It all starts up front and every single play starts with one specific player, the center. Since the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey, the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled at the center position. Kendrick Green was a terrible experiment that did not work at all. After Green the Steelers brought in free agent Mason Cole. Mason Cole looked to be a solid center his first season in Pittsburgh, but it only seen that way because of how awful Kendrick Green was the prior year. In Cole’s second season he was not looked at in the same way as in his first season as he play was “below the line”, as Head Coach Mike Tomlin would say. Cole became a liability and was released following the 2023 season.

Now that the new league year is quickly approaching, teams are making changes to their rosters and attractive players are becoming available. The Steelers are in a good position with there being a good crop of centers both in free agency and NFL Draft. Some of the free agent centers I would be interested are:

Lloyd Cushenberry

• Depending on what route the Pittsburgh Steelers want to go, Lloyd Cushenberry could be the solution to the Center position.  Lloyd Cushenberry had a rough start to his career, being thrown into the fire as a rookie, but since he has made a solid name for himself as a starting center in the NFL. Cushenberry is a perfect fit for Arthur Smith’s zone run scheme and take if for what it’s worth, he was the 10th ranked center out of 36 according to PFF. Cushenberry is one of the top Centers available and would come in to be the starting Center allowing the Steelers more freedom in the NFL Draft to select the best player available.

Aaron Brewer

• Aaron Brewer was a former undrafted free agent out of Texas State who played for Arthur Smith’s offense while Smith was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. Brewer is an exceptional athlete that is also capable of playing multiple positions. Brewer was a depth piece as a rookie playing guard and center until solidifying his position as the starting guard for 15 games then center for 2 games in 2022. In 2023 he became the full time starting center for the Tennessee Titans. He is an outstanding run blocker but can still improve as a pass protector. If the Steelers bring in Brewer, I would expect them to draft a Center high in this years draft.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will decide to fulfil their Center needs in free agency, the NFL Draft, or even both. Getting quality Center play will dramatically improve and offensive line that has not been consistent over the past few seasons. The Steelers have been known as an organization to have exceptional Center play, I’m ready to get back to those days.

The Steelers are already reported to be hosting Mitch Morse, who was released by the Buffalo Bills, to help fill the void at the center position.

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