Steelers free agency GRADES: Do Michael Pittman Jr., Jamel Dean & Jaquan Brisker keep them relevant?

On the Monday episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, presented by FanDuel and Edgar Snyder & Associates, host Adam Bittner welcomes Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo to grade the team's NFL free agency class in new coach Mike McCarthy's first year working with GM Omar Khan. Was Rico Dowdle replacing Kenneth Gainwell a good swap? Despite Gainwell's productive 2025 alongside Jaylen Warren? Is there risk with Jamel Dean being the long-term answer opposite Joey Porter Jr. because of his age? And how well does Michael Pittman Jr. balance DK Metcalf? The guys ponder those moves as well as more minor ones for Asante Samuel Jr., Jaquan Brisker, Darnell Savage, Sebastion Joseph-Day and Travis Homer. Then later, they take stock of the group as a whole. To what degree does it keep the current team relevant as it seeks an elusive playoff win while names like Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Jalen Ramsey and -- potentially -- Aaron Rodgers? And how does it set them up for the longer term as they potentially look to repeat the success of drafting Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 come the loaded NFL draft QB class of 2027? Our duo tackles those questions and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.