Bill Cowher Elected To Pro Football Hall of Fame
During the pregame show for Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round matchup between the Titans and Ravens on CBS Sports, 
president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, David Baker, showed up on set to surprise Bill Cowher with the news that he had been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a part of the class of 2020. Cowher is the first selection of the class, which will have twenty members.
Cowher, of course, built his Hall of Fame pedigree as the head coach of the Steelers from 1992-2006. Following in the footsteps of another Hall of Fame coach, Chuck Noll, Cowher led Pittsburgh to 11 playoff appearances, 6 AFC Championship games, 2 Super Bowls, and a Super Bowl victory in his penultimate season with the team.
Prior to Cowher’s arrival in Pittsburgh, the team had failed to make the playoffs in five of their previous six campaigns. After Cowher’s arrival, the team reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, including Super Bowl XXX (where they lost to the Cowboys). At that time, Cowher was the youngest head coach to reach the Super Bowl. Still, it would take him another ten years to reach the Super Bowl again. When he did, the Steelers defeated the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, giving him his only Super Bowl ring.
After just one more season, Cowher stepped down to spend more time with his family. Since he has served as an analyst with CBS Sports. While many teams have been rumored to make runs to get Cowher back on the field, it appears he is content with what he has accomplished.
In the end, Cowher finished his career with a 149-90-1 regular season record and a 12-9 postseason record.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/20
The latest reserve/futures signings from around the NFL:
Kansas City Chiefs
- DE Anthony Lanier, TE Alize Mack, RB Marcus Marshall
New York Jets
- WR Jehu Chesson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- S John Battle, WR Anthony Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/8/20
The latest reserve/futures signings from around the NFL:
Chicago Bears
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/7/20
The latest reserve/futures signings from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
- K/P Kaare Vedvik
Detroit Lions
- RB Tra Carson
New England Patriots
- OLB Tashawn Bower
Oakland Raiders
- RB Mark Thompson, LB Nick Usher
Pittsburgh Steelers
- RB Darrin Hall
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DE Quinton Bell, S Deiondre’ Hall, T Brad Seaton, RB Aca’Cedric Ware
Updated 2020 NFL Draft Order
After a weekend full of drama and upsets, four more spots have been determined in this year’s NFL Draft order. Most notably – the Patriots will pick No. 23 overall, their highest original pick since 2006.
Here’s the updated rundown, from Nos. 1-24:
1. Bengals (2-14)
2. Redskins (3-13)
3. Lions (3-12-1)
4. Giants (4-12)
5. Dolphins (5-11)
6. Chargers (5-11)
7. Panthers (5-11)
8. Cardinals (5-10-1)
9. Jaguars (6-10)
10. Browns (6-10)
11. Jets (7-9)
12. Raiders (7-9)
13. Colts (7-9)
14. Buccaneers (7-9)
15. Broncos (7-9)
16. Falcons (7-9)
17. Cowboys (8-8)
18. Dolphins (via Steelers 8-8)
19. Raiders (via Bears 8-8)
20. Jaguars (via Rams 9-7)
21. Eagles (9-7)
22. Bills (10-6)
23. Patriots (12-4)
24. Saints (13-3)
Steelers To Keep Mason Rudolph
Mason Rudolph will return to the Steelers in 2020, head coach Mike Tomlin says (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor). Rudolph will serve as the backup to Ben Roethlisberger, who says he intends to play in 2020 and make a full recovery from his season-ending elbow injury. 
[RELATED: Big Ben Vows To Return]
Rudolph had an up-and-down year, to say the least. Putting aside the infamous Browns brawl, Rudolph had some solid moments as Big Ben’s midseason fill-in. He ultimately went 5-3 in eight starts with 13 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Things got more turbulent as the season went on, however, and he was ultimately leapfrogged by Devlin Hodges. Rudolph took the reins back from Duck midway through the Steelers’ Week 16 game against the Jets, but he was forced out by a shoulder injury that ultimately ended his season.
Tomlin says he wishes he got to see more out of Rudolph in 2019 and he’ll be able to take a closer look at the 24-year-old next year as he holds the clipboard for Roethlisberger.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/19
A handful of minor moves to pass along:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed off waivers (from Packers): CB Tony Brown
Denver Broncos
- Claimed off waivers (from Texans): DE Joel Heath
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers (from Cowboys): S Josh Jones
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed (two years): LB Tuzar Skipper
As veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer points out (on Twitter), the waiver claims will be deferred to February 3rd (the day after the Super Bowl).
Reserve/Futures Contracts: 12/30/19
With the regular season behind us, teams can start signing players to reserve/futures contract. This ties the player to the team’s 90-man offseason roster.
Several teams have already started completing these deals, which we’ve compiled below:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Johnnie Dixon, DL Lyndon Johnson, OL Sam Jones, WR A.J. Richardson, CB Sojourn Shelton, CB Duke Thomas
Carolina Panthers
- S Quin Blanding, K Elliott Fry, CB Dominique Hatfield, TE Temarrick Hemingway, WR Damion Jeanpiere, T Tyler Marz, T Aaron Monteiro, RB Marcus Murphy, LB Sione Teuhema
Denver Broncos
- OT Ka’John Armstrong, WR Trinity Benson, OLB Malik Carney, TE Bug Howard, S PJ Locke, WR Kelvin McKnight, RB Khalfani Muhammad, S Tyvis Powell, QB Brett Rypien, DL Jay-Tee Tiuli
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Zach Pascal, TE Mo Alie-Cox, K Chase McLaughlin
New York Giants
- FB George Aston, WR Alex Bachman, DB Derrick Baity, RB Jon Hilliman, LS Drew Scott, P Sean Smith, C Tanner Volson, WR Reggie White, DE Kevin Wilkins, OT Nate Wozniak
New York Jets
- P Ian Berryman, LB Ahmad Gooden, WR Keon Hatcher, DE Bronson Kaufusi, OL Corbin Kaufusi, OL Brad Lundblade, OL James Murray, LB Wyatt Ray, QB Mike White
Pittsburgh Steelers
- QB J.T. Barrett, WR Jamal Custis, OT Christian DiLauro, OT Derwin Gray, WR Quadree Henderson, S Tray Matthews, DE Henry Mondeaux, CB Alexander Myres, TE Kevin Rader, TE Christian Scotland-Williamson, RB Ralph Webb
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- C Anthony Fabiano, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, CB Herb Miller
Conner, Pouncey Out For Week 17
- One of the teams the Raiders need to lose Sunday will be shorthanded on the ground as well. James Conner will miss the Steelers‘ regular-season finale, joining Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey in that regard. After missing a chunk of Pittsburgh’s season with a shoulder injury, Conner is now dealing with a quad problem. Pouncey is down due to a knee ailment.
Steelers Designate Nix, Switzer For Return
The Steelers have designated fullback Roosevelt Nix and wide receiver Ryan Switzer for return from injured reserve. Both players are eligible to practice starting today. 
[RELATED: Big Ben Vows To Return]
The door also opens for them to play in the postseason, if the Steelers qualify. If the Steelers beat the Ravens in Week 17 and the Titans lose to the Texans, they’re in. There are also a few other scenarios that could extend their season.
Nix, 27, is still in the midst of the four-year, $6.975MM extension he inked with the team after his 2017 Pro Bowl campaign. So far this year, he’s appeared in just three games.
Switzer, 25, has been traded twice in his young career. The most recent deal shipped him from Oakland to Pittsburgh, where he’s appeared in nine games. In 2019, he’s caught eight passes for 27 yards while handling some kick and punt returns.