Unfortunately for Vikings fans, their favorite team is currently in what could quite possibly be the worst cap space situation in the league.
Because of their financial situation not being ideal, the Vikings must have been happy to get back into the black with veteran defensive end Everson Griffen opting out of his contract and testing the waters of free agency.
While the cap space for the Pittsburgh Steelers is not much better, that situation is likely to get a lot better if the Steelers decide to part ways with veterans with decently-sized contracts such as Ramon Foster and Vance McDonald.
Releasing those veterans and making a few more savvy moves in free agency could give the Steelers around $15-20 million in cap space, which is enough to sign Bud Dupree to a franchise tag.
Signing Dupree to a franchise tag would not give the Steelers a lot of flexibility with their cap space, but if they are unable to lock down Dupree, one high-quality replacement for Dupree could be Griffen.
As John Perrotto recently wrote for Forbes, as much talent as the Steelers have in their front seven led by T.J. Watt, they are not a very deep unit:
The Steelers would like to infuse the offensive and defensive lines with some younger players who could serve as depth options next season before eventually moving into the starting lineup.
The Steelers don't have a ton of draft capital, as they gave up their first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in order to acquire turnover-machine Minkah Fitzpatrick, who gave the Steelers one of the most talented defenses in the second half of the season.
With a lot of young defensive linemen likely to be drafted or signed in free agency post-draft by the Steelers, signing a veteran like Griffen to mentor those young pass rushers would be huge for helping the Steelers depth and building the core of the defense for years to come.
Griffen can be more than just a leader in the locker room for the Steelers, as the four-time Pro Bowler has put up double-digit sacks three times and double-digit tackles for loss five times in his career while forcing around one fumble per season.
Even though Griffen may be on the wrong side of 30, he has proven to be a durable pass rusher who can be a force that opposing offensive coordinators lose sleep over trying to plan around. He truly is one of the most underrated pass rushers in the NFL.
Pairing him with Watt, Javon Hargrave, Tyson Alualu and young pass rushers coveted in the draft such as Ross Blacklock of TCU, Raekwon Davis of Alabama, Justin Madebuike of Texas A&M and Raequan Williams of Michigan State, could give the Steelers a talented defensive line that is relatively young.
The Steelers have the richest tradition in the NFL when it comes to fearsome defensive units, and Griffen could help the 2020 Steelers become one step closer to revamping the Steel Curtain that made them fearsome in the 2000s and even more fearsome in the 1970s.
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