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Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/18

July 25th, 2018 at 4:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianpolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: OL Donavon Clark

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: WR Aaron Lacombe, WR Khadarel Lott, WR JoJo Natson
  • Waived: WR LaQuvionte Gonzalez, WR Ricky Jeune

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Waived/injured: DB Trey Johnson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Steelers Re-Sign Eli Rogers

July 25th, 2018 at 10:53am CST by Zachary Links

Eli Rogers is back in Pittsburgh. The Steelers re-signed the wide receiver to a one-year deal on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 

Rogers recently worked out for the Browns, Raiders, and Chiefs, but ultimately circled back to the Steelers with Wednesday’s deal. Rogers entered the league as a UDFA with the Steelers in 2015 and broke out in 2016 as he caught 48 passes for 593 yards and three scores in 13 games (eight starts). In 2017, however, Rogers slid down the depth chart following the selection of JuJu Smith-Schuster. Rogers had just 18 receptions for 149 yards last year, though he did chip in as a punt returner.

The Steelers have at least four wide receiver spots locked down with Antonio Brown, Smith-Schuster, third-round pick James Washington, and Darrius Heyward-Bey under contract. Rogers will compete for one of the final WR spots with the likes of Justin Hunter, Trey Griffey, and others.

Steelers Sign Rookie Terrell Edmunds

July 24th, 2018 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s a done deal. The Steelers have signed first-round pickTerrell Edmunds, according to Ed Bouchette of 93.7 FM (on Twitter).

Per the terms of his slot at No. 28 overall, Edmunds will earn roughly $10.8MM over the course of his four-year deal. With Edmunds signed, there are now just six unsigned 2018 draft picks left in the NFL.

Edmunds played multiple positions at Virginia Tech and the Steelers plan on taking advantage of his versatility at the pro level. The Steelers will use him at strong safety, but he’ll also have some deep-middle responsibilities to help support Morgan Burnett.

Here’s the full rundown of the Steelers’ 2018 draft class:

Only Seven Unsigned NFL Draft Picks Remain

July 23rd, 2018 at 9:03am CST by Zachary Links

The overwhelming majority of this year’s NFL draft picks have signed their rookies deals. As training camp gets started, only the following seven players are without contracts:

For Mayfield, Darnold, Ward, Allen, and Smith, the holdup is reportedly tied to offset language. Players with offset language who are cut before the end of their rookie contract have the remaining guaranteed money reduced by whatever they earns elsewhere. Without offset language, players get to double dip. Top 10 picks expect to complete their rookie contracts, but it’s an important issue for agents nonetheless. There’s no sign of real acrimony between any of the Top 10 picks and their respective teams, though Smith has been staying away from the Bears.

In Edmunds’ case, it’s likely that his agent is haggling over guarantees in the fourth year of his rookie contract. First-rounders selected near the end of the first round often don’t get the entirety of their fourth season base salary guaranteed, but that’s an area where agents can press for a bit extra in talks. Seahawks rookie running back Rashaad Penny took less in fourth-year guarantees than last year’s No. 27 overall pick, talks dragged for several other players near the back end of the round. Others, such as Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley and Jaguars defensive tackle Taven Bryan have signed, but the Virginia Tech product is still in limbo.

Pettis is believed to be in line for a significant role this season, so it would behoove the Niners to get a deal done sooner rather than later.

Steelers Eyeing Chris Boswell Extension?

July 22nd, 2018 at 8:53pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • August extensions have been one of the Steelers‘ traditions over the years, and an unlikely candidate for a significant pay bump’s emerged. Chris Boswell joined the Steelers midway through the 2015 season, but his production last year (35-for-38 on field goals, four game-winning makes en route to the Pro Bowl) and contract-year status make him a prime preseason-extension candidate, Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. The Steelers applied a second-round RFA tender (2.9MM) to Boswell this year, and Rutter believes it will take a guarantee in the $9MM-plus range to keep Boswell in Pittsburgh. Only two kickers — Stephen Gostkowski and Justin Tucker — received eight-figure guarantees, with the Bears’ Cody Parkey guarantee sitting in third.
  • Despite a light investment at linebacker to replace Ryan Shazier, don’t automatically look for the Steelers to deploy Terrell Edmunds as a hybrid safety just yet, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Kaboly expects the first-round pick to play in the William Gay role as a dime contributor as a rookie, with UFA linebacker add Jon Bostic or second-year man Tyler Matakevich replacing Shazier.

Chiefs To Work Out WR Eli Rogers

July 21st, 2018 at 9:50am CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Kansas City is one of the teams that Eli Rogers could ultimately “choose” to sign with. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the wide receiver is scheduled to work out for the Chiefs tomorrow. The 25-year-old had indicated yesterday that he’d choose where he’d play the 2018 season within the next few days.

There hasn’t been a whole lot of reported interest in Rogers, whose 2018 campaign came to an end following a torn ACL in the Steelers’ divisional round loss to the Jaguars. However, as Schefter notes, the receiver has “made a strong and quicker-than-expected comeback,” perhaps indicating that he’ll be almost 100-percent by the time training camp rolls around. Rogers was non-tendered by Pittsburgh back in March, although reports at the time suggested that he’d likely return to the organization.

