Mar 21, 2017 3 min read

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After largely sitting on their hands and watching the first wave of free agency, the Steelers jumped into the pool full force this week, making three signings in the past two days.

The biggest was the addition of former Jacksonville No. 1 pick Tyson Alualu on Tuesday.

The 6-3, 304-pound defensive lineman will make the best backup the Steelers have had on their defensive line in several years after messing around with the likes of Cam Thomas and Ricardo Mathews in recent years.

Alualu brings starting experience – 88 career starts – durability – he’s missed two games in seven seasons – and a hunger to play for a winner, having never been to the postseason. Heck, he’s never been on a winning team.

He’s also capable of being the primary backup at both defensive end and nose tackle, which could spell the end of the Daniel McCullers experiment in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers had been forced to settle for backups on the defensive line in recent seasons because they were tight against the cap. This time around, they could afford to shop in a little different market.

The other two signings also could mean some changes are coming.

Cornerback Coty Sensabaugh also has starting experience – 17 games – and was highly regarded enough last year as a free agent that the Rams gave him a three-year, $14-million deal. That’s not great money, but it’s hardly chump change.

Of course, his time with the Rams was short. He was released three games into the season, hooking on with the Giants for the final 10 weeks of 2016.

But in 2015, Sensabaugh was a starter in Tennessee. His addition could mean the Steelers are ready to move Will Gay to safety this season.

The Steelers figure to take a cornerback at some point in the draft after taking Artie Burns in the first round last season. But they remain unsure what they have in former second-round pick Senquez Golson. Golson has missed each of his first two seasons with injuries.

Sensabaugh will be put into the mix with Burns, Ross Cockrell, Golson and the rookie draft pick. The Steelers also still have Al-Hajj Shabazz on the roster. He flashed on special teams last season.

That’s six cornerbacks, not counting Gay. And the Steelers have a need for a veteran backup at safety and have long felt Gay could be perfect for a shift to that position later in his career. That time could be now.

As for their third signing, running back Knile Davis, he’s automatically an upgrade to the kick return position. He’s got two career kick returns for touchdowns in the regular season and one in the postseason. The Steelers haven’t returned a kickoff for a score since Week 2 of the 2010 season when Antonio Brown did so on his first NFL touch.

Davis also will battle a rookie draft pick for the top backup spot to Le’Veon Bell. Chances are, he’ll wind up being third on the depth chart, which could make Fitzgerald Toussaint expendable.