These five underappreciated Steelers were essential to Pittsburgh. Currently, they have offseason signings with new teams till 2024.
As Steelers supporters, we sometimes become so engrossed in our team that we overlook important players that once called Pittsburgh home in black and gold. Omar Khan made sure that during the 2024 free agency window, the team did not lose any important players. However, it’s not always as simple for the front office to keep guys on the roster as it appeared this past offseason.
Over the years, a number of notable players have left the Steelers and signed with other teams. Some of these guys have come a long way from their modest Pittsburgh starting points—two or even three teams ago.
While some of these athletes are currently active, others are content to wait to be added to teams until 2024. These four former Steelers signed up with new teams in the offseason of 2024.
EDGE Bud Dupree
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Bud Dupree in the first round of the 2015 draft. Following an 11.5 sack season in 2019, the front office placed the franchise tag on their pass rusher after his rookie deal expired. But it was clear from the writing on the walls that Dupree would leave Pittsburgh in 2021 after this season.
The organization was unable to pay two edge defenders big contracts at the same time as T.J. Watt became an NFL superstar, and Watt was obviously here to stay.
During the 2021 offseason, Dupree signed a hefty five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Titans; Tennessee terminated the pact in 2022. Dupree signed a two-year contract with the Chargers during the 2024 offseason after playing with the Falcons in 2023. In Los Angeles, the seasoned pass rusher will alternate roles with Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa.
Joshua Dobbs, quarterback
When Josh Dobbs was in Pittsburgh, he was an entertaining player to cover. Dubbed ‘The Passtronaut’ in jest because of his major in aeronautical engineering, Dobbs grabbed the media’s attention when he won back-to-back games for the Minnesota Vikings right after being traded from the Arizona Cardinals.
Between Weeks 11 and 14 of the 2023 season, Dobbs returned to Earth (pardon the pun) and remained idle until the end of the season. In the 2024 offseason, Dobbs inked a one-year deal to play for the San Francisco 49ers as Brock Purdy’s backup quarterback.
Dobbs’ NFL career has been quite the adventure; he started out with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was moved to Jacksonville, then returned to Pittsburgh. After that, he had brief stints as a player for the 49ers, Browns, Lions, Titans, Cardinals, and Vikings. Dobbs was a preseason standout for the Pittsburgh Steelers and a previous fourth-round selection in 2017.
Edmunds, S. Terrell
While some Steelers supporters will always view Terrell Edmunds as a fair first-round selection made by Pittsburgh in 2018, others would argue that he was one of the team’s worst roster decisions in the past ten years. For Pittsburgh, Edmunds showed himself to be a competent safety who could run, tackle, and stay on the field—he missed just two games in his first five seasons as a Steeler.
While many pleaded for the organization to retain Edmunds in the 2023 offseason, Omar Khan, the general manager, let him go free and sign with the Eagles. The 2023 season saw Edmunds traded to the Titans after Week 7.
He didn’t stay in Tennessee for very long. Edmunds’ contract expired at the end of the season, and in the 2024 offseason, he signed a veteran minimum deal with the Jaguars. Throughout his NFL career, the former Steelers safety has been treated as anything but a first-round pick.
Devin Bush, LB
Fans of the Steelers will want to forget about Devin Bush. Former general manager Kevin Colbert paid a first, second, and future third-round pick to trade up and take the Michigan linebacker, costing Pittsburgh an arm and a leg for the 2019 draft decision.
Early in his Steelers career, Bush shown sparks; however, he tore his ACL five games into his second season in 2020, and when he returned to the field, his game lacked grit. When Bush signed a contract with the Seahawks in the 2023 offseason, fans cheerfully bid him farewell.
Bush signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns in 2024. The lackluster linebacker is evidence that organizations will persist in giving former first-round picks a shot, even if their previous experiences haven’t been successful.
WR Chase Claypool
The news that Chase Claypool was leaving the Steelers just before the 2022 trade deadline gave supporters even more reason to celebrate. The Bears sent a second-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for the lackluster receiver. Later on in the 2023 NFL Draft, this was selected first overall and used to choose cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Even with Chicago’s substantial investment in the large wide receiver, Claypool failed to make an impression and was moved to Miami three games into the 2023 campaign. After spending the last nine games of his rookie deal with the Dolphins, Pittsburgh’s 2020 second-round pick signed an unrestricted free agent contract with the Bills in the 2024 offseason.
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