Mike Tomlin was hired as Steelers HC in January 2007, to a team that was, by and large, pretty solid across the board. Given that the Steelers have never been big FA players, not much was expected during the FA period- and the Steelers didn't disappoint. The 'big' FA signing was Sean Mahan, brought in to be the starting OC. Now, Mahan's success, or lack of it, is well documented. But what is interesting is that the Steelers identified an area on the roster that needed upgrading, and the Steelers went about trying to fix it through FA. Anthony Madison & Andre Frasier were also brought in, and both proceeded to hold ST's roles for a few seasons with the Steelers.2008 saw the Steelers bring in a few extra FA's than 2007- Byron Leftwich, Mewelde Moore, Keyaron Fox and Justin Hartwig. OK, let's be honest- none of these guys are 'big name signings', but once again, like Mahan previously, these guys were brought in for specific roles. In fact, Hartwig makes it 2 years from 2 that the Steelers sign a FA to fill a starters role.2009 saw the Steelers bring in a few more FA's, and once again, no big name guys among them- Joey Galloway, Sean McDonald, Keiwan Ratliffe and Alex Stepanovich. Unlike previous years, none of these FA's were signed to become starters, and to be honest, they really didn't contribute much. It would seem that the year after winning a SB, the team was more focused on retaining it's OL guys like Starks, Colon & Kemoeatu.2010- the 2009 season was one of disappointment, resulting in the Steelers going 9-7 and missing the playoffs. The result in FA was that the Steelers got more active, signing several FA's including Antwaan Randle-El, Arnaz Battle, Shaun Suisham, Flozell Adams, Jonathon Scott, Larry Foote and Will Allen. While only Suisham was signed to be a starter, at various points of the season Adams, Scott & Foote contributed as starters. This might be the season to use as a guide- the Steelers combated missing the playoffs by bringing in greater depth & competition through FA without really breaking the bank on any 1 player. The result of this? The Steelers returned to the SB, only to lose this time.2011 saw the Steelers go back to being part players in FA, signing only Jerricho Cotchery of any note. That said, Cotchery is another example of the level of FA the Steelers tend o bring in- a low budget role player.2012 didn't bring too many big name FA's once again. Leonard Pope & Brandon Johnson were low budget players brought in to add depth, and as the year went on Plexico Burress, Josh Victorian & Demarcus Van Dyke were added to the roster. Victorian was possibly the biggest FA contributor last season.