Free Agency Showing Steelers' Faith in Youth Rising to the Occasion

It's a timely tradition like no other: Teams creating cap space by letting big-name players go and opting for younger (and less expensive) options through the NFL Draft. General Manager Kevin Colbert and the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization know this drill all too well, as every offseason is another nifty puzzle of figuring out which players truly need to stay, and which can go find out if the grass is truly greener.

While the ink is still wet on Colbert's newest extension that will ensure his services through the 2022 NFL Draft, the Steelers yet again find themselves in a position to only retain certain (less expensive) options, particularly in an offseason where the salary cap dropped and made roster decisions even harder.

As a result, a few household names in Pittsburgh now find themselves playing for other teams.

Bud Dupree's 5-yr/$85 million dollar deal with the Tennessee Titans surely would have been hard to match, as well as Matt Feiler's 3-yr/$21 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. Deservingly paid? Some will argue yes, while others will argue for the other side of the coin. Losses such as Mike Hilton and Vince Williams leave more holes for the Steelers to figure out as well.

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Despite those losses, however, Pittsburgh appears confident in their younger group of players to successfully fill those roles.

Realistically speaking, Feiler's 2020 campaign was nothing to write home about. A position switch from right tackle to left guard forced Feiler to quickly adapt to a new style of play upfront, and while a one-game sample size against Aaron Donald in 2019 led many to believe he would be successful, the Steelers quickly realized Feiler simply wasn't equipped to serve as an offensive guard.

Replacing Feiler is Kevin Dotson, Pittsburgh's fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft who impressed greatly despite limited action. Labeled as potentially the best offensive guard in the draft by former NFL offensive linemen Geoff Schwartz, Dotson appears all but ready to anchor the left side of the offensive line for years to come.

Replacing Dupree will be a little more difficult, as his sack production in Pittsburgh playing opposite of T.J. Watt obviously earned Dupree a valuable but deserving payday. While Dupree performed well in terms of getting to the quarterback (his last couple years, at least), Dupree's abilities in tracking running backs in the rushing attack remains a very underrated aspect of his game.

Alex Highsmith, the team's third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, got his chance to shine following Dupree's ACL tear in week twelve last season. Although Highsmith performed well as a rotational piece, he eventually showed signs of being a capable starter in Dupree's place, combining for 17 tackles, six quarterback pressures, three quarterback hurries, two quarterback knockdowns and one sack during the final two weeks of the regular season.

Despite being the heart and soul of the Steelers' front seven, Vince Williams was told to pack his bags and search for a new team, saving the Steelers $4 million dollars in cap space. Although Williams doesn't quite fit the mold of a modern inside linebacker, his toughness, ability to fill gaps and overall leadership qualities make him a hard player to part with.

Presumably taking his place (at least with the current roster) is 25-year-old Robert Spillane, who many will remember for stopping Derrick Henry dead in his tracks at the goal line when the two last met in 2020. Spillane more-so fits the mold of Williams than a player of Devin Bush's skill-set, yet Spillane proved he could, at minimum, provide a serviceable stop-gap at the position, should the Steelers want to draft his replacement down the road.

Although they are expected to fill some of the biggest spots, Dotson and Highsmith aren't the only two members of Pittsburgh's 2020 draft class that looks to be called upon for larger roles. The expected loss of JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency means big things are on the horizon for second-round pick Chase Claypool, while Pittsburgh's second fourth-round pick in Anthony McFarland may see an increased role in the backfield following the departure of James Conner.

Even with Tyson Alualu signing back with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Steelers' best current options to start at nose tackle either appears to be either a 24-year-old Isaiah Buggs or 2020 seventh-round pick Carlos Davis.

Players come and go, and while the Steelers would have loved to retain a sizeable chunk of players that will be on different rosters next season, the team simply couldn't match most offers thrown at their free agents.

However, thanks to a tried and true method of building through the NFL Draft, the Steelers appear all but confident in their young players to shine when the spotlight hits them as starters next season.

Donnie Druin is a Staff Writer with AllSteelers. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.