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Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Steelers Not Interested In Phil Taylor

September 2nd, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Zachary Links

9:39pm: The Steelers are not interested in signing Taylor, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. The team feels that Taylor’s bad knee is in need of repair and will take too long to heal, according to a source.

5:23pm: Nose tackle Phil Taylor became a free agent on Tuesday but he might not be unemployed for long. The former Browns first round pick visited the Steelers on Wednesday, according to a source that spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) hears that upwards of eight teams are expressing interest in the veteran.

Taylor, 27, actually asked to be released by the Browns after it became clear that Danny Shelton would be the club’s starting nose tackle. The Browns obliged and didn’t ask to reduce the money owed to him, even though he’s slated to earn a $5.477MM fully guaranteed salary.

In 2013, Taylor was a starter on defense for Cleveland, but only played 555 defensive snaps, serving primarily as a run stopper. While he wasn’t a full-time player, Taylor’s performance against the run still placed him a solid 26th among 69 qualified defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). The 27-year-old played just 133 snaps in 2014 before being sidelined with a knee injury.

Taylor was the Browns’ last remaining player from the Julio Jones trade with the Falcons four years ago. Now, the Browns have nothing to show for that deal.

South Notes: K. Lewis, Jennings, J. Jones, Jags

September 2nd, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints made the cornerback position a priority this offseason when they added former Patriot Brandon Browner and CFLer Delvin Breaux as free agents, but the team’s top corner won’t be available to start the regular season. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Keenan Lewis underwent hip surgery yesterday and will miss about four to six weeks of action.

Landing on the IR with the designation to return doesn’t appear likely for Lewis, since that would sideline him for the entire first half, but the Saints will have to make do without him for at least the next month.

Let’s check in on a few other items from out of the league’s two South divisions….

  • Speaking to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Facebook link), free agent cornerback Tim Jennings said a visit with to Tampa Bay “went well,” but he hasn’t made a decision yet on whether he’ll sign with the Buccaneers. “I do want to take this time to see what other opportunities may materialize, if possible,” Jennings said. “Some teams may have some things come up with more roster cuts. Obviously, I also have a strong connection to Tampa too. So we will see.”
  • Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com has the full year-by-year breakdown for Julio Jones‘ extension with the Falcons, which includes a $12MM signing bonus and $35.5MM in fully guaranteed money.
  • Echoing many of the same points made by Jason La Canfora in a recent CBSSports.com column, Bob Kravitz of WTHR Sports writes that Chuck Pagano‘s future as the Colts head coach is uncertain, given his expiring contract and possible tension with GM Ryan Grigson.
  • The Jaguars would “most likely not” let Justin Blackmon out of his NFL contract to pursue a contract in the CFL, writes Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. Of course, Blackmon would also have to be reinstated by the NFL before he could even consider playing in Canada, and that doesn’t appear imminent either.
  • A housekeeping detail on the Steelers‘ acquisition of Josh Scobee, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links): The Jaguars converted $925K of Scobee’s base salary into a signing bonus before completing the deal, meaning they pay that amount, leaving the Steelers with just a $2.5MM tab for 2015.

AFC Notes: A. Jones, Bryant, Simms, Jaguars

September 1st, 2015 at 1:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Colts defensive tackle Arthur Jones is now seeking the opinion of another foot and ankle specialist to determine his course of action and how long he might be sidelined, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Facebook). The Colts previously sent Jones to a specialist who informed him that he would not have to go on IR. Now, he’s looking for a second opinion on the matter. Here’s more from the AFC..

  • The Steelers have known about wide receiver Martavis Bryant‘s possible four-game suspension for some time and it even impacted their approach in May’s draft, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Coach Mike Tomlin said that the news pushed Pittsburgh to use a third-round draft choice on Sammie Coates.
  • Bills coach Rex Ryan says the “odds are probably stacked against” quarterback Matt Simms making the 53-man roster but he will “never say never,” Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Many have speculated that Simms could bump Matt Cassel from the Bills’ roster, but that sounds like something of a longshot at this time.
  • Jaguars owner Shad Khan anticipates a long-term extension to the team’s London deal, keeping the partnership going until roughly 2030, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union tweets. O’Halloran (link) expects that announcement to come in October when the Jaguars have their scheduled game in England.

Three Steelers Players Restructure Contracts

September 1st, 2015 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers have restructured the contracts for three of their players, freeing up $6MM in cap space for 2015 with the moves, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schefter reports that wide receiver Antonio Brown, tight end Heath Miller, and kicker Shaun Suisham all had their deals reworked.

