Steelers Rumors: Pouncey, Coates
Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey‘s career could end when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger‘s does, relays Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Pouncey’s still young (he’ll turn 28 in July), but it’s possible the seventh-year man and five-time Pro Bowler would rather hang it up than continue with someone other than Roethlisberger, who mulled retirement after last season and is entering his age-35 campaign. “It will be hard for me to come back if he’s not here,” Pouncey said of Roethlisberger. “Whenever you’re playing with that level of quarterback, to try to switch that up would be a different mojo for everybody on the team. … I’m glad he came back. We need him to win a championship around here.”
- The fact that the Steelers have a deep receiving corps means third-year man Sammie Coates will have to battle for a spot in camp, suggests Fowler. Coates was a relatively high selection in 2015, when he went in Round 3 of the draft, but the ex-Auburn star has totaled just 22 receptions in 21 games as a Steeler. A broken finger and a groin injury likely contributed to Coates’ underwhelming output last season (21 catches on 49 targets, two touchdowns), and he indicated that he’s nearing full health with camp approaching. “I’m getting there. It’s a process,” said Coates, who underwent sports hernia surgery over the winter. “That’s what this process is for, to get your body back so you can compete during camp.”
Justin Gilbert Suspended For One Year
Former top ten pick Justin Gilbert has been suspended for one year by commissioner Roger Goodell, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Gilbert, a free agent cornerback, was already facing suspension for the first four weeks of the regular season. 
Gilbert’s initial one month ban stemmed from a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. It’s not clear what the new suspension is for, but it seems likely that he has been suspended for a longer term as a repeat offender under the same policy.
This is yet another setback for Gilbert who has yet to do much in his NFL career. After being selected No. 8 by the Browns in 2014, Gilbert struggled totaled just three starts and one interception in 23 games. Later, he drew criticism from owner Jimmy Haslam for his lack of maturity.
The Browns gave up on Gilbert prior to the 2016 season, sending him to the AFC North rival Steelers for a 2018 sixth-round draft pick. Gilbert also failed to realize his potential in Pittsburgh, though, as he played just 11 defensive snaps in 12 games. The Steelers cut Gilbert in February and the only time he’s appeared on the pages of Pro Football Rumors since has been regarding his two suspensions.
At this rate, it will be an uphill battle for Gilbert to get back into football and realize his potential.
Darrius Heyward-Bey's Roster Spot In Jeopardy
- Although wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey hasn’t lived up to his draft stock since going seventh overall to the Raiders in 2009, he has emerged as a favorite of the Steelers’ coaches and players, according to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. Now in his fourth year in Pittsburgh, Heyward-Bey has barely been a factor in the club’s receiving corps (30 catches in 42 regular-season games), yet he has been valuable both on special teams and as a mentor to the Steelers’ younger players, as Adamski details. However, despite his under-the-radar contributions, Heyward-Bey’s roster spot isn’t exactly guaranteed this year, per Adamski. “I’m just trying to keep my seat,” said the 30-year-old. “It’s comfortable, too.”
NFL Pushes Back Deadline To Sign Franchise Players
The NFL has pushed back the deadline to sign franchise players to multiyear contracts, relays ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Teams that haven’t yet extended their tag recipients will have until July 17 to do so. The deadline was previously set for July 15.
The change could affect the Redskins, Rams and Steelers – the only teams that have players currently slated to play the season under the tag. The Redskins have the most expensive member of the trio, quarterback Kirk Cousins ($24MM), who could go through his second straight year as their franchise player. The same holds true for Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who’s in line to make $16.42MM. The cheapest of the three, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, comes in at $12.1MM.
Placing the franchise tag on Cousins again next year would cost the Redskins upward of $34MM, an unpalatable amount, and finding quality quarterbacks isn’t exactly easy. As such, Washington has been working to extend the 28-year-old Cousins prior to the deadline. Unlike last year, when the two sides made little to no headway toward an agreement, there has been progress this spring.
