There is a hope the Pittsburgh Steelers will be active in free agency and can add a piece or two ahead of the 2019 NFL draft. The Steelers’ defense is in what seems to be in the greatest need for veteran players who can come in and have an immediate impact. Pro Football Focus projected one free agent for every team in the NFL and for the Steelers they go with linebacker rusher Jordan Hicks.
Here’s what they had to say about bringing Hicks in.
One of the more underrated players from the Eagles’ Super Bowl run two seasons ago, Hicks is a sure tackler and a valuable pass-rusher on the blitz. His coverage skills and athleticism make up for any discrepancy in run defense, and over his career he has missed only 25 total tackles on 251 attempts. The Steelers’ linebackers were a disastrous unit in 2018 in terms of overall performance, as no linebacker put forth plus grades in every defensive facet outside of L.J. Fort, who played only 305 snaps.
If signing Hicks to fill the void at inside linebacker means the Steelers can devote their draft energy elsewhere sign me up. Hicks would absolutely be an upgrade over every other inside linebacker on the roster and could make a guy like Jon Bostic expendable.
