The Five Most Questionable Signings of Day 1
5. Pittsburgh gives S Mike Mitchell a five-year, $25 million deal: There’s so much weird in that sentence. The Steelers almost never enter into free agency, and when they do, they don’t often screw up. I still can’t make heads or tails of this signing. A year ago, Mitchell entered the market after four years in Oakland and barely found a contract, getting a one-year deal for $1 million from the Panthers to play special teams and serve as a backup safety. He eventually found his way into the starting lineup and impressed as a run-thumping safety, but it was also behind a dominant front seven, which made his life a lot easier.
Now, after 13 starts, the Steelers suddenly think he’s worth $5 million per year? That would be questionable on its own, but it’s even weirder considering Pittsburgh’s defense. Mitchell’s strength is using his speed to attack the line of scrimmage and fill against the run. His fellow starting safety in Pittsburgh is Troy Polamalu, a rover who has lost several steps in coverage and whose best remaining strength is … using his instincts to attack the line of scrimmage and fill against the run. I’d wonder if Mitchell was a replacement for Polamalu, but the cap-strapped Steelers just gave their long-serving safety a two-year contract extension. This could work — Dick LeBeau happens to know a lot about safeties — but it certainly seems like a risky venture on its face.
