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Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Steelers Sign James Conner

May 11th, 2017 at 5:25pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Steelers have signed third-round running back James Conner, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle was among those to report (via Twitter). With Conner joining fifth-round cornerback Brian Allen, sixth-round long snapper Colin Holba and seventh-round linebacker Keion Adams under contract, Pittsburgh has now signed half of its eight-pick class.

James Conner

Conner, a Pennsylvania native who was among the nation’s best backs with Pitt, is now in position to make an NFL impact in his home state. Of course, the 105th overall pick also comes with an inspirational story, having bounced back from a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis (not to mention a torn MCL) in 2015 to conclude his college career with a vengeance last season. A cancer-free Conner turned in his second thousand-yard campaign with the Panthers (1,092, on 5.1 yards per carry) and combined for 20 touchdowns (16 rushing, four receiving). In parts of four seasons at Pitt, he found the end zone 56 times (52 on the ground).

With the Steelers lacking established NFLers behind starting running back Le’Veon Bell, Conner should serve as the two-time Pro Bowler’s top backup in 2017. It’s possible Conner will end up as the Steelers’ starter in 2018 if Bell walks as a free agent next offseason, but the team hopes to sign the franchise tag recipient to an extension in the coming months.

Steelers Sign Keion Adams

May 10th, 2017 at 7:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • The Steelers announced that they’ve signed seventh-round linebacker Keion Adams. A Western Michigan product, Adams is viewed as an edge rusher in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 scheme, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. As such, Adams could face an uphill battle to make the Steelers’ roster given that the club added first-rounder T.J. Watt to an outside linebacker crop that already includes Bud Dupree and James Harrison. Adams posted 13 sacks over his final two years with WMU.

Draft Pick Signings: Broncos, Steelers

May 8th, 2017 at 6:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest draft picks to put pen to paper on their first NFL deals:

  • The Broncos have signed fifth-round wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. The Broncos traded up to the No. 172 pick to select the Georgia product and he could wind up as the team’s main punt returner. In 2016, McKenzie recorded 44 catches for 633 yards and seven touchdowns.
  • The Steelers announced that they have signed fifth-round defensive back Brian Allen. The former Utah standout is the first of Pittsburgh’s eight draft picks to sign.

Tre Boston To Visit Three Teams

May 7th, 2017 at 8:37am CST by Rory Parks

Tre Boston, who was released by the Panthers last week, has free agent visits lined up with three clubs. The 24-year-old safety (25 in June) tweeted that he visited the Steelers several days ago and plans to meet with the Chargers and Bills shortly.

Tre Boston (vertical)

Boston appeared in 15 games (10 starts) for Carolina last season, and he was projected to return as the team’s starting free safety in 2017. As such, his release came as something of surprise, especially since the Panthers did not select a safety in this year’s draft.

Boston graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 46 safety last season, putting him in a three-way tie with Jairus Byrd and George Iloka. Boston’s coverage grades were not as strong as Byrd’s or Iloka’s, but he made up ground with a better showing in terms of pass rush. Boston’s 78.1 overall score stands as a career high, but he was on roughly the same plane in 2014 and 2015, his first two years in the league (though he started just five regular season games in 2014 and only one in 2015).

It therefore seems as if Boston could be a serviceable starter in the league, or, at the very least, quality depth. He would likely serve as a depth piece with the Steelers, who have Mike Mitchell and Sean Davis penciled in at the starting safety positions. The Chargers selected safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and Desmond King in the middle rounds of last week’s draft, and they do have Dwight Lowery returning, but Lowery did not fare much better than Boston in 2016 in terms of Pro Football Focus’ metrics, and he turned 31 in January (though Lowery was decidedly better in coverage than Boston). Buffalo, meanwhile, signed Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer this offseason to revamp their safety tandem, but Boston could certainly compete with Poyer for the team’s starting free safety job.

