On Tuesday, the Buccaneers beat out four other teams to land former Jets tight end Jordan Leggett off waivers. We now know the identities of those other four clubs, thanks to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter): the Bills, Packers, Steelers and Titans all placed claims on the 2017 fifth-round pick, but the Bucs won out due to their higher waiver priority.
Sidelined with a Lisfranc injury that kept him from performing at the Combine, Marquise Brown has resumed running, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun tweets. Although Zreibec adds (on Twitter) Brown will miss Ravens OTAs, he is still believed to be in good shape for an on-time debut. A minicamp return was once thought to be a target of Brown’s, the first wide receiver taken in this year’s draft is believed to be ahead of schedule. The Ravens seem to be expecting Brown to be ready by the time their rookies report for training camp. Lisfranc injuries can be quite tricky, so the Ravens showing caution with Brown certainly makes sense. It will be interesting how the Ravens will use the deep threat, considering how their previous long-range target, John Brown, saw his production hit a wall after Lamar Jackson took the reins last season.
Here is the latest from the AFC North:
- Ben Roethlisberger did not opt to gather Steelers skill-position players together for private workouts in recent years, but that changed recently. The 16th-year quarterback brought several Steelers weapons, including JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner, to his lake house in Georgia for some on-field work, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. This figures to be an interesting offseason for Roethlisberger, who will be working with a younger (and less proven) receiver cast after Antonio Brown‘s ugly departure.
- The Bengals likely will again turn to Giovani Bernard as Joe Mixon‘s top backup, but the team did add two running backs in the sixth round — Trayveon Williams and a former college backfield stablemate of Mixon’s in Rodney Anderson. The Oklahoma product is coming off an ACL tear that marred his final Sooners season. Anderson, who tore the ligament in September of last year, will not participate in Cincinnati’s offseason program but is expected to be ready by the start of training camp, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes. Anderson left Oklahoma early despite the injury and comes to western Ohio after a litany of maladies. Prior to the ACL tear, he suffered a broken leg, a neck injury that nullified his 2016 season and ankle tendon damage. But Anderson led the Sooners with 1,161 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 2017.
- On the subject of reserve running backs, Kenneth Dixon‘s Ravens role may be in jeopardy. The team added Mark Ingram in free agency and drafted Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill in the fourth round. The Baltimore backfield houses holdovers in Dixon and Gus Edwards, but Zreibec writes (subscription required) the older player is the more likely player to be the odd man out. Injuries and suspensions have marred the 2016 fourth-round pick’s career. Dixon did average 5.6 yards per carry on 60 totes last season.
When Marcus Gilbert signed a five-year extension back in 2014, he thought he’d be spending the rest of his career with the Steelers. However, the organization surprised the veteran when they traded him to the Cardinals for a sixth-rounder back in March.
“I felt like I disappointed a lot of people in Steeler Nation,” Gilbert told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “(The last year) hasn’t been easy.”
Following a 2017 season that saw Gilbert miss time due to injury and suspension, the veteran offensive lineman was ready to contribute in 2018. The 31-year-old started five of the Steelers’ first six games before suffering a partially torn quad. Instead of undergoing surgery, Gilbert opted for a stem cell shot with the hope that he’d be able to return later in the season. Despite feeling like he was ready to play, the Steelers placed him on injured reserve in mid-December, with the team deciding to roll with Matt Feiler at right tackle.
Unfortunately for Gilbert, that injury ultimately ended his tenure in Pittsburgh. As Fowler writes, there was once hope that the Steelers would be able to retain their offensive line for the foreseeable future. After all, Maurkice Pouncey and Ramon Foster had recently inked new contracts, and Alejandro Villanueva and David DeCastro are signed long=term. Of course, things rarely work out as anticipated in the NFL.
“You can never be surprised with NFL business,” he said. “They respect me, but you have to understand it’s a business. I didn’t take it personally.”
Gilbert will go from protecting future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger to protecting first-overall pick Kyler Murray. Gilbert is one of three veteran additions to the Cardinals offensive line, as the team also signed J.R. Sweezy and Max Garcia.
- It does not appear the Steelers are having second thoughts about Mike Tomlin, with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac calling a Tomlin extension a “when, not if” situation. Two years remain on Tomlin’s deal, and the Steelers have made a habit of extending their coach when two years were left on previous contracts. Tomlin’s recent Steelers teams have either underachieved or were racked with turmoil, and Dulac adds it would not be unreasonable for Art Rooney II to table an extension for a year. However, Tomlin will likely receive a notable raise because of recent deals handed out to John Harbaugh ($9MM per year), Jon Gruden ($10MM AAV) and Pete Carroll (nearly $11MM annually), Dulac notes. Entering his 13th year with the Steelers, Tomlin is believed to earn just more than $7MM per year.
- The Steelers waived offensive lineman R.J. Prince on Monday. He cleared waivers but has a Ravens workout scheduled for Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. A 2018 UDFA, Prince spent time on Pittsburgh’s practice squad last season.
