Steelers QB Landry Jones Generating Trade Interest
Steelers backup quarterback Landry Jones has generated trade interest from other NFL clubs, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). However, it may be difficult for Pittsburgh to deal Jones given that he’s the most experienced reserve signal-caller on its roster, per Fowler.
Jones isn’t the only Steelers quarterback being discussed by rival teams, as second-year pro Joshua Dobbs is reportedly also garnering interest. Clearly, Pittsburgh will keep third-round rookie Mason Rudolph behind starter Ben Roethlisberger, and is attempting to choose between Jones and Dobbs for its other quarterback roster slot.
Jones, 29, hasn’t played much during his six-year NFL career, as he’s attempted just 169 passes in relief of Roethlisberger. In that span, Jones has been a middling option, completing 63.9% of his passes for 1,310 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Among the quarterbacks who have thrown at least 160 passes since 2013, Jones ranks 35th in passer rating and 26th in adjusted net yards per attempt, but it’s difficult to assign much relevance to those numbers given his small sample size. With that 160-pass cutoff in place, Jones ranks second-to-last in attempts since his rookie campaign, just ahead of Derek Anderson.
Glennon, Other QBs Drawing Trade Interest
On Wednesday morning, the Packers traded Brett Hundley to the Seahawks. That deal is unlikely to be the last trade involving a backup quarterback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Mike Glennon of the Cardinals, Tom Savage of the Saints, and Joshua Dobbs are the Steelers are among the QBs being discussed by teams of need, Rapoport hears. 
The Cardinals signed both Sam Bradford and Glennon in March, but the QB room changed dramatically in April when they drafted UCLA star Josh Rosen. Rosen may not be ready for primetime, but the Cardinals may feel that he is ready to be a capable No. 2 QB. Glennon flamed out in his one month as the Bears’ starter last year, but he would represent a QB2 upgrade for many teams around the league.
Savage has been long rumored to be on the bubble, but he is now firmly on the trade block following the Saints’ acquisition of Teddy Bridgewater. The Saints project to move ahead with Bridgewater and Taysom Hill as the backups to Drew Brees, leaving Savage without a spot in New Orleans. Savage, a former fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, entered the 2017 season as Houston’s starter, but he lost the job to rookie Deshaun Watson rather quickly. He finished the year with 1,412 yards and five touchdowns against six interceptions.
The writing has been on the wall for Dobbs ever since the Steelers used a third-round pick on Mason Rudolph in this year’s draft. Landry Jones is locked in as the backup quarterback and Rudolph is locked in as the No. 3, so Dobbs is clearly on the block.
Steelers Restructure Vance McDonald’s Deal
A franchise big on reworking contracts made another cap space-clearing move on Tuesday. The Steelers adjusted Vance McDonald‘s deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The Steelers tight end agreed to convert $3MM of his base salary into a signing bonus, Schefter reports. This move will free up more than $2MM in cap room. The Steelers came into Tuesday with $3.6MM in cap space — the second-lowest total in the league — and frequently utilize this tactic.
Both Vince Williams and Chris Boswell agreed to extensions last week, and Le’Veon Bell is attached to a $14.5MM salary this season. The Steelers restructured Stephon Tuitt and David DeCastro‘s deals earlier this year. They’ve been big on base-to-bonus conversions in recent years, with VP of football and business administration Omar Khan convincing ownership this strategy would benefit the team as the salary cap continues to rise by approximately $10MM annually.
McDonald is attached to a five-year, $32.5MM extension he signed with the 49ers in late 2016. The new San Francisco regime traded the tight end to Pittsburgh last year.
Bell To Report To Steelers On Labor Day?
Le’Veon Bell has told some of his teammates that he will report to the Steelers on Labor Day, Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette hears. If Bell is in the building on Sept. 3, he’ll be able to participate in the team’s first day of practice before the season opener. 
Bell has abstained from training camp after receiving a second consecutive franchise tag which is worth $14.5MM this time around. Last year, Bell also held out from camp, but officially reported on Sept. 4.
It remains to be seen how the Steelers will use Bell in the season opener. Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner could give Bell his typical workload, or he could start the year by splitting the carries between Bell and backup James Conner.
“That’s a hard question because it’s Le’Veon,” Fichtner said recently. “You’d like to think that he’ll be in good shape. But we’ll have to evaluate where he’s at — conditioning, health, things like that. Using him in the best way to help us win early will be the most important thing. There will be some things he can do that quite frankly most people who play his position can’t do. But that’s not anything against the running backs that have gone through training camp with us because they’ve done a heck of a job, including James.”
Despite his dissatisfaction with the team and his contract, it sounds like Bell will show up for work as scheduled. However, this may be his final season in black and yellow.
Raiders Trade WR Ryan Switzer To Steelers
The Raiders have traded wide receiver Ryan Switzer to the Steelers. The Raiders will receive a fifth-round pick in the trade while sending their own sixth-rounder to Pittsburgh.
The deal marks the second time that Switzer has been traded this offseason. In April, the Cowboys shipped Switzer to Oakland after acquiring Tavon Austin from the Rams. Dallas acquired 2016 Raiders second-round pick Jihad Ward in that trade.
