The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team who does things their own way. They don’t necessarily care about what the rest of the league is doing, they believe, and trust, in their own methodology when it comes to roster building.

One of the biggest differences between the Steelers and many other NFL franchises would be their approach to free agency. How is it different? Well, let head coach Mike Tomlin explain…

While talking with SiriusXM’s NFL Radio, here is how Tomlin described the team’s approach to acquiring veteran talent:

“We play free agency, but we play it in a Steelers sort of way.” Tomlin said.

“The guys we pursue in free agency, we had a real interest for them in the draft. So, it’s not a get-to-know, it’s a re-get-to-know.

“Elandon Roberts for example, I remember his pro day at the University of Houston, Kevin Colbert and myself, we sat in the parking lot with he and his father and talked for an hour after his pro day. We were convinced he was our type of guy. On draft weekend you don’t always get an opportunity to get the guys you recognize as your type of guys. Those are the guys we hunt in free agency.”

In the video clip below, you will hear Tomlin give many examples of how the Steelers approach free agency, but the one where he first found out about Patrick Peterson, the team’s prized free agent addition this past offseason, might be the best.

“Bryant McFadden played for me 10-12 years ago, and he had a little cousin who was killing people down in Florida. He kept talking to me about him, his name was Pat Peterson. I met this guy when he was about 17 years old. So there’s another example.

We believe in that. Yes, we play free agency, but there is a history there. Ground zero is difficult at this stage of the game.”

Check out the full clip below:

Mike Tomlin explains the turnover on the @steelers roster this offseason and their approach to free agency….

"It's not a get to know, it's a re-get to know"#HereWeGo I #SteelersCamp I #NFLTrainingCamp pic.twitter.com/5UZoA5hdxT

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) August 7, 2023

The Steelers do things differently. Is it always the right way? That’s up for debate, but they believe in how they approach things like free agency and the NFL Draft. This past offseason the Steelers and their new-look front office have made several key additions and acquisitions to the roster. Will it pay off? That has yet to be seen, and all of Steelers Nation will get to see it for the first time Friday when the team travels to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 of the preseason.