The Pittsburgh Steelers have indicated that they are planning to make some changes to the roster this upcoming roster to shake things up ahead of the 2018 season. According to Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one of those moves could involve parting ways with longtime starting safety Mike Mitchell, who has been with the Steelers since 2014.
In fact, Dulac believes it's likely.
And they could start with Mike Mitchell.
He is scheduled to count $8.1 million against the salary cap in 2018, a large number for a player who has just one interception, no forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries the past two seasons. More significantly, it has also become apparent to the coaching staff Mitchell cannot run well enough anymore to be effective, perhaps because of a series of injuries.
In any event, they will likely part ways with the 10-year veteran and seek a safety in free agency or select one high in the draft — or both. Each of the past two starters at free safety — Mitchell and Ryan Clark — were signed in free agency, so it is possible the Steelers could pursue that route again.
Pittsburgh is slated to have one of the lowest amounts of salary cap space this offseason, currently projected at just over $6 million.
The 30-year-old is set to enter the final year of his five-year, $25 million deal that will pay him $8.1 million in base salary and bonuses in 2018. He has spent the last four seasons with the Steelers, ingraining himself as a fixture starter in their secondary over that span.
However, the team experienced some notable struggles against the pass this past season, giving up way too many big plays. Possible changes were made clear after the team hired a new secondary coach in former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.
With the free agency period less than a month away, Mitchell could be one of the first few players on the move in Pittsburgh this offseason.
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