Don’t Forget About Free Agency

Free agency became a legitimate way for teams to reinforce their rosters in the early 1990s, but the Steelers are rarely if ever among the so-called winners in March.

The Steelers haven’t ignored free agency; they have simply picked their spots while other franchises have habitually embarked on spending sprees that rarely transformed them into Super Bowl contenders.

Free-agent signings have loomed large in the Steelers returning to the Super Bowl four times and winning two of them since the 1970s. Here are the Steelers’ top five free-agent signings:

LB James Farrior—The Steelers struck gold when they signed Farrior to a three-year, $5.125 million contract in 2002 after the New York Jets decided to part ways with their former first-round draft pick. Farrior made two Pro Bowls in 10 seasons with the Steelers and finished runner-up to Ed Reed for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2004. “Potsy,” a name given to him by his mother because of his belly as a baby, stabilized the middle of the Steelers’ defense and emerged as one of the best leaders in franchise history. Coach Mike Tomlin referred to him as the “alpha male” others rallied around in a locker room filled with strong personalities. No wonder Farrior’s teammates voted him a captain for eight consecutive seasons.

S Ryan Clark—Clark overcame life-threatening complications from sickle-cell trait in 2007 to team with Troy Polamalu and give the Steelers their best safety tandem since Donnie Shell and Mike Wagner in the 1970s. Clark loved to talk, loved to hit, and he did a lot of both after signing a four-year, $7 million contract with the Steelers in 2007. The former undrafted free agent emerged as an ideal complement to Polamalu because the two close friends knew each other so well on and off the field. Clark was an underrated player on the 2008 defense that drove the Steelers’ run to a record sixth Super Bowl title.

C Jeff Hartings—The Steelers signed the former Lions guard to a six-year, $24.75 million contract in 2001, and Hartings flourished in Pittsburgh despite changing positions and replacing future Pro Football Hall of Famer Dermontti Dawson. Hartings twice made the Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl before retiring in 2007 because of recurring knee problems. He is part of the impressive lineage that the Steelers have at center.

OLB Kevin Greene—The newly minted Pro Football Hall of Famer played just three seasons in Pittsburgh after the Steelers signed him to a $5.35 million contract in 1993. But Greene and Greg Lloyd put the blitz in “Blitzburgh” and the former registered 35.5 sacks from 1993 to ’95, including an NFL-best 14 in 1994. The Steelers played in the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl in Greene’s final two seasons with the team and his time in Pittsburgh helped Greene make the All-NFL team in the 1990s.

RB DeAngelo Williams—The Carolina Panthers’ all-time leading rusher signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Steelers, and his addition proved to be crucial in 2015 after Le’Veon Bell played six games that were sandwiched between a suspension and a season-ending knee injury. Williams rushed for 907 yards and 11 touchdowns—the latter tied him for the most in the NFL—and he gave the Steelers a premium insurance policy a year after not having one may have cost the team a chance of making a run for the Super Bowl. Williams accepted his role as Bell’s understudy when he signed with the Steelers and then did a pretty damn good impersonation of Bell while rejuvenating his career. A foot injury kept Williams out of the playoffs, and the Steelers might have made the Super Bowl had he not gotten hurt in their regular-season finale.