The most interesting move of the three is the Steelers’ decision to rework Brown’s deal. Per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter), it’s not just a simple restructure for the star wideout, who had been seeking a new contract this offseason. Brown won’t get a significant raise or extension, but Pittsburgh has moved up $2MM from his 2016 base salary to 2015, making it part of a new signing bonus.

While specific details on the other restructures haven’t yet been reported, I would expect Miller and Suisham to have a portion of their 2015 base salaries converted to signing bonuses. Miller had been set to earn a $4MM salary this season, while Suisham would’ve earned a $2.595MM salary.

According to Schefter (via Twitter), the Steelers intend to use the majority of their newly-created cap room to offset the large number of injured players they have counting against their cap this year. One of those injured players is Suisham, and today’s moves were likely necessary, in part, to help accommodate the salary of kicker Josh Scobee, acquired by Pittsburgh yesterday from the Jaguars.

Steelers Reduce Roster To 75 Players

August 31st, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers added one player to their roster today, acquiring Josh Scobee in a trade with the Jaguars, but most of the day’s transactions for the team involve removing players onto reserve lists, or cutting them from the team entirely.

Here are the rest of the moves completed today by Pittsburgh in order to get the roster down to 75 players, according to the club’s transactions log:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

  • T Mike Adams

Placed on injured reserve:

  • CB Senquez Golson
  • K Garrett Hartley

Waived/injured:

  • TE Cameron Clear
  • DE Niko Davis
  • TE Ray Hamilton

Cut:

  • G Miles Dieffenbach
  • WR Kenzel Doe
  • WR C.J. Goodwin
  • RB Braylon Heard
  • DE Joe Kruger
  • DT Joe Okafor
  • OL Collin Rahrig
  • CB Jordan Sullen
  • T Kevin Whimpey
  • S Ian Wild

Steelers Acquire Josh Scobee From Jaguars

August 31st, 2015 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

3:02pm: The Steelers have sent a 2016 sixth-round pick to Jacksonville for Scobee, tweets O’Halloran.

2:28pm: Scobee will receive his full $3.425MM salary for 2015, but it sounds like the Jaguars will be paying a portion of that amount, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). According to La Canfora, Pittsburgh had interest in adding a year to Scobee’s deal, but that didn’t come to fruition, so he’ll still be eligible for free agency in 2016.

1:39pm: According to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter), Scobee has agreed to restructure his contract as part of the trade. As noted below, he only had one year remaining on his deal, so it appears he either agreed to a pay cut or received an extension. We’ll have to wait for further details, but if Scobee did get an extension, it would complicated Suisham’s return next year.

9:40am: The Jaguars are getting a late-round pick from the Steelers in the deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

9:32am: The Steelers have acquired kicker Josh Scobee from the Jaguars, as Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union writes. The kicker also confirmed the trade to Jeff Prosser of 1010XL. The Jaguars’ return in the deal is not yet known.

Scobee, 33, was the longest-tenured player on the Jaguars. Now that the former 2004 fourth-round pick is headed to Pittsburgh, that title belongs to tight end Marcedes Lewis, who is in his tenth season with the team. The deal also means that rookie Jason Myers has ostensibly won the kicking competition in Jacksonville. Scobee currently stands as franchise leader in field goals (235) and points scored (1,022).

Meanwhile, the Steelers have now added a kicker in the wake of Shaun Suisham‘s season-ending ACL tear. The Steelers brought in Garrett Hartley to fill his spot, but Hartley suffered a hamstring injury over the weekend. In the preseason with Jacksonville, Scobee was 2-for-2 on field goals with makes from 36 and 52 yards. Last season, Scobee only converted on 20 of 26 field goals in total for an overall mark of 76.9%. To his credit, two of those misses came from 40-49 yards out and three of them were from 50+ range.

Scobee is entering the final year of his contract and is scheduled to hit the open market after the 2015 season.

Martavis Bryant Suspended Four Games

August 31st, 2015 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 2:42pm: Bryant’s four-game suspension is now official, having been confirmed by the team. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has issued a statement on the penalty, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter account).

“We are disappointed in Martavis’ actions that has led to his four-game suspension,” Colbert said. “It is a disappointment to our entire organization as well as our fans, but we will continue to support Martavis during his suspension. It is very unfortunate his actions have put our team in this situation to begin the year, but we are confident he will learn from his mistake and return in excellent shape in Week 5.”

THURSDAY, 6:08pm: Bryant’s suspension is for multiple failed marijuana tests, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bryant’s appeal is in the latter stages.

1:45pm: Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will miss the first two games of the 2015 regular season, and it appears he won’t be the only Pittsburgh playmaker serving a suspension. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), wide receiver Martavis Bryant is facing a four-game ban for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The suspension is currently under appeal.

