The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been big spenders in free agency. They prefer to groom home-grown talent, honing the draft and develop mantra. 

And while this year proved to be a tad liberal in comparison to the free agency period spending of the past, it's not as if they signed any superstar or huge contract. 

That is par for the course according to NFL executives, as they sat down with Mike Sando of The Athletic to discuss the free agent signings of all 32 teams. 

Sando opened his Steelers blurb with the following:

"For the second time in as many offseasons under GM Omar Khan, the Steelers signed five outside free agents to deals worth at least $3.5 million per year: guard Isaac Seumalo ($8 million), linebacker Cole Holcomb ($6 million), cornerback Patrick Peterson ($7 million), guard Nate Herbig ($4 million) and linebacker Elandon Roberts ($3.5 million)," said Sando. 

“That is five (potential) starters, which is big for them, and they also re-signed (Larry) Ogunjobi to a pretty big deal,” an exec said.

The first sentence of the executives quote is the important part here. 

Did they strike it rich with a big-name corner or linebacker? 

No. 

What the Steelers did do, was add serviceable starters to feasible contracts, opting for veteran talent that fits their scheme and can play as median-level NFL players. 

“It seemed like they were just plugging holes cheap so they can draft the guys they want,” another exec said, noting that the players Pittsburgh signed seemed to be one-for-one replacements for players they let go. “They have made no mistakes. They have been very safe, which is the M.O. of their franchise as a whole.”

Safe is the operative word from this executive. Now some may take safe as a compliment, while others believe it to be a bit demeaning. 

The truth is somewhere in the middle. 

As the executive suggested, Pittsburgh prefers the draft when it comes to player acquisition, and in my opinion, that's where they take their chances. 

Just take last year's top two selections. 

Kenny Pickett was a one-year wonder at Pitt, many thought he wasn't worthy of a first-round grade. 

Then the Steelers took the obviously talented George Pickens, but he came with a duffle bag full of injury and character concerns. 

Those two alone have shown promise early in their career, giving Steeler fans little room for trepidation when it comes to the team's prospects for 2023. 

With a pick in the middle of the first round (17) and a GM not afraid to trade up or down if need be, the Steelers may take a risk to make up for their "safe" free agency.