Latest On Steelers, Le’Veon Bell
While the Steelers are putting off their latest round of Le’Veon Bell negotiations until after the draft, the running back specified the offer he received last year.
Bell said the Steelers offered him a deal at last July’s deadline that averaged $13.3MM per year, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. This differs slightly from the reports that emerged indicating Bell turned down a deal that would have paid him $30MM over the first two years.
Fowler reports Bell increased his asking price in time for the 2018 negotiations, and that caused the Steelers to step back (via another franchise tag) and reassess where they stand with their All-Pro running back.
It’s logical Bell’s price would go up, given his 2018 tag number being $14.5MM instead of $12.1MM and that the cap now resides at $177MM. A report earlier this week said Bell may be looking for $17MM AAV, but Fowler said that’s probably just a negotiating tactic rather than a baseline price. He expects the 26-year-old back’s floor remains the $14.5MM franchise tag number, with it possibly taking more than $15MM per year to seal the deal.
The Steelers have increased their offer to Bell over the past year, and Fowler adds that while the Steelers have yet to decide if they want to pay a running back $15MM per year, the gap is not wide enough to rule out an agreement by this year’s July deadline. Fowler fully expects these talks to run up to that midsummer date. With the Steelers expected to continue their practice of making the only guaranteed portion of a deal being the signing bonus, Bell is concerned with a contract’s per-year average as well as its guarantees.
He adds that this may look like a Kirk Cousins situation but differentiates the two setups by noting the Steelers are fully confident Bell is an elite player. However, Pittsburgh decision-makers are concerned about setting a league-wide precedent of paying running backs what Bell is asking when the most a currently signed back makes per year is barely north of $8MM.
Latest On Le'Veon Bell
Is Le’Veon Bell looking for $17MM/year? There have been rumblings about the running back looking for a salary equivalent to Antonio Brown‘s, but as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com understands it, that’s not quite the case. When asked earlier this offseason about how much he would need to take the field, the Steelers star said he wouldn’t take anything less than $14.5MM annually (the value of his franchise tender) over the course of a long-term deal. That answer implies that a deal could be reached for roughly $15MM/year, which may be more realistic.
- The Steelers seem serious about exploring their running back options in the draft, Fowler writes. Their interest in LSU star Derrius Guice seems genuine, which indicates that the team is prepared for any possible outcome with Bell.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/9/18
Here are today’s minor moves.
Detroit Lions
- Signed RFA tender: WR T.J. Jones
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on Reserve/Retired list: WR Rodney Adams
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Tim Wright
Oakland Raiders
- Signed ERFA tender: LB Shilique Calhoun
- Signed ERFA tender: LB James Cowser
- Signed ERFA tender: S Erik Harris
- Signed ERFA tender: OL Denver Kirkland
- Signed ERFA tender: K Giorgio Tavecchio
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL Joseph Cheek
- Signed: OL Larson Graham
- Signed: OL Parker Collins
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Victor Ochi
Washington Redskins
- Waived: QB Stephen Morris
Steelers K Chris Boswell Signs RFA Tender
Steelers kicker Chris Boswell has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, according to Mark Kaboly of the Athletic (Twitter link). Boswell will now be paid $2.914MM for the 2018 season.
Boswell was one of 14 NFL restricted free agents to be tender at the second-round level, and he’s the fifth — following Falcons guard Ben Garland, Jaguars running back Corey Grant, Seahawks cornerback Justin Coleman, and Jets receiver Quincy Enunwa— to officially sign his tender. There was no rush for Boswell to ink his tender, as RFAs have until April 20 to work out offer sheets with other clubs. However, it was always unlikely that any NFL team would have been willing to sacrifice a second-round pick in order to land Boswell.
Boswell, 27, is now entering his fourth season as the Steelers’ placekicker. In 2017, Boswell earned his first Pro Bowl berth after 92.1% if his field goal attempts, including a perfect four-for-four from 50+ yards. Football Outsiders ranked Boswell seventh in the NFL with 8.4 points added via field goals and extra points.
NFL Draft Rumors: Jackson, Patriots, Rudolph
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson may have erred by opting to go through the NFL draft process without an agent, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com writes. Jackson will avoid paying a portion of his rookie deal to a representative, but in an effort to save some cash, he could be hurting his draft position, which would negate the savings on the standard 1.5% fee.
Reportedly, Jackson struggled in breaking down X’s and O’s on the white board in meetings with teams and his Wonderlic score was poor. Some say the Wonderlic is meaningless, but some execs still use it as part of their evaluation process and an agent would have had him prepped for the test and other aspects of team interviews. An agent would also help to push the narrative that Jackson should be considered above some of this year’s top quarterbacks, including USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, and Wyoming’s Josh Allen.
Ultimately, Jackson’s decision will look like a smart one if he winds up going in the top half of the first round, Corry argues. But, based on what we’ve heard so far, that doesn’t seem likely. It’s notable that the Texans, who are already armed with a star QB in Deshaun Watson and don’t pick until the third round, recently had a private workout with Jackson.
Here’s more NFL draft news:
- South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst will visit the Panthers on Friday Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Carolina owns the No. 24 overall pick and they could use that selection to give themselves a potent tight end with receiving ability. Greg Olsen will start for the Panthers this season, but he is 33 and entering a contract year. In the past, Olsen has fought for a revamped deal, so it’s conceivable that he will look to push the market next March. Even if Olsen is retained beyond 2018, the Panthers need to consider the future of the tight end position.