Bryant, 23, came on strong in the second half of his rookie season, acting as a deep threat for the Steelers’ offense. For the year, Bryant caught 26 balls for 549 yards, an average of 21.1 yards per reception. He also hauled in eight touchdowns. Bryant had been expected to take a step forward in 2015, so his absence in the early going will be a big loss for Ben Roethlisberger and the offense.

The exact nature of Bryant’s violation isn’t known, so it’s unclear if his suspension has a chance to be reduced or eliminated entirely. The NFL won’t make an official announcement on the penalty for the young wideout until the appeals process is complete.

For now though, it appears Bryant and Bell will be sidelined for at least the Steelers’ first two games, so Roethlisberger and the offense will have to get creative as they look to put up points against the Patriots and 49ers. If Bryant’s four-game ban is upheld, he’ll miss games against the Rams and Ravens as well.

Steelers’ Hartley Could Miss Opener

August 29th, 2015 at 7:34pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Earlier this month, the Steelers lost kicker Shaun Suisham to a season-ending knee injury and subsequently signed Garrett Hartley as his replacement. Hartley might not be the solution, however, as he left Saturday’s loss to Buffalo with a hamstring injury. That could cost him at least the opener, according to head coach Mike Tomlin.

“It didn’t look good. We have to MRI him but it didn’t look positive in terms of the opener,” Tomlin said, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review (Twitter link).

With Hartley ailing, the Steelers could once again turn to the free agent market to find a kicker. At the time of Suisham’s injury, the Steelers worked out Alex Henery, formerly of the Eagles and Lions, and journeyman free agent Jay Feely before settling on Hartley to take Suisham’s spot. It stands to reason that Henery or Feely could again be candidates to end up in Pittsburgh.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/15

August 28th, 2015 at 5:27pm CST by Rob DiRe

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Broncos have signed tight end Dan Light, who played college football at Fordham University in New York, writes Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com. The team has waived Solomon Patton to clear room on the roster.
  • The Steelers have cut injured skill position player Ross Scheurman, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Scheurman played running back in college but might have also had value as a slot receiver, before injuring his Achilles during a drill in training camp early this month.
  • Tackle Quinterrius Eatmon has been cut by the Oakland Raiders, per Wilson (via Twitter). Eatmon was a rookie free agent out of the University of South Florida.
  • The Giants have reached an injury settlement with linebacker Tony Johnson, according to James Kratch of NJ Advance Media (via Twitter). Johnson was waived/injured earlier this week after suffering a knee injury.
  • The Texans have released safety Stevie Brown, reports Tania Ganguli of ESPN (via Twitter). The former Giant gained notoriety with an eight-interception campaign in 2012, but hadn’t picked off a pass before or since.

AFC Notes: Pouncey, Ravens, Fitzpatrick

August 28th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes, Derek Newton‘s new five-year contract with the Texans, signed back in March, didn’t create the biggest headlines at the times, but it’s looking like one of the best moves of the team’s offseason. Although he’s penciled in as Houston’s starting right tackle, Newton has filled in at guard and left tackle as well, and offensive coordinator George Godsey praised his willingness to help out in any way he can.

“He has a ‘coach me, Coach’ attitude,” Godsey said. “Even though we coach that position, that whole group, (offensive line coach) Mike Devlin does a great job and coaches them hard. He’s come to work every day. I couldn’t ask any more from Derek this preseason.”

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • While head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers won’t commit to a specific timeline for center Maurkice Pouncey, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggests Pouncey will be back sometime after the club’s Week 11 bye. That would mean the veteran lineman will miss at least 10 games, making him a clear-cut candidate for the Steelers’ IR-DTR slot.
  • In his latest round-up of Ravens news and notes, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun identifies several higher-profile players who could be on the team’s roster bubble, and writes that Dennis Pitta continues to work hard, intent on eventually returning and making an impact for the club.
  • Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham didn’t just tear his ACL on the play that knocked him out of action for the 2015 season. As he tells John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. Suisham also tore his medial meniscus. The veteran kicker is glad the injury happened during the preseason rather than in November or December though, since it gives him a full year to recover for the 2016 season.
  • As he heads into a contract year, Ryan Fitzpatrick will have an opportunity to start at quarterback for the Jets, and the veteran signal-caller tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that the possibility of a breakout year, even at age 32 (33 in November) isn’t out of the question. “So much of the game for the quarterback is the mental side of it,” Fitzpatrick said. “Everybody always talks about my arm and how horrible it is. I promise… you can put on some tape (and see) that I can make all the throws that you want me to make or that I need to make. … I see myself continuing to get better rather than declining.”
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