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Pundits expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to be in the free agent market for a center this offseason. If the Steelers decide a depth center is their best option, then Brian Allen is an intriguing candidate for Pittsburgh.
The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly connected Allen to the Steelers as a potential free agent target for Pittsburgh on March 5.
“Allen has been oft-injured since starting for the Super Bowl champion Rams in 2021 but is still one of the better centers available,” Kaboly wrote. “He’s a much better run blocker than a pass blocker.”
Allen has started 32 games over five years in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft.
He started 20 games including the playoffs for the Rams when they won the Super Bowl during the 2021-22 season.
However, the Steelers are planning to meet with a different center to open free agency. The Triblive.com’s Joe Rutter reported the Steelers have scheduled a meeting with veteran center Mitch Morse for before free agency begins on March 13.
Morse has started 126 games in his 9-year NFL career. He started 77 games over the past five years with the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills released Morse this offseason to save $8.5 million in salary cap space.
Steelers Connected to Rams Center Brian Allen
Whether or not the Steelers are interested in Allen could depend on how they want to continue to build their offensive line.
Kaboly named center Connor Williams the top Steelers free agent target at center. But Williams will be more expensive and not a short-term solution like Allen.
“Williams could be one of the best available, as he has 77 starts in six seasons and doesn’t turn 27 until May, although he does have durability concerns,” Kaboly wrote. “Spotrac projects his market value at $67 million on a five-year deal.
“Williams would be a long-term starter and not a stopgap, so signing him would take center off the board in the draft.”
If the Steelers want to target either Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson or West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, as many mock draft experts have predicted, then Allen would be a nice pre-draft addition for the Steelers to make at center.
Allen was a reliable starter on a Super Bowl winner only three seasons ago. But in 2022, he started just 7 contests because of knee and thumb injuries. Then last season, he didn’t start at all after Coleman Shelton became the Rams new starting center.
With his experience, the Steelers could turn to Allen if they needed to. But he’s likely to be cheap enough that he could move into a backup role behind a rookie.
Steelers to Meet With Bills Center Mitch Morse
The Steelers meeting with quarterback Russell Wilson had most of the league and NFL media members up in arms on March 8. But the Steelers also plan to meet with Morse before free agency officially begins.
Morse will turn 32 in April, so he doesn’t offer the same long-term security as Williams. But Williams has been a reliable starter the past half decade, and he made the Pro Bowl in 2022.
Prior to joining the Bills, Morse started 49 contests for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2015-18.
The Steelers are in the market for a center this offseason because they released veteran Mason Cole on February 23.
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Steelers Linked to Super Bowl Winning Lineman, Set to Meet With Pro Bowl Center