With the calendar changing to March, it’s officially time for NFL teams to cut salaries before the start of free agency. Those decisions are harder than it looks on paper because while cap savings are great, releases often result in dead cap charges. That’s not really the case, though, regarding the move the Pittsburgh Steelers made with offensive tackle Calvin Anderson.
The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo reported this weekend the Steelers plan to release Anderson. With the cut, the team will nearly save all of Anderson’s projected $2.415 million cap hit.
“The Steelers are planning to release OT Calvin Anderson, per source,” wrote DeFabo. “They’ll save $2M of his $2.415 cap hit in 2026.”
The Steelers will have just a $415,000 dead cap hit with the Anderson release. It doesn’t get much more efficient than that.
Anderson spent two seasons with the Steelers. He served as one of the team’s backup swing tackles.
In 2025, he appeared in nine contests, mostly playing on special teams. His season ended on December 10 when the team placed him on injured reserve with a knee ailment.
Anderson was a key loss at the time. Days after Thanksgiving, starting left tackle Broderick Jones also went on IR with a neck issue.
Because Anderson also suffered an injury, the Steelers eventually had to start undrafted tackle Dylan Cook on Aaron Rodgers’s blindside.
In two campaigns overall with the Steelers, Anderson lined up for 34 offensive snaps over 13 games.
Steelers Release OT Calvin Anderson: Report
Given that Anderson’s cap hit was pretty low to begin with, it’s a little surprising the Steelers didn’t want to keep him for depth, especially with some uncertainty still surrounding Jones and his serious neck injury.
“The OT position is fluid. Troy Fautanu was solid in his first healthy season and backup Dylan Cook played fine in a small sample size,” wrote DeFabo.
“But Broderick Jones is recovering from neck surgery and now Anderson (who endured a late-season knee injury) is out of the picture).”
Clearly, though, the Steelers prioritized the small cap savings with Anderson instead of the tackle depth. Releasing Anderson now also saved the Steelers half a million dollars. The offensive tackle had a $500,000 roster bonus due on March 13.
Anderson began his career as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots in 2019. He spent time with the Patriots and New York Jets before making his debut with the Denver Broncos during 2020.
From 2020-23, Anderson appeared in 46 games, which included 14 starts, with the Broncos and Patriots. Anderson started a career high seven games in 2022.
Anderson didn’t have an opportunity to start for Pittsburgh.
Steelers Trusting Broderick Jones Health, Dylan Cook for Depth
While it’s a bit odd the Steelers didn’t value Anderson for his depth, it’s understandable the team viewed him as expendable for a couple reasons.
First, Cook was impressive in his four starts at the end of last season. So much so, in fact, some pundits have speculated if Cook’s presence could have an impact on Jones’s future.
The Steelers have decide by the beginning of May whether to exercise Jones’s fifth-year option.
Before the injury, though, Jones also improved in 2025. As long as he’s healthy, the Steelers should feel better about the former first-round pick than ever previously.
The Steelers also still have depth lineman Jack Driscoll and Andrus Peat on the roster. Both are candidates to play tackle if need be.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the team adds another tackle this offseason. But the Steelers could either find someone either better than Anderson or cheaper.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Steelers Make Efficient Salary Cap Saving Move Before NFL Free Agency: Report appeared first on Heavy Sports.