Steelers Acquire Josh Scobee From Jaguars
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
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
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
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
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.”
AFC Notes: Patriots, Steelers, Pouncey, Vick
It’s not immediately clear whether Micahel Williams, acquired by the Patriots in a Tuesday trade, will be playing tight end or tackle, Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. Williams came on to the practice field wearing a No. 74 jersey but later changed into No. 85 and could be seen working out with the tight end group. The 6’6″ athlete first came into the NFL as a tight end but was moved to tackle by the Lions in 2014 after their selection of Eric Ebron. Here’s more from the AFC..
- Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says center Maurkice Pouncey, who fractured his left fibula Sunday against the Packers, has a chance to return this season, as Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. However, he did not offer a timetable on when that might be. Pouncey has told teammates he would like to play this season and it sounds like he’s a candidate for the IR-DTR list.
- Michael Vick‘s one-year contract with the Steelers calls for a base salary of $970K, the veteran’s minimum, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The deal has no injury split and zero guaranteed money.
- Bills receiver Chris Hogan has had an up-and-down summer and is battling a knee injury, but he doesn’t believe his roster spot is in jeopardy, as he tells Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News. A handful of Bills wideouts, including Deonte Thompson and Andre Davis, have had strong preseasons, which could make for a difficult decision or two in Buffalo.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Steelers Sign Mike Vick
6:47pm: Vick’s one-year deal is worth roughly $1MM, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
6:32pm: The Steelers have agreed to a deal with quarterback Michael Vick, Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette tweets. It’s a one-year deal, according to Mark Kaboly of the Tribune-Review (on Twitter).
Vick, 35, visited the Steelers on Tuesday and it didn’t take long for the two sides to reach agreement on a deal. The veteran indicated this offseason that he would like to play in the NFL for three more years, but he didn’t draw a ton of interest since his contract with the Jets expired in March. Last year in New York, Vick completed just 52.9% of his passes, throwing for 604 yards and adding another 153 yards on the ground in limited action, including three starts.
The Steelers found themselves in the market for a new backup for Ben Roethlisberger after Bruce Gradkowski left this weekend’s preseason game with a hand injury. Gradkowski dislocated a finger on his left hand and is having surgery, but since it’s not an injury to his throwing hand, he shouldn’t be sidelined for too long.
Besides Roethlisberger and Gradkowski, the Steelers are also currently carrying former fourth-round pick Landry Jones and undrafted free agent Tyler Murphy at the quarterback position. While Jones could be a candidate for the No. 2 job, Murphy isn’t expected to make the roster.
Steelers Place Bruce Gradkowski On IR
The Steelers announced that they have placed quarterback Bruce Gradkowski on the IR, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The move clears a roster spot for Michael Vick, who now has a much better chance of sticking with the club long-term.
Gradkowski, 32, was expected to serve as Ben Roethlisberger‘s primary backup in 2015. However, the veteran dislocated a finger on his left hand in this weekend’s preseason game and the injury was apparently bad enough to end his season before it could start.
The 32-year-old has traveled the league over the course of his career, enjoying stints with the Bucs, Browns, Raiders, Bengals, and Steelers. Last year, Gradkowski appeared in only one regular season game for the Steelers. In the playoffs, Gradkowski attempted three passes and completed two.
Steelers Sign Doug Legursky, Place David Nelson On IR
With Maurkice Pouncey set to be sidelined for at least the first few weeks of the regular season, the Steelers are dealing with the loss of their starting center by adding one of their former starting linemen. According to Burt Lauten (Twitter link), the club has signed veteran free agent Doug Legursky. In a corresponding roster move, Pittsburgh placed wide receiver David Nelson on injured reserve.
Legursky, 29, spent parts of four seasons with the Steelers from 2009 to 2012, starting 17 games for the club during that stretch. In his first stint with Pittsburgh, Legursky saw significant action at guard, but he was the starting center for the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, and was signed by the Chargers last season as a replacement at center. Legursky lasted only two games in San Diego before a knee injury landed him on injured reserve for the rest of the 2014 campaign.
With Pouncey sidelined, Cody Wallace appears poised to step into the starting center role for the Steelers, but Legursky could push for playing time at the position.
Nelson, meanwhile, just joined the Steelers less than two weeks ago. However, he didn’t appear in a preseason game with the team as he dealt with a shoulder injury. If that shoulder issue isn’t season-ending, he figures to be removed from Pittsburgh’s IR at some point, perhaps with an injury settlement.
Michael Vick To Visit Steelers
Months after hitting the open market, veteran quarterback Michael Vick is making his first free agent visit, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Vick is on his way to Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers.
Vick, 35, has indicated this offseason that he would like to play in the NFL for three more years, but he hasn’t drawn a ton of interest since his contract with the Jets expired in March. Last year in New York, Vick completed just 52.9% of his passes, throwing for 604 yards and adding another 153 yards on the ground in limited action, including three starts.
The Steelers may be in the market for a new backup for Ben Roethlisberger after Bruce Gradkowski left this weekend’s preseason game with a hand injury. According to Schefter (via Twitter), Gradkowski dislocated a finger on his left hand and is having surgery today. Since it’s not an injury to his throwing hand, Gradkowski shouldn’t be sidelined for too long, but Pittsburgh appears to be considering some veteran insurance nonetheless.
Besides Roethlisberger and Gradkowski, the Steelers are also currently carrying former fourth-round pick Landry Jones and undrafted free agent Tyler Murphy at the quarterback position. While Jones could be a candidate for the No. 2 job, Murphy isn’t expected to make the roster.