- The Patriots, who now own two first-round picks, recently had a private workout with Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph, Rapoport tweets. Rudolph hasn’t garnered as much attention as this year’s top four QBs, but he is a potential first-rounder. Rapoport hears that he has been extremely busy with meetings and workouts, a possible sign that his stock is climbing.
- Rudolph will also have a top 30 visit with the Bills this weekend, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). The Bills own picks at 12 and 22, so he could be in the mix for one of those spots. Rudolph has also met with or had workouts for the Chargers, Saints, Giants, Steelers, and Bengals.
Steelers Re-Sign WR Justin Hunter
Justin Hunter is back with the Steelers, according to an announcement from the team. Terms of his deal were not disclosed. The Steelers also confirmed the re-signing of running back Stevan Ridley.
Hunter seemed to hold serious promise when he entered the league as a second round pick of the Titans in 2013. Since then, he has spent time with three other teams with the Steelers being the most recent of the bunch. He has managed just 14 catches with the Bills, Dolphins, and Steelers over the last two campaigns. His best season came most productive season came in 2014 when he had 28 catches for 498 yards and three scores with the Titans, though he did manage four TDs with Buffalo in 2016.
Hunter won’t have the easiest path towards making the Steelers’ final cut. Ideally, he’d be a No. 5 WR type, but he doesn’t offer much in the way of special teams value. He has played only four special teams snaps during his six-year career.
Behind star Antonio Brown, the Steelers also have Juju Smith-Schuster, Martavis Bryant, and Darrius Heyward-Bey at wide receiver. As shown on Roster Resource, Trey Griffey (son of baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr), Justin Thomas, Marcus Tucker, and Tevin Jones are also among those looking to make the 53-man roster.
Latest On James Harrison
Linebacker James Harrison is waiting until after the draft to sign with a team, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Of course, that’s probably not by Harrison’s choice. At this stage of his career, he is no longer a top priority for clubs. 
Harrison’s top priority is finding a situation in which he can see significant time on the field, Fowler hears. That all but rules out a return to the Steelers, but the Patriots have been one of a handful of teams to inquire on him over the last month.
To the surprise of many in the football world, the Steelers released Harrison in December. He quickly hooked on with the Patriots and proved to be effective in his short stint with them in one regular season game and three playoff contests. Still, Harrison will turn 40 in May, which will limit his market.
Harrison left the Steelers as their all-time sack leader with 80.5 and earned defensive player of the year acclaim in 2008. That season ended with Pittsburgh’s sixth Super Bowl title, one Harrison helped cement with his 100-yard interception return in Super Bowl XLIII.
Steelers Sign S Nat Berhe
Nat Berhe announced on Twitter that he has signed with the Steelers. It took Berhe a little while to find his new NFL home, but he’s hardly the only safety in that predicament this offseason. 
Here in April, the free agent safety market is still rife with big names including Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro, Tre Boston, T.J. Ward, Tyvon Branch, Darius Butler, and former Steeler Mike Mitchell. Plenty of top cornerbacks cashed in this year, but big name safeties are struggling to find suitable deals.
Berhe is not of the same caliber as Reid, Vaccaro, and others, but he did provide depth and solid special teams play for the Giants in 2017. The 26-year-old (27 in July) led the G-Men with ten special teams tackles in 2017 and only two Steelers totaled more last season.
NFL Draft Rumors: Vander Esch, Steelers, Bills
The latest NFL Draft news:
- Linked to Leighton Vander Esch for several weeks this offseason, the Steelers met with the Boise State outside linebacker on Monday night, Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst reports. Pittsburgh has used first-round picks on either inside or outside ‘backers in four of its past five drafts. Three of those players remain on the team, but only two will be able to play this season. Ryan Shazier has been declared out as he attempts to recover from his frightening spine injury. Pauline wrote in March that Vander Esch won’t get past Pittsburgh at No. 28.
- Next up for Vander Esch met the Cowboys on Wednesday morning, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. After that, he has the Cardinals and every team picking between No. 12 to No. 24, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Aside from the aforementioned clubs, the teams picking from No. 12-24 are the Bills (twice), Redskins, Packers, Ravens, Chargers, Seahawks, Lions, Bengals, Bills, Patriots, and Panthers.
- LSU pass-rusher Arden Key met with the Saints and Lions before his pro day on Wednesday and will visit with the Bengals on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Due to injuries, key only started in eight games last year, but he still finished out with 33 tackles, 5.5 for loss, four sacks, and a forced fumble. He is widely projected to be a first round pick later this month.
Steelers Re-Sign RB Stevan Ridley
Running back Stevan Ridley has re-signed with the Steelers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran. 
At this point, Ridley has an extensive collection of NFL jerseys. Over the course of seven NFL seasons, he has suited up for the Patriots, Jets, Falcons, and Steelers with stops in between with the Lions, Colts, Broncos, and Vikings.
Ridley is best known for his run with the Pats, which included a stellar 2012 season. In that campaign, he amassed more than 1,200 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him down ever since.
The 29-year-old will duke it out with James Conner, Fitzgerald Toussaint, and James Summers for a spot behind star Le’Veon Bell in 2018.