Chargers, Melvin Ingram Agree On Extension
The Chargers have joined the list of teams who opted to avoid procrastinating with their franchise-tagged player this summer. Melvin Ingram and the Bolts came to an agreement on a four-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
It’s a $66MM contract for Ingram, per Schefter (on Twitter). He adds that $42MM of Ingram’s deal is guaranteed. The Chargers announced the agreement.
The 28-year-old Ingram played five seasons in San Diego, 2016 on a fifth-year option, before being franchise-tagged earlier this year. The Chargers join the Cardinals and Giants as teams that avoided any midsummer tag edge defender drama with and will proceed with an Ingram/Joey Bosa tandem long-term. Ingram registered eight sacks last season and now has 18.5 over the past two years. He’s forced eight fumbles since the 2015 season, establishing himself as one of the game’s best edge players.
Ingram had not signed his tender and did not show for the Bolts’ OTA sessions, but he will be at minicamp and report as one of the wealthiest defenders in football. In terms of total value, Ingram’s deal places him just behind Olivier Vernon‘s Giants pact worth $85MM among 4-3 defensive ends. On a per-year basis, Ingram’s $16.5MM figure also slots him second behind Vernon at his new position. Ingram’s deal matches Chandler Jones‘ AAV figure, only Jones signed a five-year Cardinals contract. Among edge rushers, only Von Miller, Vernon and Justin Houston presently make more than Ingram.
The Bolts are converting from the 3-4 look they’ve used throughout Ingram’s tenure to a 4-3 base set. The position change clearly did not alter the franchise’s view of Ingram, who now comes in behind only Philip Rivers on the team’s salary hierarchy. Los Angeles entered Sunday with just over $12MM in cap space.
Ingram’s next Pro Bowl will be his first, but the former first-round pick has shined despite an injury-limited start to his career. The former South Carolina defender missed 19 games combined between the 2013 and ’14 seasons, with a torn ACL and hip malady sidelining him during that time, but rebounded to play in 16 during each of the past two years. Pro Football Focus slotted Ingram as its No. 6 edge defender last season. The site rated Bosa as its No. 5 edge player, illustrating what kind of duo the Bolts now have locked up through the 2020 season.
This marks a far less volatile process compared to the franchise’s dealings with its previous franchise player. The Bolts tagged Vincent Jackson in 2011 after he skipped most of the 2010 season due to a contract stalemate. Jackson never signed a long-term Bolts pact, relocating to Tampa Bay in 2012.
This agreement leaves Le’Veon Bell, Trumaine Johnson and Kirk Cousins as unsigned players among the 2017 franchise-tagged contingent. Bell is the only one remaining to have not signed his tender. Ingram joins Pierre-Paul, Jones and Kawann Short as tagged performers who have signed extensions. So, 2017’s July 15 drama will not match that of the past two years.
PFR Originals: 6/4/17 – 6/11/17
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff:
- Jeremy Maclin being an interesting free agent — a wide receiver in his prime on the market in June after three seasons as a No. 1 target — I asked readers where the 29-year-old wideout will play this season. So far, the Bills are the slight consensus choice to be Maclin’s third team. But readers clearly believe a sleeper team could be out there, with “other” currently leading the Ravens — the other team with which Maclin met this week — for the No. 2 spot so far.
- Joining Maclin as an available wideout in his prime, and one that also posted a 1,000-yard season as recently as 2015 before injuries intervened last season, Eric Decker is soon to become an ex-New York Jet. PFR’s Rory Parks discussed the 30-year-old pass-catcher’s status in our latest Community Tailgate. Two years remain on Decker’s contract, should the Jets find a trade taker.
5 Key Stories: 6/4/17 – 6/11/17
Eric Decker‘s Jets tenure to end. Three seasons into the wide receiver’s five-year contract, the Jets are planning to move on from Decker — either by trade or release. The 30-year-old wideout missed most of last season due to hip and shoulder injuries but has been cleared to return to action, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Ravens have expressed interest. They also met with UFA Jeremy Maclin for two days this week, indicating the team’s desire for pass-catching help. Baltimore’s cap situation (less than $7MM in space) could be an issue, though. It’s possible the Jets wait until Maclin signs before moving on from Decker, however. Either way, two years after Gang Green saw both of its starting wideouts catch at least 12 touchdown passes, both Decker and Brandon Marshall will be gone. The Jets are in full-scale rebuilding mode, with just about every veteran the 2016 team employed no longer in the picture.
