Despite the drastic events surrounding many professional collegiate sports, the NFL continues to limp into the new league year with only moderate adjustments. Many teams announced some high-profile cuts to help get their salary caps in order heading into free agency next week.
One player released who should be of interest to the Pittsburgh Steelers is defensive tackle Linval Joseph. Joseph was a second-round pick of the New York Giants back in 2010 but he’s spent the last six anchoring the middle for the Minnesota Vikings.
Pittsburgh is going to need an upgrade along their interior defensive line once Javon Hargrave hits the free-agent market. Pittsburgh is already strapped for cash to sign anyone and after a very strong 2019 season, Hargrave is going to cash in.
Joseph isn’t a longterm solution as he will turn 32 years old during the 2020 season. But he’d be a definite upgrade over Isaiah Buggs and Dan McCullers. In addition, the Steelers could still use a draft pick on a young defensive tackle and Joseph would be an ideal insurance policy.
Last season the Steelers defense saw a huge resurgence. Most give credit to guys like safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and edge T.J. Watt and rightfully so. But you cannot discount the improvement in Hargrave and how his increased reps fed into how much better the defense played.
