Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/16

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: LB Reshard Cliett

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: OL Blaine Clausell

Cleveland Browns

Indianpolis Colts

  • Signed: T Pierce Burton

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: DT Justin Zimmer

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Shaquille Riddick

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: OT Mitchell Van Dyk

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: RB David Fluellen

Washington Redskins

Steelers Cut Randy Bullock

  • The Steelers promoted wide receiver Demarcus Ayers to the 53-man roster, as Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette tweets. To make room, kicker Randy Bullock has been cut. Ayers was a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft.

Saints Sign LB Travis Feeney

Yoink. The Saints have plucked linebacker Travis Feeney off of the Steelers’ practice squad, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal will be finalized upon completion of a physical exam. Travis Feeney (vertical)

The linebacker exploded as a senior at Washington, tallying career highs in tackles for a loss (17.5), sacks (8.0), and forced fumbles (3) to go along with 56 total tackles. In the spring, the Steelers selected him in the sixth-round. Feeney just missed the Steelers’ 53-man cut in September, but he signed on with the practice squad soon after. After patiently waiting to see NFL action in Pittsburgh, he’ll instead get his chance with the Saints, a team that was eyeing him heading into the draft.

Feeney is expected to provide depth and special teams help for New Orleans. If active, he may make his NFL debut against the Bucs on Sunday.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/7/2016

Today’s practice squad moves:

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Diego Chargers

NFL Spending By Team Over Last Four Seasons

The NFLPA has released the official data on team spending over the last four seasons. The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that each team must utilize 89% of the salary cap over two four-year periods, 2013-16 and 2017-20. As previously reported, the Raiders are the only team that has yet to satisfy that requirement for the closing period. The CBA also requires the league, as a whole, to spend 95% of the cap, in cash, for the same period. That requirement has been easily met.

Here is the full rundown of every team’s spending in declining order:

Philadelphia Eagles – $613,928,134
Denver Broncos – $587,712,791
Seattle Seahawks – $584,305,975
Green Bay Packers – $583,138,740
Miami Dolphins – $577,975,260
Kansas City Chiefs – $575,541,332
Buffalo Bills – $573,647,850
Chicago Bears – $568,301,610
Cincinnati Bengals – $567,289,411
Baltimore Ravens – $562,425,698
San Diego Chargers – $562,232,116
Indianapolis Colts – $556,335,689
Atlanta Falcons – $550,614,572
New York Giants – $543,787,033
Arizona Cardinals – $543,327,538
Los Angeles Rams – $541,957,711
New Orleans Saints – $539,836,498
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $539,736,102
Minnesota Vikings – $539,162,454
New York Jets – $533,151,519
Washington Redskins – $532,545,662
Pittsburgh Steelers – $530,698,171
Detroit Lions – $530,210,549
Tennessee Titans – $524,505,256
Dallas Cowboys – $523,033,036
Houston Texans – $517,212,166
Jacksonville Jaguars – $516,908,734
Cleveland Browns – $516,158,864
San Francisco 49ers – $514,488,198
New England Patriots – $500,083,836
Carolina Panthers – $495,149,346
Oakland Raiders – $491,433,408

Texans Waive Charles James II

The Texans have waived cornerback Charles James, as John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets. To take his spot, the Texans have claimed cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz off waivers from the Steelers. Moments ago, James took to Instagram to bid farewell to Houston (sic): Charles James (vertical)

My time in Houston is up I gave y’all everything I had. All I have is good memories about this place. I’m truly sorry I couldn’t be better in the most precious moments but I’m only human and life happens I’ve learned to take the Good with the Bad the Ups with the Downs. God is the center and head of my life so I got trust in the man upstairs that my life will pan out the way it should. To the people who know my story, my journey, my testimony you’ll know it’s just a detour in the road. Imma miss y’all boys in the locker room especially my boys in the DB room we had special times man. Later for now H town.

On Sunday, James slipped in the snow and gave up a long touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson. Slipping in the snow is forgivable, to many, but the Texans apparently did not see it that way. James, 26, first gained some fans when he was featured on Hard Knocks while with the Ravens. He did not make the active roster in Baltimore, but he saw some in-game action when he joined the Texans last season.

Shabazz, an undrafted rookie out of West Chester in 2015, bounced between the Steelers’ active roster and practice squad this season. Over the weekend, he was dropped by Pittsburgh. In five career games, the cornerback has collected one tackle.

Steelers Sign Randy Bullock

Steelers kicker Chris Boswell was listed as questionable on the team’s latest injury report, so the team has signed another kicker as insurance. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (via Twitter) that the Steelers have signed veteran kicker Randy Bullock. To make room on the roster, the team has released cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz (via Bouchette).

Randy BullockBullock, 26, was the Giants’ kicker during their season opener as Josh Brown served his one-game suspension. The former fifth-rounder made two of his three extra point attempts, and he was subsequently waived by the team in mid-September. Since then, Bullock has gotten auditions with both the Bengals and Vikings. In three-plus seasons in the NFL, Bullock has connected on 80.6-percent of his field goal attempts and nearly 96-percent of his extra point attempts. Bullock has also been productive on kickoffs, averaging 65.9-yards per kick during his career.

Boswell, 25, had a breakout season in 2015, connecting on 90.6-percent of his field goals. However, that number has dropped this season, as the kicker has only connected on 75-percent of his field goal attempts. Boswell is currently recovering from an abdominal injury, according to Bouchette.

Shabazz, an undrafted rookie out of West Chester in 2015, has bounced between the Steelers’ active roster and practice squad this season. In five career games, the cornerback has collected one tackle.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/28/16

Here are today’s practice squad moves.

Chicago Bears

  • Signed: TE Justin Perillo (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)

Houston Texans

  • Signed: DL Brandon Dunn

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: RB Dreamius Smith

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: RB Raheem Mostert
  • Cut: RB Kelvin Taylor

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: DT Rodney Coe (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
  • Cut: DE Kourtnei Brown (Twitter link via Auman)

Karlos Williams Handed 10-Game Suspension

The Bills cut ties with running back Karlos Williams earlier this year when they realized that he wasn’t worth the headaches. Now, the Steelers will either have to do the same or keep some Tylenol handy.

Karlos Williams (vertical)

Williams has been handed a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Since he’s on the practice squad, the move doesn’t necessarily affect the team’s plans. But it seems likely that he will be released to free up a spot on the 10-man unit.

Not long ago, Williams looked like he could be the the heir apparent to LeSean McCoy in Buffalo. As a fifth-round rookie in 2015, the ex-Florida State Seminole picked up 613 scrimmage yards and scored nine times on just 104 touches. But he earned a four-game substance abuse suspension in July and then showed up to training camp out of shape, leading the Bills to cut him in late August.

Williams joined the Steelers’ practice squad last month, but he didn’t earn a promotion to the team’s active roster and his season – and maybe his Steelers career – will now end thanks to his latest ban.

Steelers Bring Back Daryl Richardson