Taylor Decker‘s 2017 season could be shortened. After a standout rookie season, the Lions left tackle’s sophomore slate could be delayed. The 6-foot-7 edge blocker suffered a serious shoulder injury during OTAs and underwent surgery. After a four- to six-month recovery timetable emerged, Decker could be a candidate for the Reserve/PUP list. That would shelve him for the first six weeks of the Lions’ season. Decker played in all 17 Detroit games last season.
Odell Beckham Jr. contract rumors escalate. Heading into his fourth season, Beckham is still set to make less than $2MM in base salary despite turning in one of the best three-year stretches to open a career in NFL history. The former first-round pick, though, is under Giants control for two more years after they picked up his fifth-year option. Beckham stayed away from Giants OTAs due to the pursuit of a new deal, Schefter reports. Another report indicated Beckham is merely exercising his right to skip these voluntary workouts. Considering his age (24) and production, the three-time Pro Bowler would seemingly be in line to surpass Antonio Brown‘s Steelers extension from earlier this year and become the highest-paid receiver. Beckham could be in line for a contract exceeding $100MM in total value, but that fifth-year option worth $8.46MM could make matters tricky for now.
Patriots lock up Julian Edelman. Entering this summer as a contract-year player, Edelman will be tied to the Patriots through 2019 after a key transaction this week. The 31-year-old wideout signed a two-year, $11MM extension this week. So, Edelman’s reign as the Patriots’ top slot receiver could well match or exceed Wes Welker‘s six-year run. This contract comes with $9MM in guarantees and $7MM in full guarantees, and Edelman will have a chance to earn up to $3.5MM in incentives in 2019.
Bills, Ravens make Jeremy Maclin interest known. Maclin spent most of the week in two eastern cities, trekking to both Buffalo and Baltimore for two-day visits. The recently released wideout left both summits without a deal and has not yet visited another team, nor has a third suitor emerged. The Eagles were connected to Maclin, but Doug Pederson — who has a history with the 29-year-old wideout in both Philadelphia and Kansas City — said the team is not interested in Maclin at this time. Despite the prospect of both Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown moving on after this season, Bruce Arians said the Cardinals are not interested. The Browns, who have more than $60MM in cap space, are likely to inquire about Maclin as well. Both the Bills and Ravens possess less than $13MM in space.
AFC Notes: Hill, Ingram, Boyle
Tyreek Hill was a revelation for the Chiefs last year, and his success as a rookie is one of the reasons the club was comfortable making the surprise decision to release Jeremy Maclin. And as Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star writes, Hill’s role with Kansas City this year will evolve accordingly.
For one, Hill will not be used on kickoff returns, as the team cannot afford to risk his health any more than is strictly necessary (though he will still be deployed on punt returns). Secondly, because Hill is fairly small — Paylor says the 185-pounder is closer to 5-8 than the 5-10 he is listed as — the Chiefs will need to limit his workload to some degree, although head coach Andy Reid, who was generally successful in managing the workloads of players like DeSean Jackson and Brian Westbrook, is unconcerned about that aspect of Hill’s development. Finally, the team expects Hill to step into Maclin’s “Z” receiver spot, the spotlight position in Reid’s offense. The Chiefs believe Hill’s abilities make a Steve Smith-like trajectory — i.e. a small but electric return man becoming a similarly prolific wideout — a strong possibility.
Now for more from the AFC:
- The Chargers are still negotiating a long-term deal with Melvin Ingram, who is one of two franchise-tagged players yet to sign their tenders or reach a long-term deal with their respective teams (Le’Veon Bell is the other). However, given that Ingram is likely looking for an Olivier Vernon-esque contract (five years, $85MM), Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com says it is more likely Ingram plays under the tag in 2017. That may end up being the best result for both sides, as Ingram would still collect a nice payday this year ($14.55MM), and he would hit the open market at age 29 next year, as Los Angeles is unlikely to tag him again. The Chargers, meanwhile, would get the benefit of Ingram’s services this season, and there is a good chance new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley can adequately develop one of the team’s young pass rushers to replace Ingram’s production in 2018.
- Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer believes the Browns may get more involved in the Jeremy Maclin sweepstakes if he does not sign with either Baltimore or Buffalo — which seems like a long shot at the moment — and she says Cleveland will likely at least inquire on Eric Decker, which the team has done with every quality veteran receiver hitting the market.
