The Jig Is Up: Steelers Offseason, Vol. 8, Pre-Free Agency

Recently I was thinking about my time writing about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Throughout my career doing so, I’ve essentially done it all.

Commentary, news, breaking stories, features and even took a stab at simple film room breakdowns.

The one thing I’ve never done is work on just a random thought type format.

I can’t speak for you, the reader, but I am always thinking about writing and the Steelers. Thinking about different aspects of the team and game. Thanks to reading Myron Cope’s biography I decided to put a unique spin on this type of feature.

Now, for the name of the article, anyone who is familiar with the Styx song “Renegade” should know where it came from. If not, this is where it came from…

The jig is up, the news is out
They finally found me
The renegade who had it made
Retrieved for a bounty
Nevermore to go astray
This’ll be the end today of the wanted man

The jig is up…time for some randomness.

Describing Omar 

On the Steelers Preview podcast I asked my co-hosts Dave Schofield and Bryan Davis how they would describe Omar Khan. Dave said “Aggressive” while Bryan said “Quality”.

Both good answers, but when I thought about it I was wondering if the word “Patience” would have been an appropriate word to describe the Steelers General Manager (GM). Khan has shows more patience than aggression throughout his brief tenure with the team, in my opinion, and sometimes to a fault.

When it comes to player acquisition, Khan seems to hold steady with his individual demands, and wait until the team they are trading with, or the player they want to sign, comes to terms with him. If that doesn’t happen, the deal likely doesn’t happen either. Maybe this is a directive from above Khan, but to me patience, almost to a fault, is how I would describe Khan at this juncture. This offseason could change all that though…

More Cap Space Coming?

Thursday the Steelers freed up another $4-5 million dollars by agreeing to a restructured contract with ILB Cole Holcomb, but more money could be freed up in a variety of ways.

• The team could save upwards of $7 million if they cut ties with Larry Ogunjobi
• They could save just over $2 million if they cut Cordarrelle Patterson
• Agreeing to a new deal with T.J. Watt could decrease his $30 million dollar cap hit

Will they make any of these moves before the new league year? That’s anyone’s guess, but there is a way for the Steelers to turn their $64 million dollars in salary cap space into a lot more.

Paying T.J. Just Got Complicated

Speaking of extending T.J. Watt, the contract given to Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders is certainly going to complicate things. Not so much from the total number of the contract, or even the years, but the guaranteed money. The Steelers don’t typically like to throw around that much guaranteed in a contract, and it will be intriguing to see if they break that trend with Watt.

Another aspect of these negotiations which will be interesting to watch will be if Watt wants to “reset” the market, or if he is willing to take a little less and stay in Pittsburgh. Yeah, this contract just got more complex, and the Steelers would be wise to get ahead of the Micah Parsons contract and any other pass rusher who could be getting a new deal via trade.

Pre-Free Agency Madness

I have to be honest, this has been a wild week in the NFL, and I didn’t expect it. The amount of teams who are making trades and releasing players has been crazy. We always talk about the Free Agent Frenzy, but I didn’t think there would be this many moves in pre-Free Agency.

While some teams are willing to explore trading players like Trey Hendrickson and D.K. Metcalf, it doesn’t mean they find a trade partner who will meet their needs. Nonetheless, the amount of moves which are being made for salary cap purposes have been astounding.

Next Week the Steelers Could Look Vastly Different

The NFL calendar moves fast, and with the new league year starting next week the Steelers roster could look vastly different than it does right now. The detractors would suggest every free agency the roster looks different, but with the Steelers equipped with the amount of cap space they have this could change a lot of position groups.

Not only that, when you look at the pending Steelers free agents there could be a ton of position groups who are almost completely re-made this offseason.

• Running Back
• Wide Receiver
• Quarterback

Just to name a few. So, when I say the roster could look vastly different one week from now, that is what I’m referring to at this juncture of the offseason. Will it be vastly better? We will find out soon enough.

Who Will Be the First QB Domino to Fall?

The free agent class if quarterbacks certainly leaves a lot to be desired from a lot of different perspectives, but teams like the Steelers who are in dire straits at the position will be in the market for a veteran looking for a new home. There are times when players get signed immediately, and others where it feels as if every team is waiting for the other to make the first move.

So, who will be the first quarterback domino to fall?

Will it be Sam Darnold signing with a team? Justin Fields choosing his next team?

It will take just one domino to drop before the rest start to follow, where the Steelers fit in this scheme will be extremely intriguing. Will they make the first domino fall, or be a team waiting?

What QB is the Fall Back?

At this point fans of the Steelers are expecting one of two quarterbacks to be the signal caller for the 2025 season.

Justin Fields or Russell Wilson

But what if the team doesn’t get either of these quarterbacks? Who would the fall back be?

They could easily do a traveled veteran like Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, or even someone like Jameis Winston. But who else is out there who fits the Upside and Cost criteria?

Here is a name which has been floated around a bit from some fans, but I’ll reiterate it here.

Daniel Jones

If the man they call “Danny Dimes” finds himself outside of the first wave of free agency and the Steelers lose out on the other two quarterbacks they were hoping to sign, Daniel Jones could be a good fit for the Steelers. He does have talent, which was evident at times while on a horrible New York Giants team, and he shouldn’t cost a lot. I could expound on this more, but it would look like a perfect bridge quarterback.

Build the Roster Should Be the Focus

Of course we all are wondering about the quarterback position, but we shouldn’t forget the ultimate objective from this offseason is to build the roster. The quarterback is important, but can the Steelers get the rest of the roster built to the point where they are truly “a QB away” from contending?

That should be the ultimate focus for this offseason in both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. If you get lucky at quarterback, and it would take plenty of luck, that would be fantastic, but if not the Steelers should focus on building the roster around the signal caller to prepare for contending in future years.

Player Spotlight

I wanted to start doing a spotlight segment every week during the offseason of a lesser known player who donned the black-and-gold for a time.

This week’s player: Najeh Davenport

After spending his rookie contract with the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Davenport in September of 2006. Once in Pittsburgh he had arguably his best game with the Steelers on Thursday, December 20, 2007, against the St. Louis Rams. Davenport had 24 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown, as well as two catches for 44 yards and another touchdown. He came into the game to relieve Willie Parker, who broke his fibula in the first quarter.

The Steelers released Davenport on June 28, 2008, but was re-signed on September 30 following injuries to Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall and Carey Davis. The Steelers released him again on November 8, only to re-sign him on November 27 due to the injury to Parker. Davenport was released once more on December 2.

Davenport, who had the nickname “Dookie”, finished the 2008 season with the Indianapolis Colts, and never played another snap in the NFL again.

That does it…the jig is up, they’ve finally found me. This renegade is outta here…be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the offseason.