Steelers Make Three Moves

May 6th, 2017 at 10:07am CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers made a trio of minor transactions yesterday. According to Mark Kaboly of DKPittsburghSports.com (via Twitter), the team has released long-snapper Kameron Canaday and waived/injured wideout Dez Stewart. Meanwhile, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Steelers have signed offensive lineman Jake Rodgers.

NFL: Preseason-Arizona Cardinals at Houston TexansStewart was signed to a reserve/futures contract back in February. The wideout was a standout at Ohio Dominican University (Division II), hauling in 196 receptions for 3,197 yards and 25 touchdowns over 43 collegiate games. The receiver was especially expendable after the Steelers selected JuJu Smith-Schuster during last week’s draft.

Canaday went from a 2016 undrafted free agent to the Cardinals starting long snapper last season, but he was waived after only three weeks. The Steelers snatched him in February, but similar to Stewart, Canaday was recently squeezed out by a rookie. Pittsburgh selected Colin Holba in the sixth-round of last week’s draft, and the rookie will compete with incumbent Greg Warren for the starting gig.

Rodgers has yet to appear in an NFL game after being selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. The Eastern Washington product has spent time with the Falcons, Giants, and Panthers. Assuming Rodgers continues to play offensive tackle, he’ll be competing with Jerald Hawkins and Brian Mihalik for snaps.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/2/17

May 2nd, 2017 at 6:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Waived: LB Cavellis Luckett

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • Waived: K Brett Maher

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Redskins

Steelers Cut QB Zach Mettenberger

May 1st, 2017 at 1:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Zach Mettenberger is out of a job. The Steelers announced on Monday afternoon that the quarterback has been released. Zach Mettenberger (vertical)

Mettenberger has been shown the door following the team’s selection of Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs in the fourth round. As a senior, Dobbs turned in his finest season yet, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He completed 63% of his throwns, his best showing as a full-time starter.

Mettenberger, a former sixth-round pick of the Titans, cycled through three different teams in the 2016 offseason. After being dropped by the Titans, he was claimed by the Chargers. In late August, the Bolts waived him, allowing the Steelers to claim him. He did not see the field for Pittsburgh in 2016 and we have not seen him throw a live action pass since late in the 2015 season with Tennessee.

The Steelers now have a three players on the QB depth chart: Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, and Dobbs.

Steelers Sign Nine Undrafted Free Agents

April 30th, 2017 at 1:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers have locked up nine undrafted college free agents following the conclusion of the draft, the club announced. Here’s a list of the newest Pittsburgh players:

Steelers Won't Sign Keenan Lewis

April 29th, 2017 at 9:19pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • A Steelers/Keenan Lewis reunion does not look to be in the works. A visit to Pittsburgh concluded with Lewis leaving the team’s facility. As Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette puts it (Twitter link), the cornerback doesn’t have “any further interest” in a Steelers deal. That is somewhat interesting since the soon-to-be 31-year-old Lewis hasn’t played in the NFL since 2015 and hasn’t played a season without major injury trouble since 2014. But it appears the former Steelers and Saints corner will continue his comeback hopes elsewhere.

Keenan Lewis Visits Steelers

April 29th, 2017 at 11:36am CST by Ben Levine

Could Keenan Lewis be returning to Pittsburgh? According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter), the Steelers are “taking a look” at their former cornerback. The 31-year-old was reportedly seen at the team’s facility this morning.

Dec 2, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Pittsburgh

Lewis, a 2009 third-round pick, spent the first four seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. After serving as a reserve through his first few seasons, he started all 16 games for the Steelers in 2012, compiling 71 tackles and one forced fumble. He ended up signing a five-year, $26.3MM deal with New Orleans during the 2013 offseason, and he started all 32 games for the Saints in 2013 and 2014. However, over the past two seasons, he’s only appeared in six games.

If Lewis does indeed rejoin the Steelers, he’ll be joining a cornerback corps that includes Ross Cockrell, Artie Burns, William Gay, Senquez Golson, Cameron Sutton, Coty Sensabaugh, and Al-Hajj Shabazz.

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