The 2015 undrafted free agent out of Louisville had a breakout season in 2016, compiling 48 receptions for 593 yards and three scores in 13 games (eight starts). Following the selection of JuJu Smith-Schuster during the 2017 draft, Rogers slid down the depth chart, and his numbers naturally took a step back. Rogers ended up finishing last season with 18 receptions for 149 yards, although he did manage to contribute as a punt returner.

The Chiefs are relatively stacked at wideout, so the team could be eyeing Rogers in the return game (especially if they intend to keep Tyreek Hill fresh). If Rogers wanted to contribute to the offense, he’d have to compete with the likes of Chris Conley, Demarcus Robinson, De’Anthony Thomas, and Jehu Chesson for reps behind Hill and Sammy Watkins.

Steelers Notes: Rudolph, Jones, Rogers

July 20th, 2018 at 1:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers‘ backup quarterback competition is one to watch this summer, Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. Landry Jones has been a functional backup for the Steelers, but hasn’t been called upon in the last two years as Roethlisberger has been largely healthy. This year, rookie Mason Rudolph could supplant Jones as the No. 2 QB, leaving him one ill-fated play away from commanding the Steelers’ offense.

If Rudolph is as good as advertised, one can’t help but wonder if the Steelers could opt to carry two QBs instead of three, leaving Jones without a job. There has been no indication that Jones, who is entering his sixth NFL season, is on the bubble, but it may be something to keep in mind during training camp.

  • Free agent wide receiver Eli Rogers says he’ll “choose” where he’ll be play within the next few days (Twitter link). Rogers has been waiting in limbo after undergoing knee surgery this offseason. Rogers was a surprise standout for the Steelers in 2016 as he caught 48 passes for 504 yards and three touchdowns and continued his strong play in the postseason. He couldn’t replicate those numbers last year, but the Steelers are still said to be interested in re-signing him.

The Steelers' Perspective On Bell

July 19th, 2018 at 2:38pm CST by Zachary Links

As good as Le’Veon Bell has been for the Steelers, Albert Breer of The MMQB sees both sides of the coin. Bell has been an electrifying force for years, but history dictates that the Steelers have probably seen the bulk of his prime already. With questions about whether Bell can continue to perform at such a high level for at least the next three years, the Steelers’ are right to have reservations about giving him significant guarantees on a long-term deal, Breer argues.

The Steelers’ final offer to Bell was reportedly worth $70MM over five years, but contained only $10MM in fully guaranteed money. Similar to last season’s offer, Bell would have made $33MM over the first two years “in a rolling guaranteed structure,” resulting in $45MM over three years.

Latest On Le’Veon Bell, Steelers

July 17th, 2018 at 8:50pm CST by Ben Levine

We learned yesterday that the Steelers final offer to running back Le’Veon Bell was worth $70MM over five years. While that deal is plenty lucrative, it may not have been as good as it sounded. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the deal only contained $10MM in guaranteed money. Similar to last season’s offer, Bell would have made $33MM over the first two years “in a rolling guaranteed structure.” This number would have been increased to $45MM over three years.

As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com points out (via Twitter), the deal would have been “virtually identical to the cash flows of the last contract.” The boosts in value would have been based on the increase in value of the running back franchise tag.

There’s been plenty of news pertaining to Bell and the Steelers over the past few days, which naturally led to a number of reactions and observations. We compiled all of the relevant notes below:

  • While reports indicated that the Steelers had offered Bell the $70MM contract, Bell’s agent, Adisa Bakari, seemed to imply that that wasn’t actually the case. In fact, he seemingly backed the above report that the deal didn’t include much guaranteed money. “I am certainly not saying that what has been reported is accurate because it’s not quite frankly,” Bakari said (via SiriusXM NFL Radio on Twitter). “The most important element is the guarantee.”
  • Yesterday, Bakari said this will likely be his client’s final season in Pittsburgh. If Bell does end up going elsewhere, he’ll be the eighth player since 2013 to leave his team after being tagged (via Rapoport on Twitter). The list of players includes quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, linebacker Brian Orakpo, defensive end Greg Hardy, offensive guard Branden Albert, defensive end Michael Johnson, and defensive tackle Henry Melton. Rapoport did not include cornerback Josh Norman nor tight end Jimmy Graham, who both had unique defections after inking the franchise tag.
  • Mark Kaboly of The Athletic writes that neither the Steelers nor Bell’s camp are to blame for the lack of a long-term deal. The writer understands that the organization isn’t in a hurry to pay a running back more than $14.5MM per season. On the flip side, Kaboly believes Bell has established himself as one of the best players at his position, and he deserves to have a contract that matches his standing.
  • Could the Steelers end up rescinding Bell’s one-year, $14.5MM franchise tender? While it’s unlikely, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com explains that it’s a possibility. The writer opines that the organization may not want to pay that kind of money to a player who will only be with the organization for one more season, especially if Bell decides to sit out regular season games. Plus, the Steelers seem to have a solid backup plan in James Conner, and they could also choose to pursue any of the available running backs still sitting on the market (a grouping that includes Adrian Peterson, Alfred Morris, or the recently-retired DeMarco Murray).
  • Fitzgerald took a look at the current “plight of the running back,” noting that Bell and his peers can’t expect to earn the same kind of money that running backs earned five or six years ago. Ultimately, even if Bell does somehow manage to snag a record-breaking contract, Fitzgerald doesn’t believe it will have a lasting impact on the running back market.
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