The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to terms with Steelers free agent defensive end Ziggy Hood today. Hood was drafted by the Steelers in the 1st round of the 2009 draft. This move doesn’t come as much of a surprise. If you follow my writings, I’ve considered the DE free agents to be huge question marks- Ziggy Hood most of all.
Hood was arguably the most reviled defensive player in recent Steelers history. While serviceable, he never lived up to expectations. I believe that he’ll live up to his early hype on a 4-3 defense. While ProfootballFocus has consistently ranked Hood at or near the bottom of their 3-4 defensive ends, he’s a much better player than those grades reflect.
This signing makes the second Steelers defensive lineman signed away in free agency. Al Woods was signed by the Titans last night, and the Steelers are now extremely thin at defensive end. One would think that Brett Keisel’s stock just went up, but we’ll have to wait and see what the Steelers do in the coming days. I’ve wanted Keisel to return for a low, one year deal since the season ended, and signs are pointing to that being a reality.
With the loss of Hood and David Johnson, the Steelers now have no one left from the 2009 draft class. Part of that, of course, is due to the success of that year’s draft.
BREAKING: #Jaguars agree to terms with former @steelers DT Ziggy Hood. More info: http://t.co/GwrtqGL2M8 pic.twitter.com/lcgeC2nqsA
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@jaguars) March 13, 2014