Steelers Pick Booger - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

For all the talk of Pittsburgh's' need for some youth on the defensive line, the Steelers have decided to rely on experience.

Pittsburgh worked out a deal with Booger McFarland late Tuesday night. McFarland won't make the Steelers' defensive line any younger (he's 30), but he does give them another veteran backup. McFarland is somewhat injury prone (he's played 16 games in the past three seasons), but if healthy, he should be a significant upgrade over Nick Eason.

At one point, McFarland was considered one of the better 4-3 defensive tackles in the game. He has a pair of Super Bowl rings and has the size/speed to make the transition for a 3-4 defensive end. The big questions are health and how expensive he will--there's no word on the parameters of the contract, but considering the Steelers cap situation, he can't be too pricey.

It's also a sign that Pittsburgh could put off drafting a defensive lineman for a year. A guy like Hampton's Kendall Langford would be a nice addition, but Pittsburgh now has six veteran linemen under contract (Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel, Chris Hoke, Travis Kirschke and McFarland), in addition to Ryan McBean, a fourth-round pick last year who struggled as a rookie. Pittsburgh still could draft a defensive linemen, but now it would be much more with an eye to the future than with a plan to find a contributor in 2008.