Here’s the latest round of minor moves from around the NFL (for this morning’s minor moves, click here):
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: TE Thomas Duarte
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Juwon Young
- Released: LB Tre’ Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers: DB Mike Tyson (from Texans)
New England Patriots
- Released: WR Xavier Ubosi, OL Calvin Anderson
New York Giants
- Signed: DL Freedom Akinmoladun
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: QB Devlin Hodges, DT Greg Gilmore, WR Johnny Holton, DE Henry Mondeaux, OL Damian Prince, LB Tuzar Skipper
- Released: LB Keion Adams, DE Jay Hayes, DT Chris Nelson, OL R.J. Prince, QB Brogan Roback, WR Ka’Raun White
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Michael Burton, DL Geneo Grissom, OL Marcus Henry, OL Ulrick John, LB Colton Jumper, RB A.J. Ouellette, CB David Simmons Jr., WR Micah Wright
- Released: RB Darnell Holland, DT Tomasi Laulile, CB Darius Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: QB Taryn Christion, TE Mik’Quan Deane
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Kareem Orr, WR Joe Parker, DB D’Andre Payne, DB LaDarius Riley
- Waived: DB Jonathan Crawford, DB Taj-Amir Torres, WR Isaac Zito
- Waived-injured: DB Hamp Cheevers
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DE Jonathan Bonner, G Jerald Foster, DB Deion Harris, DL Austin Maloata, RB Craig Reynolds
- Waived: RB Russell Hansbrough, DB Joshua Holsey, OT Roubbens Joseph
The Steelers made an uncharacteristically aggressive jump in the first round of last month’s draft, trading up from No. 20 to No. 10 to select Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. Today, they signed Bush to his rookie contract, as Pro Football Talk reports (via Twitter). It will be a four-year, $18.8MM deal (all guaranteed), with a fifth-year option for 2023.
In addition to their No. 20 overall selection, Pittsburgh shipped the No. 52 overall pick in the 2019 draft plus a 2020 third-rounder to Denver. But Bush’s talent could more than justify that type of gamble, as he will immediately slide into the Steelers’ starting lineup as an inside ‘backer.
Bush is a three-down player who has shown an ability to thrive in both man-to-man and zone coverage, and he also flashed some pass-rushing prowess during his tenure at Michigan. He finished his final collegiate season with 41 tackles (8.5 for loss) and 4.5 sacks.
The Steelers have found it difficult to replace Ryan Shazier‘s presence in the middle of their front seven since Shazier’s devastating injury towards the end of the 2017 campaign, and Bush should be able to replicate, or even exceed, Shazier’s production. He doesn’t turn 21 until July 18, and Pittsburgh has every reason to believe it may have found the next great Steel City defender.
With Bush’s signing, third-round CB Justin Layne is the only member of the Steelers’ nine-man draft class who has yet to ink his rookie deal.
The latest 2019 draft pick signings from around the AFC:
- Tight end Trevon Wesco is now the first Jets rookie under contract, as the West Virginia product signed his deal today, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. A more-than-willing blocker, Wesco didn’t post much production at West Virginia, managing only a single reception in both 2016 and 2017 before totaling 26 catches last year. Still, in a New York offense that’s set to run through Le’Veon Bell, Wesco could see the field, especially given that incumbent Jets tight end Chris Herndon graded as one of the NFL’s worst run-blockers in 2018, per Pro Football Focus.
- The Steelers announced that they’ve signed a pair of draft choices, inking both fifth-round tight end Zach Gentry and sixth-round linebacker Ulysees Gilbert to rookie deals. Of the two, Gentry likely has the easier path to playing time not only due to his draft status, but because Gilbert is stuck behind Devin Bush, Mark Barron, and Vince Williams, and Tyler Matakevich at linebacker. Gentry, who posted 32 receptions for 514 yards during his final season at Michigan, will likely see a good deal of special teams duty, but could be involved in Pittsburgh’s offense if Vance McDonald — who has never completed a full 16-game slate — goes down.
- The Texans have signed fifth-round defensive end Charles Omenihu and sixth-round cornerback Xavier Crawford, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). Houston inked a number of draft picks earlier today, leaving only third-round tight end Kahale Warring unsigned.
- The Chargers have signed seventh-round defensive tackle Cortez Broughton, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Broughton is the first Los Angels draft choice to sign his rookie deal.
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: T Justin Evans, G Zack Golditch, G Will House, DT Pasoni Tasini, WR Jalen Tolliver, T Brant Weiss
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: LB Blair Brown, G Parker Ehinger, FB Dimitri Flowers, LB Donald Payne, RB David Williams
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: TE Austin Roberts
New York Giants
- Signed: K Joey Slye
- Waived: LB Ukeme Eligwe, DE Myles Humphrey, DB Michael Hunter, RB Robert Martin
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: CB Jack Tocho, K Matt McCrane
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: FB Nick Bellore, OL Marcus Martin
More draft choices put pen to paper on Wednesday. Here is the latest on the pick-signing front:
- After signing two sixth-round picks on Tuesday, the Steelers checked a few more items off their offseason checklist by signing three more draftees. Third-round wide receiver Diontae Johnson signed the standard four-year rookie contract. Both fourth-round running back Benny Snell and seventh-round offensive lineman Derwin Gray signed as well. Johnson will be the player likely tasked with making the earliest impact, considering the Steelers lost arguably the greatest wideout in franchise history. Johnson will join Donte Moncrief as the new receivers tasked with helping the team replace Antonio Brown.
- The Dolphins signed both of their seventh-round picks — fullback Chandler Cox and running back Myles Gaskin — on Wednesday. Gaskin, the No. 234 overall pick, succeeded Saquon Barkley at Penn State. Despite his late draft slot, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets he is the frontrunner to become Miami’s No. 3 back.
Here are the latest draft picks to agree to rookie contracts:
- The Steelers on Tuesday signed two of their three sixth-round picks, defensive end Isaiah Buggs and linebacker Sutton Smith. These are the first two members of Pittsburgh’s nine-man draft class to sign their rookie deals. Buggs was part of the 2017 national champion Alabama squad and led the 2018 Crimson Tide in sacks. Smith is an Akron product; the Steelers’ other sixth-round selection, Ulysees Gilbert III, is also a Mid-American Conference product, having played at Northern Illinois.