Report: Pittsburgh Steelers Safety Will Allen Re-Signs With Team
By Matt Shetler
Dec 22, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Will Allen (20) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Pittsburgh won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
One of the top priorities the Pittsburgh Steelers face this offseason is to rebuild their aging secondary.
They may have found a stop gap for the 2014 season at safety in Will Allen.
Blake Baratz, the agent for Allen, announced via his Twitter account that his client has re-signed with the team on Wednesday.
Congrats 2 my man @WillAllenWAF on re-signing w/ the @steelers. Yr 11 here we come. What a blessing. It's an honor 2 work with you Will.
— Blake Baratz (@blakebaratz) March 5, 2014
Allen has proven to be a very nice depth piece over the years and it is a good move by Kevin Colbert and his staff to bring the veteran back for one more tour.
The 31-year-old has spent the past four years in Pittsburgh since coming over from the Buccaneers back in 2010. He appeared in all 16 games for the Steelers this past year and totaled 44 tackles, two interceptions a forced fumble and a recovery.
Allen was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 30 safety in the league this past season.
He can play next to Troy Polamalu in a starting role this season if it is deemed Shamarko Thomas isn’t ready or he can simply provide quality depth in the secondary.
His signing also likely signals that free agent Ryan Clark is all but gone, but there was very little chance that Clark would be re-signed anyway.
The Steelers could still target a safety early in the draft, but having a veteran like Allen around is a bonus as he has proven that he can step in and perform at a high level in a pinch.
Contract details have not yet been announced.