Steelers Place S Sean Davis On IR
The Steelers’ blockbuster trade Monday night makes more sense now. Minkah Fitzpatrick will take Sean Davis‘ roster spot. Pittsburgh’s fourth-year safety landed on IR due to a shoulder injury he suffered Sunday.
Davis missed the Steelers’ opener with an ankle injury, and after the Week 2 malady, the improving back-line defender will be out at least eight weeks. This marks a rough development in Davis’ contract year.
This was set to be a prove-it year for the former second-round pick, with the Steelers not planning to give Davis an extension before this season’s conclusion. Davis has started 41 games with Pittsburgh since his 2016 rookie slate, and after a brutal 2017, he showed promise last season.
Fitzpatrick did not have a clear role in Miami. Playing safety alongside the Steelers’ 2018 first-round pick, Terrell Edmunds, may be his first job in Pittsburgh.
Steelers To Meet With Paxton Lynch
The Steelers are set to meet with Paxton Lynch, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The former first-round pick could help to reinforce their QB room in the wake of Ben Roethlisberger‘s season-ending elbow injury.
Lynch flamed out with the Broncos after being drafted in 2016 and was cut loose early in 2018. He was out of football for the rest of the season and was not able to stick with the Seahawks this year.
If signed, Lynch would serve as the QB2 behind new starter, Mason Rudolph. For now, Rudolph is backstopped by undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges.
Dolphins Trade CB Minkah Fitzpatrick To Steelers
The Minkah Fitzpatrick saga has come to an end. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the Dolphins have traded the cornerback to the Steelers. Miami will receive a 2020 first-rounder in return. ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe adds (via Twitter) that the teams will also be swapping late-round picks.
Here’s the full breakdown of the trade: The Dolphins will receive a 2020 first-round pick, a 2020 fifth-round pick, and a 2021 sixth-round pick. The Steelers, meanwhile, get Fitzpatrick, a 2020 fourth-round choice, and a 2021 sixth-round selection.
We learned yesterday that league-wide interest in the 2018 first-rounder was “real and serious,” with roughly 20 teams reaching out to Miami. Earlier tonight, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported (via Twitter) that a trade was imminent, and he listed the Steelers (along with the Redskins, Cowboys, Chiefs, Eagles, and Seahawks) as potential suitors. While the Dolphins weren’t necessarily shopping the cornerback, they were receptive to offers and asking for a first-rounder “and something else.”
Fitzpatrick is an undeniably gifted defensive back who has been less than thrilled with the multiple roles he has been asked to fill in Miami’s defense to date. His ability to play as both a slot corner and a roaming safety made him a desirable asset. Through two games this season, the 22-year-old has compiled 12 tackles and one forced fumble.
The Dolphins offseason (and preseason, and regular season…) teardown is essentially complete. As ESPN’s Field Yates tweets, Miami has three first-rounders (their own, Steelers, Texans) and two second-rounders (their own, Saints) in the 2020 draft, and they also have the Texans 2021 first- and second-round picks (as well as their own).
While yesterday’s report indicated that a Fitzpatrick trade would ultimately represent the end of the team’s teardown and draft-pick accumulation, it sounds like the Dolphins aren’t necessarily eyeing a return to relevance in 2020. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com wrote earlier today that there’s “growing suspicion” that the Dolphins may be eyeing a two-year rebuild. The team may even pass on a quarterback during the 2020 draft with the hope that they’ll for Clemson signal-caller Trevor Lawrence in 2021.
While the Steelers were in the market for a cornerback, the trade is a considerable risk for a team that just lost Ben Roethlisberger for an entire season. Considering the draft capital they gave up to acquire Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh’s front office has made it clear that they’re not giving up on the 2019 campaign. On the flip side, since the front-office is apparently high on the former 11th-overall pick, giving up a potential top-1o selection may still be a net positive, regardless of the Steelers’ 2019 record.
Steelers Place Ben Roethlisberger On IR, Promote QB Devlin Hodges
Mike Tomlin confirmed Ben Roethlisberger will miss the rest of this season due to the elbow injury he sustained Sunday, and the Steelers moved quickly to adjust their quarterback depth chart. The team placed Roethlisberger on IR and promoted Devlin Hodges from its practice squad.
Recently re-signed to Pittsburgh’s practice squad, Hodges was with the team in the preseason. He completed 20 of 38 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Hodges won the Walter Payton Award, given to Division I-FCS’ top player, in 2016 while at Samford.
This will mark a major change for the Steelers, who in 2018 had Josh Dobbs installed as Roethlisberger’s backup. Dobbs is now in Jacksonville, and Hodges will back up Mason Rudolph. The Steelers just extended Big Ben this offseason. He is under contract through the 2021 season.
Pittsburgh plans to look for another quarterback, with the likely hope the to-be-determined acquisition will be stationed between Rudolph and Hodges on the depth chart, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.
The Steelers took Rudolph in the 2018 third round. Big Ben was critical of the pick, as it used an asset on a developmental quarterback rather than a position player who could help immediately. Unless the Steelers bring in a veteran backup, they will find out plenty about Rudolph this season.
Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger Done For Year
The Steelers’ worst fears have been confirmed. On Monday morning, head coach Mike Tomlin announced that Ben Roethlisberger‘s season is over. 
The quarterback was hoping to avoid surgery after suffering an elbow injury over the weekend, but doctors came back with bad news after looking at his scans. With that, Mason Rudolph now becomes the Steelers’ starting QB.
