- Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates announced Monday on Twitter that he underwent surgery on his pelvis. In theory, because the Steelers didn’t disclose the ailment on injury reports during the season, they could face NFL discipline, notes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Pittsburgh is already under league investigation for not listing running back Le’Veon Bell‘s groin issue on playoff injury reports, though it seems unlikely the league will punish the team. After all, the Seahawks got off scot-free despite withholding information on Richard Sherman‘s ailing MCL in 2016. Further, Coates’ injury didn’t affect his participation in practice during the season, a source told Fowler.
- The Steelers’ contract talks with wide receiver Antonio Brown and linebacker Lawrence Timmons don’t figure to move quickly, tweets CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who expects running back Le’Veon Bell to be their biggest priority. Unlike Brown, who has another year on his deal, both Timmons and Bell could become free agents next month. Bell is clearly the more valuable of the two, of course, and the Steelers will place the franchise tag on the runner if they’re unable to re-sign him.
- The Steelers have added six free agents on reserve/futures deals – cornerback Devonte Johnson, linebackers Akil Blount and Jason Fanaika, offensive linemen Kyle Friend and Mike Matthews, and running back Trey Williams – per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Blount is the son of Steelers legend and Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount. Matthews’ father is one of Blount’s fellow Canton enshrinees, longtime Oilers/Titans offensive tackle Bruce Matthews.
After making a name for himself in 2016, there was no way the Steelers were going to let linebacker Anthony Chickillo get away. The team has re-signed the exclusive rights free agent to a one-year deal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Chickillo, a 2015 sixth-round pick, appeared in seven games for the Steelers as a rookie but primarily contributed on special teams. This year, he played in 15 games and made seven starts. on the year, he had 24 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and 2.5 sacks. Still just 24, Chickillo has played his way into a significant role on the 2017 team.
Chickillo is now the sixth Pittsburgh ERFA to re-up with the team this offseason. Roosevelt Nix, Cobi Hamilton, Chris Boswell, Fitzgerald Toussaint, and Jordan Dangerfield have already signed back on with the Steelers.
Monday’s minor moves:
Practice squad
Atlanta Falcons
- OG Blake Muir
Reserve/Futures Deals
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DL Lavon Hooks (via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
- DL Roy Philon
A report earlier this month stated that the Steelers and wide receiver Antonio Brown had already begun contract extension talks, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears that those discussions just began Monday. The Steelers have also opened dialogue with linebacker Lawrence Timmons, La Canfora adds (Twitter link).
Unlike Brown, who has another year on his contract, the Steelers are in imminent danger of losing Timmons. The soon-to-be 31-year-old could depart the organization via free agency as early as next month, but Pittsburgh clearly wants to re-sign the longtime stalwart.
Timmons is fresh off his 10th NFL season, all of which have been spent in Pittsburgh, and continued to fill the stat sheet with 114 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble in his sixth straight 16-start season. Timmons, who hasn’t missed a game since 2009, also played 92.9 percent of the Steelers’ defensive snaps, though Pro Football Focus wasn’t impressed with his work. The site placed him just 70th in overall performance among 87 qualified linebackers.
On the other hand, there’s no arguing with Brown’s production. The 28-year-old is arguably the league’s top receiver, having earned his third consecutive first-team All-Pro nod in 2016. Brown has matched or exceeded 100 catches, 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns in each of the past four seasons, and he could become the league’s highest-paid wideout as a result. He’s due to make $4.71MM salary and count $13.618MM against the Steelers’ cap in the final year of his contract in 2017, but there’s optimism he and the club will hammer out a new deal before training camp. Unsurprisingly, then, Pittsburgh has told rival teams that it’s not making Brown available via trade.
The Steelers have bigger fish to fry this offseason, but they have shown interest in re-signing linebacker Lawrence Timmons, Mark Kaboly of DKPittsburghSports.com writes. For his part, Timmons has said throughout the season that he hopes to remain in Pittsburgh. 
