Getty Mike Tomlin looks on during camp.
Just like construction is the season between winter and summer in the cold-weather states, the season between free agency and the draft is speculation season. While the rumor mill between media and fans never really ends, it kicks into high gear this time of year.
In an April 4 column from The Athletic’s Mike Sando, anonymous NFL executives react to moves made by all 32 teams. As we know, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed two offensive linemen in the first wave of free agency: former Philadelphia Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo — heralded as the team’s best signing this offseason — and former Eagle/New York Jets guard Nate Herbig.
Bringing in two guards should be filed under Things That Make You Go Hmmm… Rightly so, the move prompted speculation about what Pittsburgh plans to do with current guard, James Daniels, who the team signed just last spring to a three-year, $26.5 million contract.
“Adding two guards raised questions about the future of 2022 offseason addition James Daniels, who is scheduled to earn $8.25 million in salary,” Sando wrote. “Daniels could remain at right guard with Seumalo at left guard and Herbig as a swing player. Some [executives] wondered if Daniels could be traded or released. Could center be his best position?”
According to Pro Football Focus, Daniels played 1,518 snaps at center for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Other snaps were broken down as 212 at left guard, 21 at right guard and 31 at right tackle. Once drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2018, however, he was made a full-time guard. 1,734 snaps were at left guard and 1,150 at right guard. Daniels played all but one of his 1,182 snaps at right guard for Pittsburgh.
NFL executives believe the Steelers brought in free agents on the cheap so they can bring in even cheaper rookies.
“It seemed like they were just plugging holes cheap so they can draft the guys they want,” an NFL exec said, noting that the players Pittsburgh signed seemed to be one-for-one replacements for players they let go. “They have made no mistakes. They have been very safe, which is the M.O. of their franchise as a whole.”
James Daniels the Steelers Best Lineman in 2022
While there are concerns with fourth-year guard Kevin Dotson, presumably fixed with the Isaac Seumalo signing, James Daniels was as good as it got in his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022.
On a line that struggled out of the gate but continuously improved as the season wore on, Daniels was the most reliable and did not allow a sack on Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett all season long.
King James 💪 @jamsdans
In his second offseason in the black & gold, there’s no reason to think he’ll experience a decline in performance.
While it sounds fine in theory — gaining draft capital (perhaps a third-round pick) and saving money ($5.3 million) — this is not the draft teams want to be looking for a starting-caliber guard. Aside from O’Cyrus Torrence, whom the Steelers met with on April 5, the rest of the 2023 interior offensive line class lacks Day 1 star power. It doesn’t make much sense to dump Daniels, only to replace him with an unknown.