- Even without Dennis Pitta, the Ravens have a crowded tight end corps., but Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com believes little-known Nick Boyle could be the player to emerge as Joe Flacco‘s go-to target at the position. Boyle has size and good hands and is a capable blocker, and though he has already been suspended twice in his brief career for PED violations, health has not been an issue for him, as it has been for his fellow tight ends on the roster. The team has also discussed using him as a fullback.
- We rounded up a number of Jets-related notes earlier today.
Community Tailgate: Where Will Eric Decker Play In 2017?
Two talented wide receivers in Jeremy Maclin and Eric Decker are up for grabs, making receiver-needy clubs around the league smack their lips in anticipation. Given that Maclin is a free agent, has visited two clubs, and has been hypothetically linked to others, it’s a little easier to project where he might wind up, and yesterday, we asked our readers to weigh in on that very topic (which you can still do).
Decker, though, is still under contract with the Jets, which makes it a little more difficult to guess where he will be playing in 2017. New York and Baltimore have engaged in trade discussions concerning Decker, but it is unclear where the two teams stand at this point. It could be that the Ravens, who are one of the two teams that Maclin has visited, prefer Maclin and are waiting on him to make a decision. If he should choose to sign somewhere other than Baltimore, the Ravens could pursue a Decker swap with a little more urgency (although the Ravens would need to restructure Decker’s contract or release/restructure one of their own players in order to fit Decker under the salary cap).
The Jets, too, are probably waiting on Maclin to make a decision, because when Maclin is off the table, Decker becomes the undisputed top wideout available, thereby increasing New York’s leverage in trade talks (although Rich Cimini of ESPN.com believes the Jets are unlikely to get more than a late-round draft choice for Decker regardless of what happens with Maclin).
Decker, a 2010 third-round pick who broke out in Denver from 2012-13, carried his strong production from the Mile High City to New York in his first two years with the Jets. The 6-3, 206-pounder combined for 154 catches, 1,989 yards and 17 touchdowns (including 12 in 2015) over 28 games during those seasons. And before injuries derailed him last September, Decker again looked on track for a big year, catching nine passes for a whopping 194 yards and two scores.
His physical presence, strong hands, and red-zone capabilities would make him an excellent complement to Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman in an otherwise thin receiving corps in Baltimore, and the Lions were also mentioned as a possible destination for Decker last week (although that was more speculation than anything else). Outside of those two clubs, though, we have not heard who else might be interested in Decker’s services.
So we will put the question to you. Where do you think Decker will wind up this year, and why? Let us know in the comment section below.
East Notes: Revis, Jets, Giants
The Cowboys have a fair amount of cap space, but they are reportedly uninterested in adding Darrelle Revis to their defensive backfield. That doesn’t mean, however, that certain Dallas players don’t want to see Revis in silver-and-blue in the fall. Star wideout Dez Bryant tweeted Revis yesterday afternoon, saying, “Dallas?…I promise you are going to love what we got going on around here..your attitude fits our culture…waiting…..” While the Cowboys are doubtlessly pleased to see that Bryant is happy in Dallas, Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk confirms the earlier report that the team is unlikely to sign Revis. The Cowboys signed Nolan Carroll and drafted three corners this offseason, and they have chosen to build through the draft in recent years rather than sign expensive free agents.
Now for more from the league’s east divisions:
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com has a number of Jets-related notes this morning, and he observes that, outside of this year’s No. 6 overall selection, Jamal Adams, the player who has really stood out in the team’s OTAs is fellow rookie safety Marcus Maye. Maye, a second-round choice, impressed the organization with his ability to digest the defense and limit his mental mistakes on the practice field, leading New York to believe it could have an excellent safety tandem on its hands.
- Cimini also believes that the Jets are making a mistake by parting ways with Eric Decker. He says young quarterbacks like Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty need a reliable wide receiver to help their development, and without Decker, New York really does not have such a player. Cimini also says that, if Jeremy Maclin signs somewhere other than Baltimore, the Jets’ leverage in Decker trade talks with the Ravens would of course increase, though he does not expect the Jets to get anything higher than a late-round draft choice for Decker regardless of what happens with Maclin.
- Cimini also notes that there is “nothing cooking” on the Sheldon Richardson trade front, and that the Jets are prepared to go into the season with him and are hoping he can boost his value in advance of the trade deadline.
