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The NFL franchise tag deadline has come and gone, and, as expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t use the tag on any of their players.
The Steelers don’t have any big-name free agents, but a player they could’ve considered tagging is Kwon Alexander.
However, with the linebacker tag tender valued just north of $24 million, it would’ve been a massive overpayment for the nine-year veteran.
Pittsburgh overhauled its inside linebacker corp ahead of the 2023 season, but, unfortunately, it was wiped out due to injury.
Alexander put on a solid 2023 season with 41 tackles, five tackles for loss, an interception, forced fumble, sack and two quarterback hits in nine games.
But in Pittsburgh’s Week 10 win over the Green Bay Packers, Alexander went down with a torn Achilles and was placed on injured reserve.
Re-signing Alexander would be a smart move, as he’s proved to be a productive member of the defense when healthy. Considering the massive deals for T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick, inking him to a team-friendly contract would be an ideal scenario.
The official list of franchise tagged players and the transition tagged player from the NFL pic.twitter.com/4wbSzxdmi2
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 5, 2024