The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pretty good salary cap situation going into the 2025 offseason, but the team can clear more room by cutting some players. On that front, Pittsburgh has multiple candidates.
Per Over the Cap, the Steelers are projected to have $37.3 million in effective cap space (the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster) in 2025.
One player who should be on the chopping block this offseason is defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi, who is entering the final year of his three-year, $28.75 million contract. Ogunjobi was recently listed as a cut candidate for Pittsburgh in an article written by Pro Football Network's Ben Rolfe.
Ogunjobi was signed in 2023 to provide an upgrade in the middle of the Steelers' defensive line, but he has hardly lived up to his contract. In 2024, the 30-year-old earned a putrid Pro Football Focus grade of 49.4, ranking 150th out of 219 interior defensive linemen.
If the Steelers cut the veteran defender, the move would incur a dead-cap charge of $3.5 million and a savings of $7 million, so that's a pretty significant chunk of change.
Of course, cutting Ogunjobi loose would mean the Steelers have a void to fill up the middle, but they won't exactly have big shoes to fill given his lackluster play.
One route the Steelers could take is the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, an idea Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently floated.
No position needs an upheaval and upgrade more than this. The Steelers can’t keep relying on Cam Heyward to play at a first-team All-Pro level, though that he did at age 35 is beyond astounding. The line has never been the same since Stephon Tuitt abruptly retired, and trying to build it back with mid-round picks the likes of Isaiahh Loudermilk and DeMarvin Leal is not the way to go. That the Ravens could rush for 299 yards — and Derrick Henry would put up 186 yards after running for 162 yards three weeks earlier — is both inexcusable and embarrassing. Four of the six linemen on the roster last week will be 30 or older next season, so the line is aging quickly. Keeanu Benton is a nice piece moving forward, but it’s long past due to using the No. 1 pick to try to find the next Cam Heyward. Ignoring it again will only lead to the same problems that have plagued them for two years. Move up in the first round if they have to. Do what they did this year with the offensive line — use the first two picks and three of the first five on the defensive line. They need it.
Whatever the Steelers do, they need to do better than Ogunjobi, who was a major disappointment over the past two seasons. Not to mention, Pittsburgh needs to start planning for the future, because Cam Heyward isn't going to be around forever.
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