The Steelers traded Josh Dobbs to the Jaguars last week, leaving Rudolph as their only other signal caller on the roster. The club is now expected to promote Devlin Hodges from the practice squad to serve as Rudolph’s backup, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Before this, Roethlisberger hadn’t missed a game due to injury since Week 7 of the 2016 season. Obviously, this wasn’t a good time for his luck to run out – the Steelers are 0-2 after being blown out by the Patriots in the season opener and Sunday’s tough loss to the Seahawks.
Roethlisberger might not have the support of former teammate Antonio Brown, but he was sharp in 2018 with career-highs in completions (452), pass attempts (675), passing yards (5,129), and touchdowns (34). He also started in all 16 games, something he hadn’t done since the 2014 campaign. Though, in the interest of equal time, we should mention that he also led the NFL with 16 interceptions.
Advanced metrics lauded Roethlisberger’s work as well, as he finished fourth in Total QBR and eighth in adjusted net yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger ranked fifth in Football Outsiders‘ DYAR, which measures value over a replacement level player, and eighth in DVOA, meaning he was effective on a per-play basis.
Thanks to the three-year extension he inked in the offseason, Roethlisberger is under contract through the 2021 season.
Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger To Miss Time?
A decision is expected today on whether Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will need elbow surgery, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Big Ben, naturally, wants to avoid the operation, but that will ultimately be determined by medical professionals. 
Roethlisberger has not missed a game due to injury since Week 7 of the 2016 season. He’s always been tough, durable, and able to play through the pain, but this injury probably sideline him for at least some time.
Surgery or no surgery, the Steelers figure to turn to Mason Rudolph as their starter beginning in Week 3. After Big Ben exited, Rudolph went 12-of-19 for 112 yards, two scores, and an INT.
This, of course, is the last thing the Steelers wanted. They’re 0-2 to start the year and, making matters worse, they’re waiting for word on the knee injury suffered by running back James Conner.
Antonio Brown Notes: 9/15/19
Another day, another batch of Antonio Brown news. We learned a few days ago that the NFL would meet with Brown’s accuser, Britney Taylor, this coming week, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the summit will actually take place Monday. Rapoport says the league wants to conduct the investigation as quickly as possible given that the regular season is now underway, so even if the legal side of this matter drags on for a bit, the football side of things may be resolved soon.
- Rapoport says that another football player, currently in his first year in the league, was in the house with Taylor and Brown when one of the incidents detailed in Taylor’s lawsuit allegedly took place. As such, that as-yet-unnamed rookie will also be required to speak with league investigators.
- Although the NFL’s meeting with Taylor could lead to a number of outcomes for Brown — including a stint on the commissioner’s exempt list, a release from the Patriots, etc. — New England is expected to feed him the ball for however long he is on the field. Rapoport notes that Brown has stayed at the team facility until 10pm or later most days during the week to catch passes from backup QB Jarrett Stidham and to continue learning the offense.
- RapSheet also writes that Brown and Taylor had been engaged in settlement talks for months, but Taylor filed a lawsuit when the two sides could not come to a settlement agreement.
- ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports that neither Brown nor anyone on his behalf will attend the NFL’s meeting with Taylor (Twitter link). Taylor will ultimately release a statement to the media, but there will be no ETA on that statement until her meeting with the league — which may last several days — is over.
- We knew that the Patriots were interested in Brown as soon as it became clear that the Steelers might move on from him, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that New England was prepared to part with a first-round pick and another pick or player of significance before learning that the Steelers were unwilling to deal AB to the Pats.
- Reports on Friday suggested that neither the Patriots nor the Raiders were aware of Taylor’s allegations against Brown before the lawsuit was filed, and a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette indicates that the Steelers were not aware either.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/19
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: LB Alvin Jones
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Alex McGough
- Waived: CB Cornell Armstrong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: WR Byron Pringle
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived/injured: DB Dominique Hatfield, C Aaron Neary, LB Trevon Young
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: TE Brandon Dillon
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DL Mitchell Loewen
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: TE Alex Ellis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OLB Jayrone Elliott
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Parry Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Hroniss Grasu
- Waived: RB Dalyn Dawkins
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL T.Y. McGill, CB Simeon Thomas
- Waived: TE J.P. Holtz
- Waived/injured: CB Greg Stroman
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/19
Today’s practice squad moves will be posted here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: RB Mark Thompson, CB Terrell Bonds
- Released: WR Sean Modster, LB Donald Payne
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: DB Kemon Hall
Miami Dolphins
- Released: OT Zach Sterup
New York Jets
- Signed: LB James Burgess, OL Ben Braden
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: QB Devlin Hodges
Washington Redskins
- Released: LB Darrell Williams
Contract Details: Tyreek Hill, Joe Haden
Here are some contract details on a pair of recently-signed extensions:
- Tyreek Hill, WR (Chiefs): Three years, $54MM. Injury guarantee is $35.26MM. $18.34MM guaranteed as of tomorrow (via $5.8MM signing bonus, 2019 minimum base salary, 2020 minimum base salary, $11MM roster bonus (paid in 2020)). Cashflow includes $6.52MM (2019), $16.2MM (2020), $15.4MM (2021). Team has flexibility to go year-by-year, roster bonuses determined early in league year. Details via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com on Twitter.
- Joe Haden, CB (Steelers): Two years, $22MM. $13.8MM signing bonus, dropping 2019 salary from $10MM to $1.2MM (with a $3MM roster bonus). Non-guaranteed $7MM via salary/bonuses for 2020 and 2021. Cap numbers: $8.772MM (2019), $12.6MM (2020), $12.6MM (2021). Details via ESPN’s Dan Graziano on Twitter.