Wednesday, May 8, 2002

ProFootballWeekly.com asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in football. 

Steelers retain another key cog in their defense

Pittsburgh agreed to terms with OLB Joey Porter on a six-year, $22.5 million contract, locking up another important piece of its top-ranked defense. Porter, 25, had 61 tackles and nine sacks last season. He has 21.5 sacks in three seasons since being drafted by Pittsburgh. He joins a top-notch LB corps that includes Jason Gildon, John Fiala, James Farrior and Kendrell Bell.

Buchsbaum: The Steelers, who are trying to keep their defense together for a long time, were able to re-sign LB Joey Porter to a long-term deal, which means OLBs Porter and Jason Gildon and ILB Kendrell Bell, as well as their two cornerbacks, will be under contract to them for quite some time. Bell can become a restricted free agent in two more years, however it’s unlikely that he’ll get away from Pittsburgh because it would cost a great deal for another team to sign him and that’s still two years down the road.

The one player that the Steelers are still working very hard to re-sign is DE Aaron Smith, who has become a very good player and has shown tremendous improvement each year. He can become a free agent after next year, and if they don’t sign him, they’re afraid he could become next year’s Marcellus Wiley, a player who gets better and better as a pro and gets an astronomical offer from another team that his current team cannot match.

The Archives
2001 - 2002 Season