys that yell at coaches, even if the coaches deserved it. I think hanging on to Ryan Clark is a must even if they draft Safety help. Ryan owns that position when Troy is healthy. They need a youth movement on the O-line, D-line and Linbacker positions from the draft or undrafted free agents. The talent pool will be deeper in undrafted FA due to all the athletes declaring early.