Two Surprise Steelers signings named favorite, least favorite move by Pro Football Focus – Steelers Depot

In an offseason that continues to be quite busy as GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl tinker with the roster, two signings stand out above the rest in positive and negative ways, at least as Pro Football Focus sees it.

According to PFF's Brad Spielberger, who wrote a piece highlighting his favorite and least-favorite signings for all 32 teams this offseason, Steelers signings of guard Isaac Seumalo and cornerback Patrick Peterson received those honors on Friday. Seumalo was the signing Spielberger liked the most, and Peterson was the signing he liked the least.

Seumalo, a standout starter for the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles en route to a Super Bowl appearance, signed a three year, $24 million deal in free agency with the Steelers. Peterson, coming off his best season since 2018, signed a two-year, $14 million deal just hours after the Steelers lost cornerback Cameron Sutton to the Detroit Lions in free agency.

Seumalo comes in as the starting left guard on an improved Steelers offensive line, while Peterson profiles as the new top cornerback in Pittsburgh who will also handle a mentorship role as Pittsburgh continues to revamp that position group.

“Seumalo was the top guard available on our free agent board, and while his age and injury history may have limited his market a bit, Pittsburgh still did very well here. Seumalo posted a career-high 75.2 overall grade and his third straight 77.0 plus passer rating 2022.” Spielberger writes highlighting the signing of Seumalo as his favorite move by the Steelers this offseason. “This career year was Seumalo's first start on the right wing after years of predominantly excelling at left guard, showing his versatility and talent.

“The Steelers now have five solid players who are capable of playing multiple guard spots and have experience at center, so they have extreme flexibility and injury insurance along the interior going forward. In the end, Seumalo's price might just have been too good to pass up, and that's smart by teams to still make these investments, even if one could argue that they are ‘set' in a position group.”

The Steelers did really well getting a guard of Seumalos' caliber for relatively cheap in free agency, bolstering the interior of the offensive line even further alongside center Mason Cole and opposite guard James Daniels, who were two anchors of the Steelers' rebuilt offensive line last the season.

Signing Seumalo made all the sense in the world. Weidl knows Seumalo quite well, having played a key role in drafting him out of Oregon State in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, then watching him develop into a starting guard. Seumalo played 81 career games for the Eagles and nine more in the playoffs.

Getting that type of player and inserting him as a starter on the left wing will do wonders for Pittsburgh moving forward at left guard with Kevin Dotson being a bit of a weakness in 2022.

As for Peterson, the Steelers pivoted quickly after losing Sutton to the Detroit Lions, but Peterson's fit is strange. Peterson played 76% zone coverage in 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings but joins a man-heavy system in Pittsburgh, which played the fifth-most man-coverage snaps in the NFL last season.

“Pittsburgh signed Peterson to a two-year, $14 million deal in free agency to help fill the void left by Sutton, but that will be easier said than done for a player who seemed to benefit from a lot of off zone coverage in Minnesota. There have even been discussions that he could move to safety at some point.” Spielberger writes regarding the Steelers' signing of Peterson. “Departed Cameron Sutton had a career-best 72.2 grade in 2022, allowing just 0.76 yards per coverage snap, which ranked 11th among cornerbacks with at least 200 coverage snaps on the season. After a strong free agent period for Pittsburgh on the second spots along the roster, particularly along the offensive line and in the front seven, cornerback remains the Steelers' biggest need by a wide margin.”

Even with Peterson's signing, the position remains a top need for the Steelers. It's no secret.

The good news is that the 2023 NFL Draft is very deep at the cornerback position, so the Steelers will be able to address that need and do so early in the draft should they choose. On paper, the addition of Peterson is a little concerning due to the overall schedule, but Peterson is still a high football IQ guy with great instincts and ball skills.

The Steelers will have a plan for him and will move him around looking for favorable matchups. He will fit in well in the locker room and with the position group and step in as a leader.