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Chiefs Finished Second For JuJu Smith-Schuster; Ravens’ Scheme Became Factor

April 9th, 2021 at 4:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens submitted JuJu Smith-Schuster a better offer than the Steelers did, but the former Pro Bowl wide receiver opted to stay in Pittsburgh. Baltimore was not his second choice, either.

Had Smith-Schuster not ultimately decided to stay with the Steelers, he would have joined the Chiefs. Andy Reid continued to text images of the Vince Lombardi trophy to the 24-year-old wideout, and Smith-Schuster confirmed Kansas City was his second choice.

“I think, just seeing K.C. and bro, Andy Reid was just calling me and he was sending me Lombardi Trophy pictures like constantly. We had a good talk, so it would’ve been K.C. after the Steelers,” Smith-Schuster said during an appearance on the Michael Irvin Podcast (via NFL.com).

Smith-Schuster would have replaced Sammy Watkins alongside Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce in the Chiefs’ historically loaded pass offense. Watkins ended up signing with the Ravens, who had issues convincing acclaimed receivers to sign this offseason. The Ravens also offered T.Y. Hilton more money than the Colts did, but the veteran wideout stayed in Indianapolis. Smith-Schuster indicated Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson-centered run scheme became an issue as he considered a possible intra-AFC North jump.

“[Playing for a rival], too, and I’m curious to see how they’re going to be this year having Sammy Watkins and how they’re going to use him and throwing the ball and stuff like that,” Smith-Schuster said of the Ravens. “Lamar’s a really, a heavy run offense with the backs that he has. I just point being facts. His No. 1 target was [Mark] Andrews, who’s a tight end.”

New Ravens receivers coach Tee Martin, who coached Smith-Schuster at USC, began Baltimore’s recruitment. Jackson and John Harbaugh contacted Smith-Schuster as well. The Ravens are believed to have offered Smith-Schuster a $9MM salary with $4MM in incentives. He re-signed with the Steelers on a one-year, $8MM deal.

“Tee Martin was a coach at USC who coached me, he ended up going to the Ravens and he reached out and that’s how that process started. Lamar reached out, the head coach called, Marlon Humphrey‘s hitting me up,” Smith-Schuster said. “It starts getting serious when the players start texting you and hit you up like, ‘Yo, what’s up, bro? What we doing? Come win.’ All respect to them, and it was cool. But I think with me it’s more so staying home, staying loyal. In my situation, we have a new OC, Ben’s coming back, my relationship with my receiver coach, Ike Hilliard, is amazing. You can’t beat that.”

Reprising his role in an increasingly pass-heavy Steelers offense, Smith-Schuster will have a chance to re-enter free agency in 2022. The Chiefs, who also finished second in the Trent Williams sweepstakes, are likely still on the hunt for a receiver to replace Watkins.

Steven Nelson Sought Steelers Extension; CB Drawing Interest

April 6th, 2021 at 6:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

As free agency neared, the Steelers had one of the league’s worst cap situations. One of their starters may have tried to add a mutually beneficial wrinkle to the team’s cap sheet.

Steven Nelson believed he had outplayed the three-year, $25.5MM contract the Steelers gave him in 2019. The veteran cornerback sought an extension that would bring his 2021 cap number down while adding some guarantees and a pay raise, but the Steelers disagreed, Nelson said during a Sirius XM Radio interview with Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller (Twitter link). This led to the Steelers giving Nelson permission to seek a trade, a process that quickly gave way to the team releasing its two-year starting corner.

Prior to the release, Nelson said the Steelers did not offer him the option of a pay cut (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly). One year remained on Nelson’s previous deal, which called for him to earn $8.25MM in 2021. It would have been a strange development for Nelson to accept a pay reduction, given that he sought an extension that would bump his salary. But it will be difficult for Nelson, at this juncture, to match the salary he would have earned as a Steeler next season.

The former third-round pick said 10 to 15 teams have “serious interest” (Twitter link). While that seems high given the current marketplace, the 28-year-old defender figures to have an opportunity to be a starter elsewhere in 2021. Nelson joins Richard Sherman, Casey Hayward, A.J. Bouye and Dre Kirkpatrick as veteran corners available. Nelson has experience both outside and in the slot, having played in the latter role for a bit with the Chiefs. The six-year veteran graded as a top-40 corner, per Pro Football Focus, in each of his two Pittsburgh seasons.

Steelers Host S Karl Joseph

April 1st, 2021 at 4:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Following one season in Cleveland, Karl Joseph could find his next opportunity with another AFC North squad. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that the free agent safety visited the Steelers.

The Raiders’ 2016 first-round pick earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors as a rookie, and he had a solid campaign as a sophomore in 2017. However, he bounced in and out of the starting lineup in 2018, and the Raiders decline his fifth-year option prior to the 2019 campaign. That 2019 season ended up being Joseph’s final year with the organization. and he was limited to only nine games after suffering a foot injury.

He signed a one-year deal with the Browns last offseason, and he proceeded to play 14 games (eight starts) for his new squad. He finished the year having compiled 67 tackles, two tackles for loss, four passes defended, and one interception. He also came up big in the playoffs for the Browns; he recovered a botched Steelers snap for a touchdown, and he intercepted a pass by Chiefs quarterback Chad Henne.

While Joseph probably wouldn’t push either Minkah Fitzpatrick or Terrell Edmunds for playing time, he could serve a role as a solid backup safety. Pittsburgh’s 2020 backups, Sean Davis and Jordan Dangerfield, are both free agents.