[RELATED: Rival Clubs Asked About Antonio Brown Trade]
The Steelers have a host of important free agents this offseason and that list is headlined by Le’Veon Bell. The team is also looking to extend wide receiver Antonio Brown and defensive end Stephon Tuitt. Once the team gets a handle on how much money needs to be allocated towards those deals, they’ll turn their attention to Timmons, a player who provides valuable veteran leadership in the front seven.
Timmons, 31 in May, played in 92% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2016 despite talk that he would be supplanted by Vince Williams. He started all 19 games for the Steelers (16 regular season games + three playoff games) and led the team with 114 tackles in the regular season. Timmons also added 4.5 sacks and two interceptions.
Timmons carried a $15MM+ cap number in 2016 after restructuring his pact multiple times. He won’t make the same kind of money on his next deal, but he could still get a nice payday on a multi-year deal that would allow him to retire in black and yellow.
Here’s a look at the AFC North:
- Mike Wallace‘s contract is probably the most difficult cap decision facing the Ravens, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun writes. After a 1,000-yard season, Wallace is the Ravens’ best receiver and they’re looking thin after Steve Smith‘s retirement and Kamar Aiken heading to free agency. However, Wallace has the fifth-highest cap hit on the team at $8MM and they can save $5.75MM if they drop him. In theory, Wallace could be dropped if the team can get a cheaper possession receiver to put next to speedsters Breshad Perriman and Chris Moore.
- The Browns shouldn’t rush into a long-term deal with restricted free agent Isaiah Crowell, Tony Grossi of ESPN.com writes. With a first- or second-round tender, the Browns can either retain the young tailback or cash in on a compensatory pick if another team signs him away. Grossi says it would be “stupid” for another team to make that kind of investment in Crowell and I’m inclined to agree. Crowell has skills, but he’s not worth a valuable draft pick in addition to a free agent deal.
- The Steelers were without defensive end Cam Heyward for the second half of the season but the D-Line actually managed to stepped its game up. Now, as Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, both the starters and reserves are under contract for next season except Ricardo Mathews, who started five games. Now, the unit can grow together for an additional year and that should mean an additional step forward. As for Mathews, the Steelers may not re-sign him after L.T. Walton came on strong to close out the season.
Several NFL clubs recently asked the Steelers if wide receiver Antonio Brown was available via trade, but those inquires were met with an emphatic “no,” according to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report.
[RELATED: Steelers Open To Re-Signing James Harrison]
While rival teams were likely just doing due diligence, there was at least some reason to think Pittsburgh might be open to dealing Brown given his recent pattern of — as Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin deemed them — “little annoyances.” Brown infamously broadcast a portion of Tomlin’s post-game speech on Facebook Live last month, while Ben Roethlisberger and former Steeler Heath Miller have reportedly addressed problems with Brown in the past.
Still, Pittsburgh doesn’t figure to part with Brown anytime soon, and Freeman writes that any potential trade would require a minimum of a first-round pick (though it’s unclear if Freeman is reporting or speculating here). Indeed, the Steelers have opened extension talks with Brown after previously following their policy of not negotiating with players who have more than one year left on their contract. At present, Brown is signed through 2017, and will earn a base salary of $4.71MM and carry a salary cap charge of ~$13.6MM.
Brown, 28, earned his third consecutive first team All-Pro nod in 2016 after putting up 106 receptions for 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Steelers have agreed to a one-year deal with tight end Xavier Grimble, according to Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Grimble was set to become an exclusive rights free agent, meaning he couldn’t have signed with another club unless Pittsburgh forfeited its rights to him.
[RELATED: Steelers Release Justin Gilbert]
Grimble, 24, signed a reserve/futures deal with Pittsburgh in January 2016, and ended up spending the entire season on the active roster, appearing in 12 games and seeing action on 18.2% of the club’s offensive snaps 14.4% of the Steelers’ special teams plays. On 21 targets, Grimble managed 11 receptions, 118 yards, and two touchdowns while playing behind Jesse James and David Johnson.
The Steelers have been the most active NFL club in terms of locking up ERFAs this offseason, as they’ve re-signed kicker Chris Boswell, running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, safety Jordan Dangerfield, and fullback Roosevelt Nix in addition to Grimble.