Steelers Unlikely To Extend James Conner?
- James Conner has fared reasonably well as Le’Veon Bell‘s successor, landing on the 2018 Pro Bowl roster and totaling 20 touchdowns in 23 games over the past two seasons. But he has battled injuries in multiple years. Despite the running back being a Pittsburgh native, The Athletic’s Ed Bouchette does not see the Steelers exploring an extension for the contract-year starter (subscription required). Third-year back Jaylen Samuels and second-year cog Benny Snell — each a Day 3 pick — reside as Conner’s backups, pointing to a possible addition at the position in the upcoming draft.
- Despite giving B.J. Finney a second-round RFA tender last year, the Steelers did not make an effort to re-sign the guard in free agency, Bouchette adds. Finney defected to the Seahawks on a two-year, $8MM deal. Either sliding Stefen Wisniewski into the recently retired Ramon Foster‘s left guard spot or moving starting right tackle Matt Feiler to that position may be on the table, Bouchette adds. Foster’s 145 starts mark the fifth-most by a Steelers offensive lineman, so the franchise will be trudging into new territory next season.
Steelers GM Pushing For Three Extra NFL Draft Rounds
The coronavirus has radically changed the NFL Draft process and Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has offered up one proposal to help teams adjust to the lack of workouts and Pro Days. Colbert has asked league officials to add an additional three rounds to this year’s draft, bringing the total number of rounds to ten, as Manish Mehta of the Daily News writes. 
In lieu of drills and auditions, teams are permitted to hold up to three hour-long video conferences per week with any prospect. Still, coaches and executives like Colbert feel like they are flying blind. The draft is already wildly unpredictable; now teams have less intel than ever before. Because there are bound to be many misfires, Colbert believes the Steelers (and other clubs) can offset things a bit with a greater margin for error.
It’s not immediately clear whether the league is giving real consideration to Colbert’s idea, but anything is possible given these unprecedented conditions. This year’s draft will be “fully virtual” with executives conducting their business in separate locations, rather than the initial plan of allowing teams to gather their front office officials in one room.
The league has done its best to adjust. For example, Tua Tagovailoa recently underwent a voluntary medical re-check via the league’s combine committee. Ordinarily, his surgically-repaired hip would have been examined by scores of team doctors in separate exams, Instead, every team was allowed to request specific tests and the results were then shared with all 32 clubs.
Steelers Notes: Ebron, Bucannon, LB
- New Steelers tight end Eric Ebron said he still isn’t fully recovered from the ankle injury that forced him to injured reserve as a member of the Colts in 2019, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, Ebron hasn’t been able to meet with the Steelers’ medical staff, but an independent doctor did examine his ankle, and Pittsburgh has officially announced its two-year, $12MM deal with the 26-year-old. Ebron, who says he decided to sign with the Steelers largely due to the presence of Ben Roethlisberger, had a public spat with the Colts when he decided to shut things down last November. Now, he’s expected to serve as one of Roethlisberger’s top offensive weapons while splitting time with fellow tight end Vance McDonald.
- After releasing veteran Mark Barron last month, the Steelers now need to find another inside linebacker to play opposite 2019 first-rounder Devin Bush, as Mark Kaboly of The Athletic writes. Vince Williams remains on Pittsburgh’s roster, and general manager Kevin Colbert says he’s “comfortable” with Williams as a starter (as he was in 2017-18 before losing snaps to Barron last season). Sources tell Kaboly the Steelers aren’t interested in Deone Bucannon, who remains on the free agent market, but the club could spend a draft pick on another ‘backer.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/30/20
We’ve compiled today’s minor moves below:
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: CB Donte Deayon
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DE Dewayne Hendrix
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/26/20
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LS Nick Moore
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: C Evan Brown
Detroit News
- Signed: WR Geremy Davis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Terry Godwin
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DT Daniel Ross
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Christian Kuntz
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/25/20
Here are today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Trevon Coley
- Re-signed: RB D.J. Foster
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: QB Tyler Bray
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB LeShaun Sims
Las Vegas Raiders
- Re-signed: LB Kyle Wilber
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DE Anthony Zettel
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OT Jarron Jones (XFL), S Tyree Kinnel (XFL), DT Cavon Walker (XFL)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: LB Kevin Minter
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OL Jeremy Vujnovich
Steelers Likely To Extend Cam Heyward
- Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward has been eyeing an extension since at least January, and according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 30-year-old should receive a new deal “soon.” Heyward, is set to earn $9.5MM and count for ~13.25MM on the Steelers’ salary cap in 2020. An extension would give Heyward more immediate cash but likely lower his cap charge for next season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/20
Today’s running list of minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: P Ryan Allen (this is only a procedural move and Allen is expected to be re-signed shortly, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets.)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Pharoh Cooper
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: CB C.J. Goodwin
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: S Miles Killebrew
- Signed: CB Tony McRae
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: OT Roderick Johnson
- Signed: DB Jaylen Watkins
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: OL Le’Raven Clark
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: LB Lerentee McCray
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: CB Justin Hardee
- Signed: FB Michael Burton
New York Jets
- Re-signed: CB Arthur Maulet
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: S Jordan Dangerfield
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: OT Roderick Johnson
New York Jets
- Re-signed: CB Arthur Maulet
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: S Jordan Dangerfield
Ravens To Trade Chris Wormley To Steelers
We have yet another trade in the NFL. The latest swap is an intra-divisional one: The Steelers will send a 2021 fifth-round pick to the Ravens for defensive lineman Chris Wormley and a 2021 seventh-rounder, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Wormley, a third-round pick in 2017, was tapped to be a younger replacement for Timmy Jernigan after he was shipped to the Eagles. He didn’t pan out exactly as hoped, but he did provide the Ravens with 39 appearances, including 15 starts, over the course of three seasons.
Along the way, Wormley managed 2.5 sacks from the interior. Last year, he saw 482 snaps with a roughly even split between passing and running plays. Pro Football Focus assigned him a 65.6 overall score, slotting him as the No. 63 ranked defensive tackle in the NFL. A repeat performance would make him a great value for Pittsburgh, as he still has one year to go on his original rookie deal.
Steelers To Sign Eric Ebron
The Steelers are signing tight end Eric Ebron to a two-year deal worth $12MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). It’s a relatively low-risk pickup that could pay big dividends for Ben Roethlisberger & Co.
Ebron, a former first-round pick, struggled early on in his career with the Lions. In 2018, he caught his second wind with the Colts. However, the team decided against re-signing him this offseason.
In ’18, Ebron got the drops under control and managed a 13-touchdown season with 66 catches for 750 yards. But, without quarterback Andrew Luck, Ebron was far less productive in 2019. The soon-to-be 27-year-old had just 31 grabs for 375 yards and three scores before landing on IR in late November with an ankle injury.
Then, there was drama. The Colts said they were not aware of Ebron having a serious ankle problem. Ebron fired back and issued a statement saying that the team knew about his severe pain since the start of the season.
The fences weren’t mended, and Ebron is moving on to Pittsburgh.