Steelers Wanted Cortez Allen To Take Pay Cut
- Before releasing him, the Steelers asked cornerback Cortez Allen to take a pay cut, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. However, it seems the two sides couldn’t find common ground on a reworked contract.
Steelers Release Cortez Allen
The Steelers have made a notable roster move today, announcing in a press release that they have released veteran cornerback Cortez Allen. Because Allen has more than four years of NFL experience, he’ll immediately become a free agent without having to pass through waivers.
Allen, a fourth-round pick in 2011, showed some promise during his first three years in Pittsburgh, particularly in 2013, when he started eight games and picked up a pair of interceptions to go along with 13 passes defended. That performance prompted the Steelers to lock up Allen to a four-year extension worth $24.6MM in 2014.
Since then, however, the 27-year-old has regressed and struggled with injuries, appearing in just 12 total games over the last two seasons. By acknowledging their mistake with Allen and cutting him, the Steelers will reduce his cap number from $5.75MM to $4.05MM for 2016, creating $1.7MM in cap space.
The secondary, and cornerback in particular, is expected to be a primary area of focus for GM Kevin Colbert and the Steelers in this month’s draft. Pittsburgh has done its homework on top cornerback prospects, and may even go in that direction in round one.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Steelers Have Interest In Liam Nadler
- Gannon quarterback Liam Nadler is drawing interest from the Texans, Steelers, Chargers, Jets, Eagles, and Seahawks, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that the Texans, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Patriots, and Bears are among the teams to show interest in South Florida edge defender Eric Lee.
Steelers Looking At Jeremy Cash
- Duke safety Jeremy Cash had more than 10 teams at his pro day, including the Panthers, Steelers, Falcons, Cardinals, and Saints, tweets Rand Getlin of NFL.com.
No Decision Yet On 2017 Option For Jarvis Jones
- The Steelers have yet to make a decision on the fifth-year option of outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes. Pittsburgh has until May 2nd to reach a verdict on the 2013 first-round pick. Last year, 12 of 32 selections did not get their options picked up.
Steelers Serious About First-Round CB?
- The Steelers are doing a lot of homework on cornerbacks, leading La Canfora to believe they’ll probably go in that direction in the first round.
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Steelers Host Sterling Shepard For Visit
- Most of the Steelers‘ pre-draft visitors so far have been defensive players, but the team took a look at an offensive prospect today, bringing in Oklahoma wide receiver Sterling Shepard, tweets Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Steelers Announce Several Pre-Draft Visits
The Steelers have used the majority of their pre-draft visits within the last week, and announced several more today. As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes, the following players were in Pittsburgh today to meet with the club: Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones, West Virginia safety Karl Joseph, South Carolina wide receiver Pharoh Cooper, Virginia Tech linebacker Dadi Nicolas, Colorado cornerback Ken Crawley, Maryland safety Sean Davis, and Boston College safety Justin Simmons.
Steelers Interested In Sean Davis
Maryland corner Sean Davis is attracting a ton of interest around the league, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that Davis has met or will meet with 16 clubs, including the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, Cardinals, Dolphins, Lions, Browns, Colts, Seahawks, Ravens, Washington, Raiders, 49ers, Steelers, Bengals, Bills, and Titans. Wilson also confirms previous reports that Davis has met with the Patriots and Ravens.
- In a piece for the Houston Chronicle, Wilson reports that Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was the highest-rated prospect to participate in the Texans‘ local prospect workout on Saturday morning. University of Houston linebacker Elandon Roberts was also in attendance, and has also met with the Steelers, per Wilson. The lengthy list of attendees is available via the link.
Cyrus Jones To Visit Steelers
- Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones joined Davis in working out for the Patriots on Friday, a league source told Aaron Wilson of NFPost.com. The Steelers will host Jones this weekend, and he also has visits scheduled with the Bills, Ravens and Saints. He visited the Eagles earlier this week.