The Pittsburgh Steelers have had their offensive line struggles for what feels like continuously now. The two biggest weak points alongside the starting five are the core and left tackle positions. The Steelers drafted Broderick Jones in the first spherical of the 2023 NFL Draft, and it is uncertain what side he will play on in 2024. Jones was drafted as a left tackle, however after Chukwuma Okorafor was benched in 2023, Jones took over as the beginning right tackle. This left Dan Moore Jr. as the groups starting blind side protector, and he has been graded as one of the worst in the league at his position. The Steelers need to upgrade the left handle spot, and they may also have a danger to do so.
Steelers Should Go After Expected Free Agent David Bakhtiari
Every offseason, teams go via a lot of changeover. Sometimes that involves moving on from a participant that has shown their age, been riddled with injuries, or bought signed to a bad contract.
Two out of these three reasons are the case for the Green Bay Packers and left address David Bakhtiari. He has had an unlucky time with injuries over the last five seasons, and his cutting-edge cap hit for the 2024 NFL season is nearly $40 million. Matt Schneidman of The Athletic lately wrote about the likelihood of Green Bay moving on from their franchise left tackle.
“Bakhtiari hopes something surgical procedure he had after playing solely the season opener in 2023 will finally put him in the clear, but the Packers are getting youthful and can’t moderately afford banking on Bakhtiari’s knee at his modern price. The Packers will assuredly exchange or release Bakhtiari, maybe the New York Jets fork over a late-round choose to reunite Bakhtiari with his historical golf cart friend Aaron Rodgers, and that’s now not a joke.”
Bakhtiari has been with the Packers for the reason that they drafted him in 2013. He has started out each sport he has played in, which obviously led to him forming a strong relationship with Aaron Rodgers. The New York Jets also want offensive line help, however they would in no way trade for him due to his cap hit and current damage history. The Jets know a thing or two about paying a man a lot of cash simply for him to unfortunately get hurt, and it’s probable they do not want to make that mistake again.
Bakhtiari has been named to an All-Pro team five times in his career, and there used to be a time earlier than his injuries when he was well worth his luxurious fee tag. Bakhtiari’s harm history is extensive, he tore his ACL in the direction of the cease of the 2020 everyday season.
This caused him to leave out the majority of the 2021 season, in 2022 he missed the end of the normal season due to an emergency appendectomy. He was once wholesome coming into the 2023 season, but re-injured his knee in Week 1 towards the Chicago Bears.
Bakhtiari being launched by way of Green Bay is all but done. The corporation would retailer $21 million in cap area through releasing him, it is a no brainer. That skill he would hit the open market, so that begs the question, is the chance of signing Bakhtiari well worth the reward for the Steelers?
Absolutely. Almost some thing is an improve from Moore Jr. at the left tackle position. Bakhtiari showed is nonetheless capable of being one of the better offensive linemen in the NFL in the course of his Week 1 performance in opposition to the Bears. He received a 78.3 usual grade from PFF, and acquired a pristine 89.9 omit blocking grade. Despite his injuries, he can nonetheless hold his own.
Tyron Smith of the Dallas Cowboys is a 12 months older than Bakhtiari and is presently the pinnacle free agent that performs left tackle, his market value sits at $7.4 million annually. Smith used to be named a Second-Team All-Pro in 2023, so Bakhtiari would not be making as lots as him. Bakhtiari would be very affordable for Pittsburgh, and if he is in a position to remain healthful it would be a steal.