- We have heard a lot about a potential long-term deal for Giants receiver Odell Beckham lately, but James Kratch of NJ.com, like many other writers, believes the most likely outcome is that OBJ plays out the 2017 season on his modest $1.8MM salary and that the two sides begin discussing a multi-year extension after the season.
- In the same piece, Kratch says the Giants really like second-year kicker Aldrick Rosas, who has been exceedingly impressive in offseason practices, and that it is unlikely Big Blue adds a veteran kicker at this point.
- Eagles rookie Nate Gerry‘s conversion to linebacker is going well, as Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. The Nebraska product has put on about 16 pounds over the past month in his effort to go from hard-hitting collegiate safety to professional linebacker, and he will have the opportunity to get significant playing time in an unsettled linebacker unit in Philadelphia.
Poll: Where Will Jeremy Maclin Sign?
Just two years ago, Jeremy Maclin was a coveted UFA after putting together a dominant 2014 season with the Eagles. After two years as the Chiefs’ No. 1 wide receiver, Maclin is a rare June free agent in his prime with upper-echelon credentials at his position.
He’s made multiple trips to the Eastern Time Zone this week, visiting the Bills and Ravens. Both summits lasted for two days, and each concluded with the wideout still unattached. So, where will Maclin end up? It’s clear he has options, but will the former Pro Bowler have to make a large financial sacrifice since many teams’ wideout plans have formed and funds are lower?
The Chiefs made the strange decision to release him after June 1 despite the ability to designate the 29-year-old pass-catcher as a post-June 1 cut prior to that date. Maclin went through some of Kansas City’s OTAs, and although he did not have a good 2016 season, the wideout posted 1,000-yard slates in both 2014 and ’15 and had three years left on a five-year, $55MM deal. The Chiefs moving on from Maclin depletes their wideout situation, leaving the explosive but raw Tyreek Hill and a host of auxiliary-type players in the defending AFC West champions’ receiving stable.
Maclin is coming off a season where a groin injury prevented him from playing in four games and affected his ability in others. He finished with just 536 receiving yards — by far a career-low mark. His penultimate Eagles season (2013) did not end up occurring due to an offseason ACL tear. And Maclin sprained his ankle in the Chiefs’ wild-card win over the Texans in January 2016. So, injuries are part of the equation.
But several teams figure to be interested in signing him despite the late juncture of the release.
The Bills use the league’s most run-centric attack but don’t have much for long-term wideouts on the books after declining Sammy Watkins‘ fifth-year option and seeing Robert Woods defect to the Rams. Both LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor spoke out about a desire to see Maclin come to western New York, and the Bills being Maclin’s first visit obviously puts them in the race. But this is not an offense that features the kind of receiving opportunities Maclin could conceivably have elsewhere, and Buffalo used a second-round pick on Zay Jones.
Baltimore would seem in dire need of another receiver. Both Steve Smith and Kamar Aiken are no longer in the picture, and the team did not draft a wideout or sign an outside free agent. The Ravens, though, have even less cap space than the Bills do — at $6.9MM compared to Buffalo’s $12.6MM. With Mike Wallace and injury-prone Breshad Perriman fronting the group, the Ravens could use the ninth-year player.
ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported the Eagles had interest, and the fit would make some sense given Maclin’s history with Doug Pederson in Philadelphia and Kansas City. But Pederson shot down that rumor to some degree by saying the team has no interest “at this time.” Despite Philly signing Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, the team doesn’t have its receiving corps lined up long-term. Jeffery is due for free agency again in 2018, and Smith’s contract has two option years after 2017. Jordan Matthews is also an ’18 UFA.
Other teams could have openings. The Redskins lost both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon but have Terrelle Pryor and a recovering Josh Doctson. The Lions were connected to Anquan Boldin earlier this offseason but already have two well-paid wideouts on the books, with Marvin Jones making $8MM annually and Golden Tate earning $6.2MM per year. The Browns, Rams and 49ers have needs here, but if Maclin is keen on joining another winning team right away, these aren’t the best fits.
Which team do you think will be Maclin’s third NFL employer? Will the McCoy recruitment pay off and give the Bills another weapon, or will the Ravens’ need at the position force the team to make a play here? Will the Eagles end up backtracking and consider Maclin for what would then become a star-studded 2017 corps? And what sleeper teams are out there? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments.
