Mark Madden: Bargain shopping Steelers likely to again make mediocre moves during free agency

NFL free agency starts March 12. That’s not far off. But there’s no reason to be excited about what the Steelers will do.

Because they won’t do anything.

Not until the first wave subsides. Then the Steelers will do their usual bargain shopping.

The Steelers have a little over $60 million in cap space, ninth-most in the NFL.

Given the holes that dot their depth chart, you’d think the Steelers would fill some of those quickly, decisively and with quality. Spend a bit.

They won’t. They don’t.

Their usual ceiling in free agency is the mediocrity displayed by meh talents like linebacker Patrick Queen.

Queen was the big get in 2024’s offseason. He was immediately overestimated, then performed at a soft and mediocre level.

Maybe it’s easier to lay low.

Same thing with the quarterback situation. Keep whoever doesn’t sign elsewhere. Let Justin Fields and Russell Wilson settle it among themselves. The desperate work cheaper. If worse comes to worst, there’s always Kyle Allen.

The Steelers’ approach to free agency makes it tough on my industry. Unless you speculate about targets the Steelers won’t pursue, and who probably wouldn’t want to play in Pittsburgh anyway.

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Then the Dollar General guys put pen to paper, and everybody pretends they’re better than they are. Even after they play and we see they’re not.

The Steelers’ holes are obvious.

They need a No. 2 wideout after amazingly playing an entire season without one. (Deebo Samuel just moved from San Francisco to Washington for only a fifth-round pick.)

They need a therapist to treat George Pickens.

They need a cornerback to start opposite Joey Porter Jr., but not Darius Slay. Slay just won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia, but he’s 34. It’d be Patrick Peterson all over again.

They need a defensive lineman. All of theirs are substandard besides Cam Heyward, and he’s 35.

They need a running back, but will likely retain Najee Harris. (At a higher price than if they had picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.)

They need better offensive linemen. Two years later, they’re finally going to put Broderick Jones at left tackle, the position Jones was drafted to play when they traded up to take him.

The Steelers’ rotten rushing attack drew fire from ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, who said the Steelers have “lost (their) identity as an organization” after pointing out that their average of 3.9 yards per carry over the last six seasons is the worst mark in the NFL.

Truer words have not been spoken, especially the part about the Steelers losing their identity.

The Steelers’ identity is running the ball, playing elite defense and bullying the opposition. But they do none of the above, and to a laughable degree.

Steelers owner Art Rooney II, the less flamboyant version of Jerry Jones, has said the Steelers are sick of not winning playoff games. He throws around words like “urgency.”

But when such talk isn’t acted on, it’s empty rhetoric.

Quarterback is football’s most important position, but the Steelers can’t decide what to do there. If you’re not urgent about quarterback, what will you be urgent about?

The priority should be to extend edge rusher T.J. Watt. (He said sarcastically.)

Watt had a blah season, fading as the campaign grew older. He went without a sack in 10 of the Steelers’ 18 games (including playoffs). Watt had no stats at all in the last two games. He’s 30 and battered, the price paid for playing every snap like a five-car pileup.

It would be best to let the final year of his deal play out, then decide Watt’s future.

But Watt would be unhappy. So, that path is logical but not an option.

If Watt holds in during training camp, the Steelers will give in. Like always. So, get the capitulation over with.

It’s easier to give Watt a raise. He’s due $30 million in 2025. Give him a two-year extension worth $70 million. His performance might continue to dwindle, but Watt is a real Steeler (albeit one that’s never won a playoff game).

I have zero faith in the Steelers’ organization. It’s stale and boring. I will assume any decision made to be the wrong one.