Which players from the 2023 NFL Draft class should the Steelers sign to an extension now?
The Steelers’ first draft class in 2023 under GM Omar Khan was a good one—but now they’re up for extensions, so when do you pay them? The entire draft class remains under contract, with most being starters or quasi-starters. What which of them do you pay now? It’s a question complicated by the introduction of an almost entirely new coaching staff.
You know the names from that group. Broderick Jones has started for most of his career, as has Joey Porter Jr. Keeanu Benton has been their nose tackle for the past three years. Darnell Washington is short basically a starter, and the coaches kept calling Nick Herbig a starter in waiting. But this is a new coaching staff that didn’t draft these guys, and signing them to extensions means committing to them without putting them through their paces yourself.
Of course, this is a problem every new coaching staff faces every year. It’s just a problem the Steelers haven’t had to face in nearly two decades. Joey Porter Jr. seems by far the most obvious extension candidate for that Steelers from that draft class. He is a full-time starter, and he’s unambiguously their No. 1 cornerback.
The Steelers could technically sign Broderick Jones to an extension, but as a first-round pick, they could also pick up his fifth-year option. It’s very rare that that happens, and with his health status unclear and Dylan Cook in the mix, it seems most likely he will play out his rookie contract.
Keeanu Benton has played a lot of snaps, but what do the Steelers believe he is worth? I think they believe he is part of the solution, but they need to agree on a price. They don’t have many other options, although there is Yahya Black.
Nick Herbig is the interesting draft pick, and some question whether it would be him, not the Steelers, to balk at an extension. After all, he doesn’t have a starting job, yet they call him a starter. Why wouldn’t he want to wait and take a stab at the open market? They would have to give him some serious injury guarantees and a short extension to make it worth it.
The Steelers exited the playoffs in the first round yet again, a pattern going back to 2017. With seven consecutive postseason losses, and no wins in nearly a decade, they are facing another long, long offseason. No doubt we will see many changes, but none will top Mike Tomlin resigning.
The NFL has crowned its latest champion, but for us and the Steelers, we have been in offseason mode. That’s what happens when the team you cover loses by the middle of January all the time, but you’ve been around, so you know that already. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.