Colbert: Steelers Still Looking for Starting Strong Safety

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one big spot left to fill via free agency, general manager Kevin Colbert said Sunday, and that is at strong safety.

The Steelers came into free agency with many glaring holes. After the first two weeks of it, they have come out of it a stronger team. While some of the weaknesses have been mitigated, there are still areas to upgrade. Wide receiver is still a need, but the one position stands out as a glaring weakness in a strong safety, where incumbent Terrell Edmunds remains an unsigned free agent and the team has reportedly been considering other options, including Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Tyrann Mathieu.

In a conference call with the media on Sunday, Colbert said he believes his team is relatively well done from a construction standpoint. However, there is still a massive, glaring hole at strong safety that he acknowledges. Outside of that, they are comfortable with the rest of their roster starting as it stands.

Still, when it comes to filling that strong safety position, there will be a specific mold that the Steelers will look to fill the void with. Following the mold of what they have done for most of the offseason, Colbert notes that the Steelers will be looking into younger veteran players that can slot into the starting role at strong safety over an older veteran.

“Our preference is always to add players coming off of their first contract or as close to their first contract as they can be,” Colbert said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.

That lessens the likelihood of Mathieu (29) coming to Pittsburgh, and opens the door wider for a reunion with Edmunds, who is a free agent for the first time. The Steelers were reportedly intrigued by Damontae Kazee, as well, who is also going to be 29. So, if this rings true, a rendezvous with Edmunds seems to be the likely option here.

The Steelers could still look to address the position in the NFL Draft. They have heavily scouted safeties, seeking out Michigan’s Daxton Hill, Cincinnati’s Bryan Cook, Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton, Georgia’s Lewis Cine, and Penn State’s Jaquan Brisker already in the cycle.