Jordan Whitehead should be signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2024 offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t anticipate having a problem at safety in the 2023 NFL season.
They had Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had been awarded a First Team All-Pro the previous season. The Steelers signed former Damontae Kazee to a two-year deal to cover the other safety spot.
Regretfully, Fitzpatrick’s injuries caused him to miss a few games, while Kazee was suspended at the end of the regular season. The club had severe depth issues as a result, but Patrick Peterson and Eric Rowe made significant contributions.
But they’ll be working hard throughout the 2024 offseason to ensure that they don’t need to rely on a practice squad player and a corner for assistance at safety the following year.
They could, for both good and bad reasons, resort to a familiar safety to prevent that recurrence.
Anthony G. Halkias II of Steelers Nation feels that the Steelers should “absolutely” sign Jordan Whitehead in the 2024 summer.
On February 16, Whitehead’s contract was terminated by the New York Jets, granting him free agency.
He is a player with some history, despite having played for the Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his NFL career.
Steelers Familiar with Whitehead
Whitehead was probably a player who the Steelers researched before he entered the NFL. The former Jets safety fits the bill for the Steelers, who haven’t been afraid to select local talent in the past.
Pittsburgh is where Whitehead was raised and where he played high school football. After that, he played basketball at Pitt.
Even though the Steelers chose not to choose him, he made sure to show his true colors to the people of Pittsburgh when he faced the team he grew up rooting for in 2022.
While playing with the Jets, Whitehead paid his first visit to Pittsburgh as a professional, and it turned out to be a significant day for the Steelers.
It happened to be the day that Kenny Pickett replaced Mitch Trubisky. The change came on the team’s first drive of the second half.
The way the drive ended may have been a bad omen for the rest of Pickett’s career. Whitehead intercepted his first pass attempt. Since that interception, Pickett has had difficulty, unlike the Jets safety having another strong season in 2023.
A Resounding 2023 Campaign
Whitehead was still a valuable member of the Jets’ 2023 squad even if they ultimately chose to let him walk during the 2024 offseason.
He started all of the Jets’ games in the calendar year. He started every game for them for the second straight season, and in his 17 games, he put up some impressive stats.
Whitehead intercepted 4 passes in 2023 without anything of the passes being thrown by a Steelers QB and defended 9 other passes. He also made 97 tackles during the season, including 3 for a loss. The interceptions and tackles were both career highs while the passes defended tied Whitehead’s career high.
Those kinds of numbers would make Whitehead a pretty enticing option lining up alongside Fitzpatrick. As he spends the 2024 offseason looking for a new team, maybe that 2023 performance will help him find a contract back home.