Welcome to The Terrible Take, a daily segment telling Steeler Nation what's on our minds. I'm Melanie

Friedlander. As the Steelers head into free agency, there has been a lot of talk about some of the key

players that the team should try to retain. Guard Isaac Seymallo and running back Kenny Gainwell

topped the list. The general consensus is that Gainwell will want to test the market and is likely

to get a nice

payday outside of Pittsburgh. With a limited free agent pool of talented offensive linemen, the

Steelers may need to base Ayamala well if they want him back. But I'm also thinking about some

pending free agents that are getting less attention these days. Players that may not start,

but certainly contribute to most games or add key depth

behind the starters in their groups. Deshaun Elliott appears to be on track to return after missing most of

the 2025 season with a significant knee injury. Other than Sebastian Castro, coming off his rookie year,

who logged only 87 snaps on special teams and didn't play defense at all, the rest of the

safety group is not under contract. Veteran Kyle Dugger started within days of joining the team

after Elliott went down. He jumped on the moving train surprisingly well, but struggled a bit

down the stretch. Gibral Pappers and Chuck Clark will both be heading into their 10th NFL seasons.

It's likely both

will be available in the coming weeks, if not months, once free agent signings begin.

The 2026 draft class is considered to be deep with safety talent, and the Steelers will have a

chance to score at that position. But they need more than just one talented starter and a rookie

with potential.

They could look to bring in another veteran from another team rather than bringing back Dugger, Clark, or Peppers. However, they decide to manage this roster. I expect that safety

will be one of their early, if not splashy, moves once free agency begins.

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