Everything we know about BJ Finney from the Steelers

Everything we know about BJ Finney from the Steelers

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What was once old is new again. This saying may refer to the signature of Steelers Street’s free agent, BJ Finney.

A week after Cincinnati Bengals released Finney, the Steelers snatched their old guard / pivot. Everyone and their moms said yes, since Pittsburgh is a team that likes to bring guys back (most recently safety Sean Davis, quarterback Josh Dobbs).

And why not? Maurkice Pouncey has retired and JC Hassenaur is not really a starter unless they are in trouble like last season when Pouncey was placed on the reserve / COVID-19 list.

Pittsburgh is Finney’s third team in less than a year, which is not very important for Pro Bowler. He is an improvement over Hassenaur, but very, very far from Pouncey.

Finney’s one-year deal lends itself to just being a transition at the center, while the Steelers explore long-term options. They are likely to take a flight on an offensive lineman in the middle of the draft and develop it over the course of the season.

An uninvited free agent, Finney’s career began on the Pittsburgh training team in 2015. He has spent five seasons, 59 appearances and 13 premieres on the Steelers.

Much like the story of point guard Kevin Dotson signing with his favorite team, Finney and his family are big Steelers fans. His relatives exploded when he announced that the Steelers had signed him to a contract. You may remember Finney’s story at Steelers Wire in May 2015. Okay, probably not. So here it is.

After his contract with Pittsburgh expired last March, the Seattle Seahawks struck a two-year, $ 8 million deal with Finney, but switched to Cincinnati Bengals in the middle of the season, where he appeared in just one game.

What Finney can offer the Steelers is familiarity and versatility – he played 409 snaps in the center, 456 on the left guard and 155 on the right. According to Pro Football Focus, Finney scores higher on the passing block (average 83.2) than on the race block (average 59.8). In 591 passes, Finney allowed only two sacks, two hits and nine runs.

Finney will do – which is not really what you mean when trying to protect your quarterback in what will likely be the last games of your career in the Hall of Fame.

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