Steelers Sign RB Kalen Ballage

March 30th, 2021 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers announced that they have signed running back Kalen Ballage to a one-year deal. Ballage, entering his fourth pro season, split the 2020 campaign between the Jets and Chargers.

After being drafted by the Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, Ballage has appeared in 35 games across multiple stops. All in all, he has 629 yards off of 201 carries with seven touchdowns. He’s also tacked on 52 grabs for 285 yards. His best year came as a rookie — in an admittedly small sample size of 36 carries, the Arizona State product averaged 5.3 yards per tote.

The Steelers finished last in rushing yards per attempt last year, so they’re expected to prioritize RBs in the draft next month. Ballage won’t be the main ball-carrier in Pittsburgh, but he can offer support for the lagging group.

“We’ve got to be a lot better in running,” team president Art Rooney II said recently. “Certainly we don’t want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers being last in the league in rushing again ever. I think it’s something our coaches are focused on and we’ll be looking for ways to improve in the draft. It’s something we’ve got to fix, and we are working on it.”

Morgan Burnett Announces Retirement

March 29th, 2021 at 5:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Morgan Burnett did not play last season, and the veteran safety will not opt to make a comeback in 2021. Burnett announced his retirement (via Instagram) on Monday.

The former Packers third-round pick played 10 NFL seasons — with Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Cleveland — and started 112 games out of the 121 he played. The Packers traded up with the Eagles to select Burnett in 2010 and deployed him as a first-string safety for seven-plus seasons.

While never a Pro Bowler, Burnett led two playoff-bound Packers teams in tackles, with 123 in 2012 and 130 in 2014, and totaled more than 90 in three other Green Bay seasons. The Georgia Tech product intercepted 10 passes and forced eight fumbles in his NFL career.

Although Burnett’s rookie season doubled as Green Bay’s fourth Super Bowl-winning campaign, he was on IR during those playoffs. Burnett, however, started in 11 postseason games with the Packers. He intercepted two playoff passes.

The Packers gave Burnett a four-year, $24.75MM extension in 2013. He played out that contract. Burnett moved on in unrestricted free agency in 2018, signing with the Steelers. After a year in Pittsburgh, Burnett spent his final season in Cleveland. Injuries intervened during Burnett’s Steelers and Browns stays, and the Steelers did not use him as a full-time starter. While the Browns gave Burnett a two-year contract and did use him as a full-time first-stringer, they released him after he missed eight games due to injury. Despite reaching the 10-season threshold, Burnett was just 30 when he played his final NFL game.

Steelers Re-Sign P Jordan Berry

March 29th, 2021 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

After going into the 2020 season without Jordan Berry as their punter, the Steelers restored their usual order at the position by adding the veteran around the midseeason point. The team is bringing Berry back for another season.

Berry re-signed with the Steelers on Monday. It’s a one-year deal. Should the veteran specialist make Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster, it will be his seventh season with the team.

The Steelers previously extended Berry to keep him in 2018 and, a year later, gave him a two-year contract that ran through 2020. However, the team cut its incumbent punter and went with longtime Chief Dustin Colquitt going into last season. The Steelers backtracked on Colquitt after five games and brought back Berry, who punted in the team’s final 11 contests and its wild-card game.

Berry, who turned 30 earlier this month, averaged a career-best 45.8 yards per punt last season. While he was not with the Steelers for the first five games last season, the former UDFA has never missed a game when under contract.

Steelers To Sign Rashaad Coward

March 29th, 2021 at 1:27pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers’ offensive line group continues to shuffle. Pittsburgh is expected to sign free agent lineman Rashaad Coward, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Coward was a restricted free agent who was not tendered by the Bears, leaving him free to sign with any team. Coward is an interesting player, since when he entered the league as an UDFA out of Old Dominion in 2017 he was a defensive end. He was on defense during his rookie year with Chicago (mostly on the practice squad), and then made the switch to offensive line the following year.

In 2019 he was thrust into starting action despite still being very new to the position after Kyle Long went down with an injury. He started ten games at guard that year. This past season he appeared in all 16 games and started five at left guard, playing just over 30 percent of the offensive snaps.

Since he’s still only 26 and only just recently started playing guard, it’s an intriguing low-risk signing for the Steelers with some upside. Considering they’ve already lost significant pieces of their offensive line like Maurkice Pouncey and Matt Feiler this offseason, it can’t hurt to start throwing darts.

Tyson Alualu Nixes Jaguars Deal, Re-Joins Steelers

March 27th, 2021 at 6:50pm CST by Zachary Links

After agreeing to join Jaguars, Tyson Alualu had a change of heart. The veteran defensive end has instead re-signed with the Steelers on a two-year deal, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 

The Jaguars verbally agreed to a two-year, $6MM deal with Alualu on March 16. The 33-year-old (34 in May) planned to make it all official on a trip to Jacksonville, but a positive test for COVID-19 forced him to postpone the trip. While quarantining in his Pittsburgh home for ten days, the veteran edge rusher reconsidered his decision.

Alualu was the 10th overall pick of the Jags way back in 2010, and although he’s been a solid player, he never really lived up to his draft status. He has had a bit of a late career resurgence in Pittsburgh, including some quality work with the Steelers last year. He played on ~44% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in 2020 and finished with 38 tackles, two sacks, and five passes defended. He received very strong marks from Pro Football Focus for his work as a run defender.

Now, the big fella will return to one of the league’s best defenses. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer will have to look elsewhere for interior line help.

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