Pittsburgh Steelers: Top 3 Free Agents To Target This Offseason

The biggest hurdles that the Pittsburgh Steelers face in the off-season are what to do with Ben Roethlisberger’s contract situation and can the franchise mend a defense that was very un-Steelers like in 2014.

The offense played as well as it could, and exceeded expectations with the growth of Le’Veon Bell as one of the top five running backs in the league and the pass catching of Antonio Brown. Roethlisberger showed again he was one of the best passers in the NFL as Pittsburgh overcame Cincinnati to claim the NFC North title.

That’s where the success stops.

The defense may have been a bit younger and faster, however it did not play better. The 2014 season may have been one of the worst in recent memory for the other side of the ball, prompting longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to leave and seek new challenges in Arizona.

According to Will Graves of the Associated Press, the Steelers took a calculated risk last spring when they opted not to re-sign quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with two years remaining on his current deal, opting instead to focus on bolstering the roster elsewhere.

It's going to cost them, and president Art Rooney II knows it. Then again, there are worse positions than negotiating with a player coming off the best statistical season of an already remarkable career.

Heading into the off-season, Pittsburgh has nine free agents on its roster and needs to find improvements on defense at linebacker and in the secondary. Linebacker Jason Worilds, cornerback Ike Taylor and Matt Spaeth at tight end could all garner interest and be large losses to the team.

The team also needs Bell come back healthy and show he can be even better in 2015.

The summer will be anything but slow for this proud franchise. Here are three free agents the team could look to sign in the off-season.