Chargers, Falcons, Steelers, Texans, Jets To Skip OTAs
3:57pm: Add the Jets and Texans to this list. They are the 13th and 14th teams to reveal players will not show up Monday. Veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson tweeted the Texans voted not to attend. Though, the Jets (Twitter link) join the Chargers and Falcons by pointing out that “many players” have agreed to do so. Some are likely to attend workouts.
3:47pm: Three more teams joined the lot of those who have pledged to pass on the NFL’s in-person OTAs this spring. The Chargers, Falcons and Steelers indicated all or most of their players will not attend workouts at team facilities.
The Bolts and Falcons’ statements said “many” of their respective players will not attend workouts (Twitter links), while the Steelers’ statement (on Twitter) provided no such qualifier.
Thus far, these three join the Broncos, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Bears, Browns, Giants, Patriots, Lions and Raiders in vowing to stay away from team facilities this offseason. The Steelers’ statement indicated the protocols that were in place last season are not entirely present for the NFL’s offseason program, creating confusion. Teams can begin holding onsite offseason workouts Monday, and more than half the league’s franchises are set to do so.
The NFL and NFLPA have been discussing offseason protocols for several weeks. No resolution has come, leading union president J.C. Tretter to call for these boycotts. The Chargers, Steelers and Falcons will proceed virtually, though some players — presumably the ones with workout bonuses — will likely show up. It will be interesting how teams navigate this matter after the draft. Draft picks and UDFAs can gain more from onsite offseason work, with the latter group not exactly in position to shun developmental opportunities. How rookies proceed may influence how certain veterans do as well.
For now, however, there are 12 teams who have come forward to say they will stay away from OTAs due to COVID-19 concerns. That list may continue expanding ahead of Monday.
Steelers Re-Sign Vince Williams
The Steelers have agreed to re-sign Vince Williams (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). The linebacker had other offers, Fowler hears, but he ultimately chose to stay in Pittsburgh. 
The Steelers cut Williams earlier this year to save $4MM against the salary cap. It wasn’t an easy call for Kevin Colbert & Co., as Williams had spent his entire eight-year career in black and gold.
After entering the league as a sixth-round pick in 2013, Williams spent the early part of his career as a part-timer. But, for the last four years, he’s served as a starter. In 2020 ,he appeared in 14 games (all starts), racking up 70 tackles, 14 for a loss, and three sacks. His most noteworthy season came in 2017, when he notched eight sacks despite lining up as an inside linebacker.
The remainder of Williams’ last deal — a three-year extension worth $18.6MM — was too rich for the Steelers’ blood, but he managed to find middle ground with management. Now, he’ll look to add to his career tallies of 479 tackles and 20.5 sacks while staying with the only team he’s ever known.
Steelers Re-Sign Joshua Dobbs
The Steelers have re-upped quarterback Josh Dobbs, per an announcement from his agent. The quarterback will return on a one-year deal, giving him a chance to backstop Ben Roethlisberger in 2021.
Dobbs, 26, spent the first two-plus seasons of his career with the Steelers, including a 2018 campaign where he completed six of his 12 pass attempts for 43 yards and one pick in five games. In the fall of 2019, he was shipped to the Jaguars for a 2020 fifth-rounder. At the time, he was a candidate to take over for injured Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles. Instead, Gardner Minshew ran away with the gig and turned in a surprisingly strong rookie season. Dobbs never got into a game with Jacksonville, but he did get to return to the Steelers as a waiver wire pickup last fall.
Despite having two stints with the Steelers over multiple seasons, Dobbs has only attempted a grand total of 17 passes in the NFL. His spot on the Week 1 roster is far from guaranteed, especially given the presence of Dwayne Haskins and Mason Rudolph.
James Conner Underwent Surgery
Running back James Conner underwent surgery this offseason to address a turf toe-type injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This would help to explain his prolonged and ongoing stint in free agency. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Meet With Conner]
The good news is that Conner’s injury was “very moderate,” according to sources who spoke with Rapoport. Apparently, this took place off of the field while Conner was “riding in a recreational vehicle.” He’s expected to be at 100% health by June, so he should be good to go in advance of training camp.
The Cardinals recently met with the Steelers free agent, a sign that his market is picking up. He’s coming off of a quietly productive year that ended with 721 yards on the ground and six scores, plus 35 grabs for 215 yards. If not for a positive COVID-19 test that cost him some time down the stretch, Conner might have cracked 1,000 yards.
Conner’s best work came in 2018, when he ran for 973 yards and 12 touchdowns with a 4.5 yards per tote average. He was still pretty efficient this past year though, posting a 4.3 ypc.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/12/21
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Waived: OL Beau Benzschawel, WR Steven Mitchell
New England Patriots
- Waived: DT Michael Barnett
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DL Abdullah Anderson
NFL Distributes Performance-Based Payouts
Since 2002, the NFL’s performance-based pay system has rewarded low-salary players who exceed their expected playing time. This year, due to the pandemic, the league and the players’ union negotiated a gradual payout schedule, one that will meter out the money between now and 2024.
All in all, the league divested $8.5MM per club. This year’s top earner is Buccaneers guard Alex Cappa, a 2018 third-round pick who played every single snap for the eventual champs. Cappa will now receive an extra $622K on top of his $750K base salary for 2021. Per the union’s records, 25 other players also topped $500K, including Cardinals tackle Kelvin Beachum ($604K), Bills cornerback Taron Johnson ($579K), Rams guard Austin Corbett ($573K), Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye ($572K), Bears tackle Germain Ifedi ($571K), Steelers offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor ($568K), Vikings offensive lineman Dakota Dozier ($561K), Ravens safety DeShon Elliott ($557K) and Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead ($555K).
The full list, going team-by-team, can be found here, courtesy of the NFLPA.
Steelers Not Planning To Trade Up For QB?
- Among QBs in his age range, Ben Roethlisberger stands alone. The other two 2004 first-round QBs — Eli Manning and Philip Rivers — retired. So did Drew Brees. Tom Brady relocated, and the Packers drafted Rodgers’ would-be heir apparent in Jordan Love. The Steelers, however, are still Roethlisberger-dependent. They will not trade up from No. 24 to draft a quarterback, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic (subscription required), who notes that it would not be too surprising if Roethlisberger ended up staying on for his age-40 season in 2022 while the organization figures out its long-awaited plan.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/9/21
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: DT Daniel Ross
New England Patriots
- Waived: G Ross Reynolds
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DL T.J. Carter
Chiefs Finished Second For JuJu Smith-Schuster; Ravens’ Scheme Became Factor
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.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/7/21
Today’s minor transactions:
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed ERFA tender: OL Coleman Shelton
New England Patriots
- Reinstated from reserve/retired list: C Dustin Woodard
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Jamir Jones