Meanwhile, there’s no indication that the Rams and Johnson have engaged in discussions, in part because they wanted to see how he’d fit in new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ scheme. Los Angeles’ coaching staff got a look at Johnson, 27, in Phillips’ defense during the club’s offseason program, and head coach Sean McVay subsequently praised the corner. It’s possible, then, that a deal will come together in the next month.
While Cousins and Johnson each signed their franchise tenders awhile back, Bell still hasn’t put pen to paper on his. He and the Steelers have been discussing an extension throughout the offseason, though, and despite his past suspensions and injury issues, the 25-year-old wants to become the league’s highest-paid back on his next deal. There’s a good chance that will happen, writes ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who notes that the per-year value of Bell’s contract won’t match the tag.
“Even if he gets $10 million a year, that’s 25 percent more than any other running back is making right now,” one front office executive told Fowler. “You’d have to call that a market-moving deal.”
In the end, Fowler expects the Steelers to offer Bell a four-year accord in the $40MM to $45MM range, including $20MM in guarantees.
Steelers Plan To Use More Man Coverage; Golson Could Be Cut
In the past few drafts, the Steelers have made a concerted effort to bolster their defensive backfield, an area that has been something of a weakness in the second half of the Ben Roethlisberger era. The team selected a cornerback on the first or second day of the last three drafts (Cam Sutton in 2017, Artie Burns in 2016, and Senquez Golson in 2015), and safety Sean Davis was selected in the second round of the 2016 draft. Pittsburgh’s secondary was improved last season, but after it was gashed by the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, the Steelers’ coaching staff plans to implement more man coverage in 2017, as Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. Dulac says the team is confident that Sutton and Burns can handle those concepts, but the staff is openly pessimistic about Golson, who has not played in a preseason or regular-season game in his two years in the league due to injuries. Golson, who is at least healthy enough to practice at the moment, seems to be on the verge of losing his roster spot altogether, and he may need to prove his worth on special teams just to make the club.
Shazier Not Big On CBA's Rookie-Deal Setup
- Had Ryan Shazier been a second-round pick in 2014 instead of going in the first, he would be entering a contract year. But the Steelers picked up the inside linebacker’s fifth-year option in April to tie him to the team through 2018. Shazier is not on board with this setup. “Yeah, that kind of sucks,” Shazier said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, of the system that can tie first-rounders to their rookie deals for five years. “Sometimes guys have to wait five years. Other guys don’t. But that’s what they agreed on in the past. Next time (during CBA negotiations) we’ve just got to do a better job of structuring what we want to do.” Also weighing in on the positions 2014 draft class mates Odell Beckham and Aaron Donald are in, Shazier said rookies should have the opportunity to renegotiate their deals before they accrue three years of service time. “At the end of the day, that’s between you and the team. If the team wants to do that, it’s great,” Shazier said. “… If you play at that level, you should be able to re-up whenever you want to.” Shazier is signed through 2018, with a guaranteed-against-injury ’18 salary of $8.78MM set.
- It doesn’t sound like James Harrison will be going through a regular training camp. The Steelers know what they have in the 39-year-old veteran, and he knows the team’s system. In minicamp, Pittsburgh gave the league’s oldest defender freedom to prepare on his own, giving his reps to first-rounder T.J. Watt, per Fowler. Notorious for conducting unusual workouts in the offseason, Harrison enters his 14th Steelers season. Fowler notes Harrison will work participate in 11-on-11 drills on some days but will be excused during others. “It’s good for the young guys to get the reps,” linebackers coach Joey Porter said at minicamp. “Right now, we’re not going to ask him to do a whole lot. The defense is learning, getting comfortable.”
Steelers Sign First-Round Pick T.J. Watt
The Steelers signed first-round linebacker T.J. Watt, according to a team announcement. After also inking third-round cornerback Cameron Sutton this week, Pittsburgh has become the latest team to wrap up its 2017 draft class. 
“T.J. is a rock solid young man who has a lot of upside,” said Coach Mike Tomlin in a press release. “He doesn’t have a lot of experience at the position, but at the same time we saw some things that were exciting to us. His hand usage in particular for a guy with his short resume at the position was exciting. His production speaks for itself. He’s just a quality guy and a quality pick for us. We’re excited about continuing his development not only as a football player, but as an outside linebacker. That’s probably the most exciting element of the T.J. discussion. We are excited about the potential upside and growth given the short length of time he’s played the position.”
