More than thirty percent of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 salary cap space is already reserved for three defensive players. Given this, it is unlikely that the Steelers will sign a well-known free agent to play defense.
However, Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones was mentioned by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac as the target when asked about the hypothetical scenario in which the Steelers do sign a defensive star.
Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was a huge supporter of such idea.
According to Zeise on The Post-Gazette Sports YouTube channel, “Chris Jones would be a really good addition to the Steelers.” “What if they had him along with [T.J.] Watt and [Alex] Highsmith? Technically, I suppose, you would also still have Cam Heyward.
That, in a lot of respects, would be a front-seven for the ages.
In 16 games during the regular season, Jones recorded 10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and 29 quarterback hits for the Chiefs in 2023. For the previous two seasons, he was nominated to the first team of the All-Pro team.
In 2018, 2020, and 2021, Jones was also a member of the second team All-Pro.
He has an expiring 4-year, $80 million contract with the Chiefs. If Kansas City decides not to apply the franchise tag to Jones, he will become an unrestricted free agency in March.
The Steelers’ dream of signing Chris Jones as a DT is unlikely.
Adam Bittner, the presenter of The Post-Gazette’s YouTube channel, called his piece with Zeise “dream Steelers free agents” for a reason. It is quite unlikely that Pittsburgh will sign any of the players they recommended.
When he suggested Jones to the Steelers, Dulac stated as much.
When asked if the organization would bet everything on one player in free agency, Dulac replied, “To start, they are NEVER going to do that.” “However, Chris Jones seems like the best option because you want to play that game.”
As with Cameron Heyward’s career, Jones is an excellent player who only gets better with age.
For the first time in his career, he recorded back-to-back seasons with double-digit sacks in 2022 and 2023. The Chiefs were able to win consecutive Super Bowls as a result.
Jones will now receive compensation for that output. This offseason, Spotrac estimated his value at $85.4 million on a three-year contract. Jones would receive an average salary of $28.4 million per year from that.
To include Jones on the roster, the Steelers would have to perform some salary cap acrobatics. Even yet, signing him would significantly limit their other options for free agency.
In any case, general manager Omar Khan is unlikely to gamble heavily on a single free agent. However, he could if the team was only one defensive play away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
However, the Steelers are not like that. In the draft and free agency, they need to address their needs at quarterback, offensive lineman, linebacker, and cornerback.
Steelers Could Look at More Authentic Free Agent ProspectsÂ
Dulac did not provide an explanation for his selection of Jones as the Steelers’ ideal free agent. However, over the past year, Dulac has argued that the Steelers should add more quality and depth to their defensive line.
The NFL draft is still two months away. However, preliminary data suggests that the 2024 class lacks defensive strength.
In the event that it turns out to be true, the Steelers will probably use free agency to add more defensive line depth. Though the Steelers have also been said to be interested in Justin Madubuike this offseason, it will likely be for less expensive options than Jones.
However, Khan’s cost to spend on the defensive line may vary depending on the team’s other free agency intentions.
The Steelers’ first goal in free agency is to acquire a quarterback to challenge Kenny Pickett. Offensive lineman and cornerback are probably the next most important positions.
This could indicate that the Steelers look for defensive line depth a little later in free agency by searching the discount bin.
But in the interim, one might dream of Jones visiting Pittsburgh.
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