AFC Draft Pick Signings: 5/9/19
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.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/19
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
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/8/19
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.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/7/19
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.
Ben Roethlisberger To Continue Playing Beyond 2021?
The Steelers recently inked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a lucrative contract extension that will keep him under club control through 2021. At the time, GM Kevin Colbert said that the contract would likely be Big Ben’s last.
That jibed with the sentiments that Colbert expressed earlier this year when he first indicated that he was exploring a new deal for his star quarterback. But now he’s suggesting that he would be open to keeping Roethlisberger around in 2022 — which would be Roethlisberger’s age-40 season — and beyond.
Colbert said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), “I know [Roethlisberger] doesn’t have an expiration date. We just felt that [the extension] was a foreseeable future that we were able to do, and he was agreeable to. But I’m sure that he doesn’t have an expiration date. I know that he’s still very competitive. He still wants to do this at a high level.”
Of course, Tom Brady will be 42 before the season starts, Drew Brees will play his age-40 season this year, and Peyton Manning was almost 40 when he played his last game. Although those future Hall-of-Famers have not absorbed as many hits as Roethlisberger throughout their careers, they have shown that geriatric signal-callers have plenty to offer.
Colbert added, “What [Roethlisberger] wants is more Super Bowls. And he wants to continue to try to win, and we’re gonna support that. And that was a big part of why we were willing to do what we did, and now it’s our job to help him help us get there.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/19
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: G David Bright
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB D.J. Alexander
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: T Darrell Williams
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: CB Dee Delaney, QB Luke Falk, DE Jeremiah Valoaga
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: LB Asantay Brown, G Kaleb Johnson, CB Chandon Sullivan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S P.J. Locke (undrafted college free agent)
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: OL Marcus Henry
Steelers To Decline CB Artie Burns’ Option
The Steelers are not expected to exercise cornerback Artie Burns‘ fifth-year option for the 2020 season, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
[RELATED: 2020 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
Burns turns 24 years old today, so Pittsburgh’s decision comes as an unwelcome birthday present. Had the Steelers opted to pick up his option, Burns would have been scheduled to earn $9.954MM in 2020, but that total would have guaranteed for injury only. If Burns had remained healthy but underwhelmed with his play during the upcoming season, Pittsburgh could have cut bait with no financial ramifications.
The 25th pick of the 2016 draft, Burns started 25 games during his first two years with the Steelers, posting four total interceptions during that time. Things fell apart in 2018, as Burns was benched multiple times and ultimately started only six contests. Football Outsiders charted Burns with just a 42% success rate in coverage, which would have ranked him in the bottom-third of the league had he posted enough snaps to qualify.
Burns isn’t necessarily a lock for the Steelers’ 2019 roster, as the club would incur only ~$1.3MM in dead money by waiving him in the coming months. If he does return, Burns is likely to be buried on Pittsburgh’s secondary depth chart. Joe Haden, Mike Hilton, and free agent addition Steven Nelson project as the Steelers’ starting corners, while 2017 third-round pick Cameron Sutton and rookie third-rounder Justin Layne will also compete for snaps.
Steelers Place Ryan Shazier On PUP List
On Monday, the Steelers officially placed Ryan Shazier on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List. By taking this step, the Steelers will ensure that Ryan Shazier will continue to collect his salary for the 2019 season. For cap purposes, he’ll count for $473K against the books. 
Shazier has remained steadfast in his insistence that he wants to return to the field one day, but it won’t be in 2019. The Steelers, meanwhile, are doing right by the linebacker, who was lauded for his leadership and on-field abilities before a devastating injury suffered in 2017.
The former first-round pick out of Ohio State tallied 68 tackles and 11 pass defenses before he was nearly paralyzed in 2017. He also earned a Pro Bowl selection despite playing in only 12 games. Prior to that, he logged 55 tackles in each of the previous two seasons.
“We will continue to support Ryan’s efforts to return to play,” Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said in a statement earlier this offseason. “Although he won’t be able to help us on the field in 2019, his leadership, insight, and emotional support have always been very valuable to us, and we look forward to his contributions in our pursuit of a championship.”
Steelers Sign 10 UDFAs
Now that the NFL draft is over, teams are beginning to sign undrafted free agents. As teams officially announce their entire UDFA classes, we’ll be posting them. The Steelers became the first team to make such an announcement, inking a crop of ten players:
- Dravon Askew-Henry, S (West Virginia)
- Ian Berryman, P (Western Carolina)
- Garrett Brumfield, G (LSU)
- Jay Hayes, DE (Georgia)
- Fred Johnson, G (Florida)
- Travon McMillan, RB (Colorado)
- Alexander Myres, CB (Houston)
- Chris Nelson, DT (Texas)
- Trevor Wood, TE/LS (Texas A&M)
- Matthew Wright, K (Central Florida)
The Steelers didn’t sign any of the biggest names available, but a few of the signings are notable. McMillan spent the first three years of his career at Virginia Tech before transferring to Colorado, and he had a very productive senior season. Last year he carried the ball 201 times for 1,009 yards and seven touchdowns. The last Colorado running back to sign as an undrafted free agent was Phillip Lindsay, and he ended up making the Pro Bowl. McMillan will be competing for a backup spot behind James Conner.
Wright is the all-time career points leader at UCF. The Steelers signing a kicker is notable because Chris Boswell struggled mightily last season. Boswell had been widely regarded as one of the league’s best kickers, but he collapsed last year. There was talk of the Steelers replacing Boswell mid-season during the 2018 campaign, and Wright should have a legitimate shot at unseating him in training camp.
Steelers Release LB Jon Bostic
Right after the draft ended, the Steelers made a signifiant move. Pittsburgh is releasing linebacker Jon Bostic, the team announced in a tweet.
Bostic signed a two-year, $4MM deal with the team last March, but was unable to make it all the way through the pact. The Steelers traded up to draft inside linebacker Devin Bush from Michigan, which meant they no longer had any need for Bostic. After Ryan Shazier suffered his horrific injury during the 2017 season, inside linebacker became a huge need for the Steelers. They signed Bostic last offseason hoping he would be able to help vill the void, but things didn’t work out.
Bostic appeared in all 16 games last season and started 14, but he fell out of favor with the coaching staff down the stretch. The journeyman had said back in February he was hoping to stay in Pittsburgh in 2019 even with his reduced role. The Steelers wanted to address the position more permanently, and made the move up to get Bush.
Last year Bostic had 73 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defended while earning average marks from Pro Football Focus. Wherever he ends up signing next, it’ll be his fifth team. Bostic was originally drafted in the second round by the Bears back in 2013, but has bounced around ever since. He’s spent time with Chicago, New England, Detroit, and Indianapolis, and always seems to end up starting games while underwhelming.
Still only 27, he should resurface somewhere else before too long. Ever since Shazier went down, Pittsburgh’s run defense has been very vulnerable. They moved up to the tenth overall pick in order to get Bush, and the hope is he’ll stabilize things for the foreseeable future.
As for the financial implications, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets that the Steelers will save $1.8MM in cash by cutting Bostic. There will be $700K of dead money, so they’ll only save $1.1MM against the cap. Kaboly points out that the Steelers now have a whopping $26.5MM of cap space committed to players not currently on the roster.