Tomlin: Surgery Likely For Senquez Golson
- Mike Tomlin confirmed Senquez Golson has a Lisfranc injury and that surgery is a likely course of action, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. Golson could land on IR-DTR, but the Steelers may reserve that spot for another player since the second-year cornerback will be out up to four months. The 2015 second-rounder has yet to play in a regular-season game after missing his entire rookie slate. As Roster Resource shows, 2016 first- and second-rounders Artie Burns and Sean Davis represent the top depth behind William Gay at a position the Steelers invested in heavily this offseason.
Steelers, David DeCastro Resume Contract Talks
The Steelers and guard David DeCastro have made some progress on contract talks after a slow period, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The two sides were said to be talking in mid-June, but things were quiet for about six weeks between the two sides. 
With one year left to go on his contract, DeCastro figures to be a priority for Pittsburgh to address, along with star running back Le’Veon Bell. DeCastro, 26, has established himself as one of the core pieces on the Steelers’ offensive line, starting all but one game over the course of the last three seasons. This past season, the 2012 first-round pick earned his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections.
Pro Football Focus graded DeCastro as the league’s 14th-best guard in 2013 – out of 81 qualified players – and ranked him 18th of 78 in 2014. Last year, DeCastro was ranked as the 15th best guard in the NFL by PFF with roughly equal grades for his pass blocking and run blocking.
After picking up their fifth-year option on DeCastro, the Steelers have him on their books for a salary of $8.07MM in 2016.
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Steelers Sign Phillips, White
- The Steelers signed tight end Jake Phillips and cornerback Kevin White, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). To make room, the Steelers waived/injured tight end Mandel Dixon and wide receiver Shakim Phillips.
Steelers Sign Powell, Ume-Ezeoke
- The Steelers added running back Christian Powell and free agent center Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. To make room, running back Brandon Johnson and center Quinton Schooley were cut.
Le’Veon Bell Appeal Ruling To Come By Aug. 18
In a matter of weeks, the Steelers should know whether they’ll have the services of Le’Veon Bell for the first month of the season, according to Alex Marvez of The Sporting News. The Steelers are expecting to find out Bell’s status by August 18, the date of their second preseason game. 
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If he is unsuccessful in his appeal, Bell will be suspended for the team’s first four regular-season games following a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. Of course, this isn’t Bell’s first run-in with the league office. In 2015, Bell was suspended for the first two games of the season due to an arrest for marijuana possession and DUI.
Between Bell’s suspension and injury last season, the tailback appeared in only six games for the Steelers in 2015. Despite Bell’s 10-game absence, the Steelers had the eighth-best yards-per-carry average in the league last season, when DeAngelo Williams amassed 907 yards and 11 touchdowns on 200 carries in his age-32 campaign.
If Bell is sidelined for the first month of the season, the Steelers will likely use Williams as their primary back until he returns. Behind Williams, the Steelers also have backs Fitzgerald Toussaint and Daryl Richardson, as shown on Roster Resource.
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Rapoport: A. Brown Eyeing Hopkins Holdout, Situation Bears Watching
Steelers star wideout Antonio Brown has two years left on the five-year, $41MM deal he signed in January 2012, and Pittsburgh typically does not negotiate new deals with non-quarterbacks who have more than one year left on their contracts (although the club did give Brown himself that five-year pact after Brown’s second season in the league). The Steelers may be willing to make an exception to their usual standard operating procedure given how valuable Brown is to the team, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, they may have to.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports weighs in on the Brown dilemma, writing that contract talks are not just moving slowly, there have been no contract talks at all between Brown and the Steelers. La Canfora says he would be surprised if a deal for the kind of money Brown is seeking gets done until after this season.
- Appearing on the Steelers Radio Network, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert discussed Brown’s contract situation. “We don’t renegotiate contracts with more than one year remaining with the exception of quarterbacks. Antonio’s under contract,” Colbert said (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Twitter). “He’s a great player. You can’t say enough good things about him. But he’s a professional. He respects the process, as do we. We’ll see where things end up.”
Latest On Antonio Brown's Contract
While all-world receiver Antonio Brown is confident that the Steelers will address his contract before the beginning of the regular season, the team is unlikely to rip it up in favor of a new deal, reports Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The club could instead advance Brown $2MM in salary for the second straight year and then negotiate a new accord with him at season’s end. However, there is precedent for the Steelers giving Brown a new deal with two years left on it, as Fittipaldo notes. Pittsburgh handed Brown a five-year, $41MM contract after the 2011 season, his second in the NFL. Although Brown is underpaid on his current deal relative to his stellar production, Fittipaldo points out that, between what the Steelers signed him to in 2012 and will award him on his next contract, the 28-year-old will earn far more than many other members of the 2010 draft class (Dez Bryant, for instance).
Le'Veon Bell To Appeal Suspension
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell plans to appeal his four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy “sometime in August,” he told reporters Thursday (via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com). Bell added that the league notified him of his suspension in March after he missed a drug test. Although appealing the suspension will disrupt Bell’s rehab from the torn MCL and PCL he suffered last season, the 24-year-old is confident he’ll be ready for Week 1 if he’s eligible to play. And Bell expects his appeal to be victorious. “I’m gonna win the appeal,” he said, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. “(People) have no idea what happened.”
Steelers Notes: Brown, Colbert
Superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown reported to Steelers training camp Thursday and is both hopeful and confident that the team will address his contract before the regular season, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Brown – who has combined for 375 catches and 31 touchdowns the last three seasons – is woefully underpaid relative to his production (he’s due $14.96MM through 2017), though the Steelers don’t typically negotiate new deals with non-quarterbacks who have more than one year left on their contracts. “It has been the position of the organization and it has always been like that,” general manager Kevin Colbert said last summer in regards to the team’s policy. Based on Schefter’s report, the Steelers might make an exception after Brown tied for the league lead in receptions (136), finished second in yards (1,834) and found the end zone 10 times last season.
- Speaking of Colbert, the Steelers awarded him an additional role as their vice president Thursday, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). Colbert, 59, joined the Steelers as their director of football operations in 2000 and held that position until they promoted him to GM in 2010.
Steelers, Timmons Not Close On Extension
Lawrence Timmons and the Steelers have engaged in contract discussions but are “not close” to an agreement, according to industry sources who spoke with Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Timmons is entering the final year of a contract he signed with Pittsburgh in 2011. 
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Timmons’ $48MM deal was restructured three times (2012, 2013, and 2015), giving him a ludicrous cap hit of $15.1MM for this season. That number gives Timmons the second-highest cap hit on the team, trailing only Ben Roethlisberger‘s $24MM figure. Timmons, 30, has spent all nine of his NFL seasons with the Steelers, but 2016 could very well mark his tenth and final year in black and yellow. Per club policy, the Steelers are unlikely to talk contract with Timmons once the season starts on September 12, meaning that the two sides probably wouldn’t discuss a new deal until next year.
The Steelers currently have $4.29MM in cap room and a Timmons extension would give them additional breathing room. By the same token, the Steelers have understudy Vince Williams waiting in the wings, though Williams is also slated to hit the open market after the 2016 season.
Last year, Timmons led the Steelers with 119 tackles and was third on the team with five sacks.
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