Where Will Jeremy Maclin Sign?
-
Bills 35% (1,050)
-
Ravens 28% (836)
-
Other 25% (765)
-
Lions 6% (187)
-
Eagles 6% (174)
Total votes: 3,012
OL Notes: Colts, Peters, Giants, Falcons
Jim Irsay is generally unafraid to make bold statements, and the longtime Colts owner made another recently by proclaiming the team’s embattled offensive line as “fixed.” Andrew Luck took the second-most hits of any quarterback last season at 128 despite missing a game due to a concussion. The team also allowed the fifth-most sacks with 46. Luck missed nine games in 2015 with a shoulder injury and absorbed plenty of hits before that season-ending malady. And the Colts did not make any big additions this offseason, former Titans starter Brian Schwenke‘s one-year deal notwithstanding.
“Let me say this: The offensive line is fixed,” Irsay said, via Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “I’m telling you guys, the offensive line is fixed. The reason I’ll tell you it’s fixed is because (former Colts offensive line coach) Howard Mudd told me it’s fixed. If Howard Mudd tells you it’s fixed, trust me, it’s fixed.”
The Colts do return an entrenched left side of the line in Anthony Castonzo, Jack Mewhort and Ryan Kelly. Wells projects Joe Haeg to start at right guard and Le’Raven Clark to man right tackle. Irsay added the team may be ready to run more in 2017. Indianapolis did add fourth-round running back Marlon Mack and UFA Christine Michael to join Frank Gore. The Colts ranked 16th with 25.6 rushing attempts per game last season.
“We’ve worked hard to bring in the right type of players (on the offensive line),” Irsay said. “We’re ready to run the football and protect Andrew.”
Here’s the latest news on some other offensive lines, moving first to the Eagles’.
- Jason Peters did not attend the Eagles‘ OTA sessions but will be back for minicamp, Bob Ford of Philly.com notes. Lane Johnson worked at left tackle in the 35-year-old’s stead. Peters will be back with the team despite the Eagles approaching him about a paycut in February and the sides not agreeing on one. Ford notes Johnson is expected to slide over to the left side after Peters’ Philadelphia tenure concludes.
- The Giants‘ tackle situation is not as enviable, but a consensus appears to be forming. Big Blue seems to agree with the Chargers’ coaching staffs of the past two years. D.J. Fluker did not play right tackle during OTAs, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com notes, focusing strictly on guard duty. Even after Bobby Hart was absent during the team’s final OTA sessions, sixth-round rookie Adam Bisnowaty took first-team reps instead of Fluker on the right edge, Raanan writes. Fluker played right tackle during his first two seasons in San Diego, but the Giants are going with Hart — a 2015 seventh-round pick — right now. This means Fluker may have a tougher time auditioning, barring injury, for a long-term contract with the Giants re-signing holdover right guard John Jerry. Fluker is signed to a one-year deal.
- Ben Garland may be ready to stick on one side of the ball this season and will probably see time in consecutive seasons for the first time in his career. Used on defense as well during the Falcons‘ NFC championship season, Garland will battle Wes Schweitzer for the right guard job vacated by Chris Chester, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Schweitzer was a sixth-round pick last year who did not suit up as a rookie. Ledbetter notes the 29-year-old Garland may have a slight upper hand going into minicamp. Garland’s previous opportunity to vie for a starting job ended quickly, with the 2015 Broncos bringing in Evan Mathis midway through training camp after Garland worked with Denver’s first-stringers at that camp’s outset. Garland, though, played in all 19 Falcons games last season after spending most of the ’15 season on Atlanta’s practice squad.
Cap Outlook Prompts Select Agents, NFLPA Brass To Suggest Revamped Contracts
With players like Derek Carr, Odell Beckham and Aaron Donald either set to become their respective position’s highest-paid player this year or reside in position to do so in due time, select agents and NFLPA personnel are suggesting a change in how big-money deals are structured.
The NFL’s salary cap made its highest year-to-year leap between 2016 and 2017, with the payroll ceiling rising from $155.27MM to $167MM. And that could continue once the 2020s begin. A new CBA could intensify these cap spikes, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report hears (Twitter link) agents and union personnel are suggesting young players on the verge of landmark contracts tie their deals to the salary cap instead of signing deals that feature set wages when it’s unknown what future years’ caps will be.
