Steelers News: SEC Star Says Steelers Are ‘Very Interested’ in Him After Shrine Bowl Meeting
The Pittsburgh Steelers have some needs.
Despite committing to the NFL playoffs in 2023, the team still has a number of positions to address in the 2024 offseason. The quarterback situation gets a lot of attention, but the team needs help at multiple spots along the O-line. The team needs a cornerback to counter Joey Porter. wake up We also need an inside linebacker. With the East-West Temple coming up, the Steelers will have a chance to meet a prospect who can solve their problems.
Apparently one of those prospects made a good impression on the team. Former Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper spoke with Steelers Depot’s Josh Carney and said his meeting with the Steelers went very well.
“They’re very interested,” Cooper said. “Yeah, I can’t reveal too much, but I think they’re definitely interested.”
Cooper, coming off a highly touted final season at A&M, fills one of the needs the team needed heading into this offseason.
Impressive 2023 season for Cooper
The 2023 season was a major disappointment for the Texas A&M Aggies. They started the season ranked in the top 25, but failed to beat a single ranked opponent and finished with a 7-6 record. They fired Jimbo Fisher in the middle of the season. No hardship slowed Cooper down.
Cooper continued to impress in 2023. He totaled 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, eight sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
As a result of his dominance, Cooper earned All-American and First Team All-SEC honors last season. His play has made the former Aggie a top linebacker prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Steelers will be very interested in the promising prospect as the team could use an upgrade at linebacker to fill the position this offseason. The Steelers need help at linebacker
The Steelers had issues at linebacker before the 2023 season.
Elandon Roberts has played well inside, but the team has had trouble finding someone to line up next to him, especially after Kwon Alexander went down with an injury. That deficit was on full display in the playoff loss to the Bills, as the team allowed 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.
The team was also below average in stopping the run. They allowed the 14th most yards per carry in the league.
The biggest problem at the position has been the lack of depth. When Roberts was forced to miss Week 17 with an injury, the team had to turn to options like Myles Jack and Blake Martinez.
Jack played well enough to return to the Steelers roster in 2024, but Martinez retired in 2022 and Jack was not expected to play football again until the Steelers came calling. To continue to compete in the NFL’s toughest division, the team must gain strength in the middle of the defense.
Selecting an All-American in the second round of the 2024 draft would help solidify the starting lineup and solve the team’s depth issues at the position.
