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Steelers free agency primer: Safety
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- Steelers free agency primer: Safety
Free agency is upon us and the Pittsburgh Steelers are going into it with nearly $45 million in salary cap space. General Manager Omar Khan spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine and definitely gave the impression the Steelers would be willing to spend some money this time around. In our free agency primer, we take a look at the Steelers position-by-position.
Safeties under contract
The Steelers currently have four safeties under contract if you include Jalen Ramsey . Ramsey made the successful switch to safety from cornerback last season. The team also has DeShon Elliott , Jack Henderson and Sebastion Castro under contract for next season.
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In-house free agents
Pittsburgh has four safeties set to hit free agency. Kyle Dugger and Chuck Clark are both players who have starting experience, and Dugger, in particular, is a player we really hope Pittsburgh brings back on a new contract. Miles Killebrew and Jabrill Peppers are both also free agents and we don't expect either to return.
Potential Free-agent targets
The free-agent market for safeties is rock solid, but we don't view it as a need to spend big on itin order to land a starter. We will save that for the 2026 NFL draft. If depth is the goal, a smart vet like Tony Jefferson or Jalen Mills on a lower-end contract makes sense.
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Potential trade targets
Of all the positions the Steelers might address via trade, safety isn't one of them. If the need for a starter is that great, sign one in free agency or draft one early but don't sacrifice draft capital for one in this offseason.
Top NFL draft options
Our top safety in this draft who might be on the board for the Steelers is Oregon's Dillon Thieneman. He blew up the NFL Scouting Combine and cemented his position as the No. 2 safety in the draft and closer to Caleb Downs than you think.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers free agency primer: Safety
