The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a handful of moves in free agency to address their major needs. With those additions, the front office will be able to pick the best player available throughout the draft to help build for the future, as well as adding pieces to help now. However, the offseason has only begun, and the rumor mill is still churning with possible transactions that could still be made, and there are still quality players on the open market that are still looking for a job.
Steelers insider Mark Kaboly made an appearance on 93.7 The Fan to talk about what Pittsburgh has done and what it may do in the near future. He brought up the fact that there is still one position of need that the team could still target in free agency.
"I think [the Steelers] might add a big interior guy in free agency," Kaboly said. "A Calais Campbell-type. You're probably saying 'Okay, he's 100 years old and they have the oldest defensive line in the league,' but [he's] a guy that can plug up the middle and play just 20% of the snaps, then move [Keeanu] Benton to the outside."
The Steelers have a gaping hole on the defensive line. Cameron Heyward is expected to retire in two years and Larry Ogunjobi was recently cut and signed elsewhere before getting suspended. Keeanu Benton slowed down when it came to his development in his second year, so the team is expected to try and move him around to try and get him on the right track.
That leaves a gaping hole in the middle of the line. The Steelers' defense as a whole struggled down the stretch in 2024, and it gave up almost 300 rushing yards in their Wild Card loss. Getting a big guy that can eat up the A gaps is paramount for this unit. What they have on defense is clearly not enough.
Steelers Might Just Get Campbell
There is just one problem with this idea, as Kaboly and radio host Austin Bechtold found out: all the great interior defensive linemen have already been signed.
"The best one left is literally Calais Campbell," Bechtold said.
Kaboly gave some insight regarding what a Campbell signing could do for the Steelers.
"Between him and Cam [Heyward], they could probably knock down every path in the world. I think Calais Campbell leads the NFL all time in block kicks because he's like 6'9, but he's the kind you'd only need for 18 snaps per game," Kaboly responded.
If Calais Campbell plays in 2025, it will be his 18th season in the NFL. The veteran defensive lineman has been productive everywhere he's played and made the switch from end to tackle in 2023, and he has started all 34 games as an interior lineman over the previous two years. It's safe to say that he still has a little bit of football left in him.
The Steelers don't need Campbell to be the strong pass rusher that gets 14.5 sacks in a season like he once was. He just needs to be a strong presence as a 0 tech that can push opposing running backs to the outside for the elite edge rushers to take care of. Pittsburgh also loves blocking field goals, and Campbell would be great for that, as Kaboly also mentioned.
Worst-case scenario, Campbell becomes a quality depth piece and a mentor behind a rookie. With how often the veteran has started games in recent years, being a backup would be considered slowing down. His ability to stay on the field despite the physical nature of his position and the amount of time he has played is more than impressive. He could fit in perfectly with this physical defense.