Switzer offers experience as both a kick and punt returner, and that’s likely the main draw to this trade from the Steelers’ perspective. Switzer could allow Pittsburgh to keep Antonio Brown away from punt returns and reduce the star’s risk for injury. Cornerback Cameron Sutton was pushing to hold down that job, but the Steelers might be having second thoughts after he fumbled against the Titans in Saturday’s preseason contest. Switzer may also be able to contribute as a slot receiver.
The Raiders seemed likely to keep Switzer, but it appears that he has been leapfrogged by Griff Whalen this offseason. Whalen’s toe injury may keep him from the field in Week 1, but the Raiders opted to get something in return for Switzer instead.
AFC Notes: Browns, Taylor, Bryant
Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor has dislocated the pinky on his non-throwing hand, as Andrew Gribble of the Browns’ website tweets. While his left hand is bruised and sore, head coach Hue Jackson says “he’s going to be fine.”
It sounds like Taylor will be alright for the season opener, so we won’t be seeing Baker Mayfield out there – at least, not yet.
Here’s more from the AFC North:
- It’s unlikely that the Ravens will make a second run at Dez Bryant or another veteran receiver, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes. Chris Moore has nailed down his spot as the Ravens‘ fourth wide receiver behind Michael Crabtree, John Brown, and Willie Snead, so the Ravens appear to be set at the top of the order. There’s uncertainty beyond that, but Zrebiec feels the Ravens will not be motivated to get for a veteran WR unless one of their top three guys gets hurt.
- Nine teams are spending more than $50MM per year on their top three players, and the Steelers are one of three clubs in that group to have made the playoffs last season, Jason Fitzgerald of OTC writes. With $53.4MM carved out for Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and LeVeon Bell, the Steelers have found success with a top-heavy structure.
- The Bengals parted ways with defensive tackle Chris Baker.
Examining Le'Veon Bell 2019 Landing Spots
- Le’Veon Bell isn’t expected to report to the Steelers until Week 1, and it’s unclear if the two-time franchise player will be a member of Pittsburgh’s roster after 2018. He won’t be assigned the tag again, meaning he’ll be able to hit the open market next spring. With that in mind, Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports examined whether Bell will be able to command a fully guaranteed deal, and also looked at the top contenders to land Bell once he finally hits free agency. The Colts, Jets, and Browns — all of whom project to have plenty of 2019 cap space, all make sense as potential destinations, per Paylor.
Steelers Sign Vince Williams To Extension
The Steelers have signed linebacker Vince Williams to a new three-year extension, the team announced. The new pact, which will keep Williams under contract through the 2021 season, is a three-year add-on worth more than $20MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
“I feel like the Rooney family gave me an opportunity to play professional football,” Williams said in a statement released by the team. “It’s a great culture here. A great fan base. I take pride in being in Pittsburgh. It’s a hard-nosed group of individuals who work here. I feel like the people here are no nonsense, hard-working individuals. They are proud people too. I love this place.”
Last year, Williams set a single-season career high with eight sacks last season, second only on the team to Cameron Heyward. The former sixth-round pick started in all 16 games and finished out with 88 tackles in total.
It’s possible that Williams’ loyalty to the Steelers has cost him some serious free agent upside. After compiling eight sacks, the linebacker would have sailed past $6MM/year on the open market with a repeat performance. Still, he does gain financial security through the extension, and that has value in a violent sport.
It has been a busy day for the Steelers. Minutes before announcing Williams’ extension, they also signed kicker Chris Boswell to a new four-year extension.
Steelers, K Chris Boswell Agree To Extension
The Steelers and kicker Chris Boswell have agreed to an extension, the team announced on Thursday. Four years have been tacked onto Boswell’s deal at a value of $19.72MM, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. 
Boswell will still play out his 2018 tender, worth $2.97MM. After that, the new four-year deal will begin. All in all, he’s under club control through the 2022 season.
The new pact makes Boswell the sixth highest-paid kicker in the NFL. It only makes sense after Boswell nailed 35 of 38 field goal attempts and 37 of 39 extra point tries last year. His 35 field goals set a franchise single-season record and marked the first time a Steelers kicker has made at least 30 field goals since Shaun Suisham did so in 2013.
Five other kickers earn at least $4MM annually, and the most recent member of that club — the Panthers’ Graham Gano — signed a deal in March that came in above Justin Tucker‘s 2015 contract.
In his career Boswell has connected on 85 of 95 field goal attempts, with the long being his 53-yard game-winning field goal against the Packers last year. He’s also converted 99 of 102 extra points.
NFL Suspends Steelers WR Eli Rogers
The NFL has suspended Steelers wide receiver Eli Rogers for the first game of the season after a violation of the substance abuse policy. In a statement, GM Kevin Colbert expressed his disappointment. 
“We are disappointed that Eli Rogers has been suspended for Week 1 of the regular season as part of the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse,” Colbert said. “The suspension will begin following the final roster cutdown on September 1. He will be allowed to continue his rehabilitation and attend meetings at team’s headquarters, but he will not be permitted to practice with the team during his suspension or attend the Week 1 game.”
The ban means that Rogers will not be able to take the field in the Sept. 9 season opener against the Browns. After that, he’ll be eligible to return for the team’s Week 2 contest against the Chiefs.
Rogers was unlikely to participate in the first game of the season anyway, as he is still recovering from an ACL tear in his right knee. Odds are, Rogers will remain on the PUP list for at least the first six weeks of the season before getting an opportunity to play.