Using Carr and Beckham as examples, with their new deals almost certainly to lock them up through some years after a new CBA is negotiated, Cole points out the anticipated cap growth is causing some early preparations (Twitter link). Deals that would be for a percentage of a team’s cap would certainly be more player-friendly, but they are not yet a reality. Nothing has emerged on whether or not agents engaged in negotiations are taking a hard line on this.
Cole (on Twitter) and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk note Darrelle Revis‘ camp tried this angle in 2010 with the Jets, while Kirk Cousins‘ representatives did so with the Redskins last year. Revis did not get a Jets extension before the 2011 CBA kicked in and was traded to the Buccaneers, who extended him in 2013.
Florio writes such a drastic shift would need to come from a player who possesses maximum leverage, envisioning a franchise-level quarterback hitting free agency as such a scenario that would induce a team to agree to this. He also writes that the NFL’s management council is believed to have urged teams against allowing this provision to come to fruition.
Florio uses Aaron Rodgers‘ 2013 extension as an example of how this setup would have greatly benefited the perennial MVP candidate. Rodgers will make $20.3MM this year. If a cap percentage-based agreement was in place with the Packers, Florio writes Rodgers would have made $29.72MM this year — at 17.6 percent of Green Bay’s cap, which the extension represented in 2013.
AFC North Notes: Osweiler, Steelers, Ravens
The Browns and Texans’ historic trade did send a second-round pick to Cleveland, but Brock Osweiler remains on the payroll after the team tried to trade him for more draft picks. This leaves Osweiler in an uncertain place despite the sixth-year quarterback working with the Browns at OTAs. However, one NFL executive believes the team will still find a way to unload Osweiler.
“I think they still will flip him,” the anonymous exec said, via Mike Sando of ESPN.com (Insider link). “I think they are going to pay even more of his salary where he is only, say, a $2MM player, and then they will trade him for something. This is Plan B. Plan A was to take his salary down to $8MM and trade him right away. Plan C is that he is on their team or they just outright cut him. That could very much happen.”
This exec paints a grim portrait of Osweiler’s future in northeast Ohio. The Browns have been impressed with their unique trade acquisition so far, and Osweiler is competing for the starting job with Cody Kessler and DeShone Kizer. But Cleveland still was keen on unloading the 26-year-old passer, and taking on plenty of Osweiler’s $16MM salary to do it. The Browns have been unable to do so yet but have more than $60MM in cap space, so a prospective deal wouldn’t be out of the question this year. But one could well depend on a team’s injury situation at quarterback come training camp, along with the portion of the quarterback’s salary the Browns would agree to pay and what kind of draft compensation they now want.
Here’s the latest coming out of the AFC North as minicamps approach.
- In the same Sando piece, an NFL personnel director questioned the Steelers‘ hesitance at trying to keep up with the Patriots this offseason. Perhaps the top AFC challenger to New England, Pittsburgh did not make moves in free agency or on the trade market, calling this anonymous exec to question the franchise’s traditional, build-from-within approach. “Pittsburgh never seems to make the big impact move,” the exec said. “They seem to just keep trying to get guys who fit into their locker room or fit into their scheme. It is almost like they are a little bit of plug-and-play and not really willing to stretch out and put themselves out there.” The Steelers did add wideout weaponry but did so through the draft (second-rounder JuJu Smith-Schuster) and via Martavis Bryant‘s reinstatement. Otherwise, the team is similar to its 2016 edition.
- The costs to keep the trio of Le’Veon Bell, Stephon Tuitt and Alejandro Villanueva could cost the Steelers well north of $100MM collectively, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes. The Pittsburgh-based reporter slots Bell’s deal as the highest priority, Tuitt’s as the player who wouldn’t need to be re-signed right away, and Villanueva as the wild card in this equation in being an ERFA that could hold out after a months-long negotiation. The Steelers have the July 15 franchise tag deadline with Bell but could let Tuitt’s talks slip into August, Fowler notes. The fourth-year defensive end is under contract at $1.47MM for 2017 before his rookie deal expires. Tuitt wants to stay in Pittsburgh but will be a costly cog to retain. The Steelers possess $16.3MM in cap space.
- The Ravens are shifting to a more power-based run scheme under new offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, according to the Baltimore Sun’s Edward Lee. Baltimore used zone principles under Juan Castillo, who is now working as the Bills’ O-line coach.