Watt, a Wisconsin product, finished the 2016 season with 17 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks. Last year was his first campaign as a starter and just his second season playing defense after switching from tight end. But, of course, hard-nosed defense runs in Watt’s blood.
“I am a lunch pail kind of guy who yeah, I just got picked in the first round, but I am here to prove that I am worth that pick and I am worth much more than that as well,” said Watt, the younger brother of Texans superstar J.J. Watt. “I think some things come easy for me, like the transition over to defense. It came naturally to me, but at the same time there was so much work behind the scenes that no one ever saw. That’s what it’s so hard to put it into words. It is a lot of God-given ability, but it is so much work that no one will ever see. No one will ever know. It’s an insurmountable amount of work. That is how you get to places like this and get the opportunity to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It all pays off. It really does.”
Watt may wind up starting at one of the Steelers’ outside linebackers pots, putting him opposite of James Harrison with Ryan Shazier and Vince Williams in between. Former first-round pick Bud Dupree and Arthur Moats will also be pushing for playing time at OLB.
What Would It Take To Sign Le'Veon Bell?
- Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell still hasn’t signed his franchise tender with the organization, and ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio wonders what it’d take to sign the Pro Bowler to an extension. Using the franchise tag as a guide, the writer guesses that Bell would request at least a two-year contract worth $26.6MM, with team options accounting for the subsequent years. Of course, considering the player’s injury and suspension history, Florio guesses that the Steelers would request some type of per-game bonuses. He also assumes that Bell would be seeking a lucrative roster bonus in an attempt to immediately pocket as much as money as possible.
[SOURCE LINK]
Steelers Sign Rookie Cameron Sutton
- The Steelers announced that they have signed third-round cornerback Cameron Sutton. The former Tennessee standout was a starter throughout his four-year collegiate career, setting a school-record in passes defended along the way. Sutton was one of two cornerbacks taken by Pittsburgh during this past year’s draft, as the team also selected Brian Allen in the fifth round. First-round linebacker T.J. Watt is now the lone Steelers rookie without a contract.
[SOURCE LINK]
Aaron Donald, Le’Veon Bell May Skip Minicamp
We heard earlier tonight that Duane Brown is not expected to report to the Texans’ minicamp tomorrow, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Conor Orr of NFL.com) reports that Rams DT Aaron Donald and Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell could miss their teams’ respective minicamps as they seek new contracts of their own.
Bell is now the only franchise-tagged player in the league not to have signed the franchise tender or agreed to a long-term extension, though he and the Steelers have been working on a deal for awhile, and it was reported at the end of last month that neither Bell nor Pittsburgh is worried about the running back’s status. At this point, though, the Steelers have most of the leverage. As talented as Bell is, and as important as he is to the team’s offense, his suspensions and injury history are certainly working against him in contract talks, and the closer we get to training camp, the more difficult it would be for Bell to land a contract on the open market that pays him even $10MM in 2017, much less the $12.1MM he stands to receive under the franchise tender.
As Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, the franchise tag value makes a long-term deal unlikely at this point. Bell is no doubt pushing for a multiyear deal that includes twice the amount of the franchise tender in guarantees with a roughly $12MM average annual value, and Bouchette is skeptical that the Steelers would meet those demands (particularly when they can just tag Bell again next season for about $14.5MM, which does not sound too exorbitant for a player of his caliber).
Because Bell is not under contract, he cannot be fined for missing minicamp. The same cannot be said for Donald, who is under club control through 2018, but it is unlikely Los Angeles would actually impose a fine on Donald. We learned last month that negotiations on a long-term deal had entered the “serious phase,” but we have not heard anything since that report. It still looks as if the two sides may reach a multiyear pact sometime soon, though the Rams’ tight salary cap situation could be complicating things a bit. Indeed, Donald’s next contract could make him the highest-paid defensive player in the game, and with hardly any cap room at the moment, the Rams may need to get creative to take on such a contract.