The Pittsburgh Steelers announced that they’d officially released veteran center Mason Cole ahead of free agency Friday — a move that was long expected after a fairly disastrous 2023 campaign. The release saved the Steelers just under $5 million in cap space for the 2024 season, which is a huge plus as they rumble through the couch cushions looking for change ahead of free agency… but now, they’ll be tasked with finding their future anchor on the offensive line — whether that be in the draft, via trade, or free agency.
Here’s a look at several centers that should be on the Steelers’ radar in free agency, including projected contract values courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Free agent centers the Steelers could consider in 2024
Lloyd Cushenberry (Denver Broncos)
Projected contract: Four years, $57.1 million ($34.25m guaranteed, $14.28 AAV)
Former third-round pick Lloyd Cushenberry has spent each of his four seasons with the Denver Broncos and earned himself a nice bag as one of the top available free agent centers this offseason with a solid 2023 campaign. Cushenberry’s strengths, in particular, have been in pass protection — something the Steelers have been sorely missing in recent years — having allowed just 14 total pressures over 17 games this season compared to Cole’s 37 (18 games played).
Mile High Report’s Ross Allen highlighted some of his improvements from the 2023 season:
He improved in each blocking category, but his biggest improvement wasn’t in anything specific, but rather just in his overall presence up front. He looked more in control of the game. He read defenses better and was able to take care of managing blocking assignments. It looked like the rest of the line was more confident in his decision-making as well. And while it is hard to quantify these statements, this is what my eyes were telling me.
These new skills transferred over into how well Cushenberry worked with his two guards in the running game. As a center, he was almost always double-teaming with one of his guards, or he was downblocking to cover for the pulling guard. I enjoyed his double-teams with Meinerz the most. They served as a wrecking ball of a tandem, consistently taking care of both their first and second-level assignments. He was clean and didn’t get beat off of the line of scrimmage often.
Connor Williams (Miami Dolphins)
Projected contract: Three years, $22.5 million ($12.5m guaranteed, $7.5m AAV)
Connor Williams might be one of the preferred free agent options at center this offseason, but only for those teams that can afford to wait on his availability after suffering a torn ACL late in the 2023 season. The Steelers can’t really afford to wait on his availability, of course, considering they just released Mason Cole, but if they can find themselves a decent bridge to fill the gap until he’s fully rehabilitated, Williams would be a clutch signing as he enters his age-27 season.
Leave a Reply