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Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Steelers Re-Sign TE Zach Gentry

March 25th, 2023 at 10:24am CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers are bringing back one of their top tight ends. Zach Gentry is re-signing with Pittsburgh, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). Gentry is signing a one-year deal, per Ray Fittipaldo and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The 2019 fifth-round pick has spent his entire career with the Steelers. He was limited to only six games through his first two seasons in the NFL thanks in part to a knee injury, but he hasn’t missed a game for Pittsburgh over the past two years.

Gentry has started 26 of his 34 appearances over the past two seasons, hauling in 38 receptions for 299 yards. More than half of his 577 offensive snaps during the 2022 campaign came on running plays, and while Pro Football Focus has never been particularly fond of his blocking ability, he’s likely earned his latest contract thanks to that role. Gentry got into a career-high 139 special teams snaps during the 2021 season, but he was limited to only 72 ST snaps in 2022.

Pat Freiermuth will continue to soak up the majority of the tight end targets on offense, with Gentry likely sliding in as the TE2/extra blocker. The Steelers are also rostering 2022 sixth-round pick Connor Heyward and 2022 UDFA Rodney Williams, so there could be some competition at the bottom of the depth chart.

OLB Bud Dupree To Visit Steelers

March 24th, 2023 at 5:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

Bud Dupree‘s time with the Titans didn’t go according to plan, but a return to a familiar team could be in the cards. The veteran edge rusher is set to visit the Steelers, as noted (on Twitter) by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Dupree spent the first six years of his career in Pittsburgh, and he enjoyed considerable career growth during that time. A first-round pick in 2015, he was a full-time starter by his third season and a key producer by the end of his rookie contract. Playing on the fifth-year option, the Kentucky product posted a career-best 11.5 sacks in 2019, and followed that up with another eight on the franchise tag the following season.

Those totals made Dupree a hot commodity on the open market, and earned him a massive deal with the Titans. That five-year, $82MM contract carried hefty expectations for player and team, but Dupree struggled to stay healthy during his time in Nashville. He was limited to 11 contests in both of his Titans campaigns, and, more worryingly, failed to produce at the level he showed he was capable of during his time in Pittsburgh.

Dupree totaled only seven sacks with the Titans, putting up underwhelming pressure numbers relative to his contract. It thus came as little surprise when Tennessee released him in a cost-cutting move earlier in the offseason. That allowed the Titans to turn their attention elsewhere in the edge rush department, leaving Dupree as one of several veteran pass rushers on the open market this year.

Now 30, he could be well-served to return to the Steelers. The team has T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith at the top of their depth chart, with the latter entering the final year of his rookie contract. That tandem has proved highly effective for Pittsburgh, though their defensive pressure fell considerably when Watt was sidelined early in the 2022 season. Dupree could serve as a high-end insurance policy and experienced rotational rusher in the event he agreed to a short-term deal worth far less than what he received the last time he was a free agent.

Steelers Re-Sign CB James Pierre

March 21st, 2023 at 7:08pm CST by Ben Levine

James Pierre is back in Pittsburgh. The cornerback/special teamer re-signed with the Steelers today (per the team). Pierre signed a new one-year deal with the organization.

The Florida Atlantic product joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2020, and he hasn’t missed a game across three seasons with the organization. He’d had a consistent special teams role each year, but he’s seen a larger defensive role over the past two seasons.

Pierre has started six games for Pittsburgh over the past two years, appearing in 674 defensive snaps. He had a productive season in 2021, finishing with 47 tackles, three forced fumbles, and one interception. He followed that up with a 2022 campaign where he compiled 29 tackles, four passes defended, and one interception.

Pierre was non-tendered by the Steelers at the start of free agency, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Steelers surely got him on a discount compared to the tender values, and he’ll provide both the defense and special teams with some inexpensive continuity heading into 2023.

Steelers To Sign OL Isaac Seumalo

March 18th, 2023 at 11:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the top remaining offensive linemen in this year’s free agent class is set for an intra-state move. Isaac Seumalo has agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the Steelers, per Jordan Schultz of The Score (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the contract is worth $24MM.

Seumalo, 28, had spent all seven years of his NFL career with the Eagles, seeing 60 starts amongst his 80 games played. A full-time starter since the 2019 campaign, Seumalo had primarily seen action at left guard prior to this past season. In 2022, he played on the right side for the first time in four years, logging over 1,100 snaps as the Eagles’ right guard.

The former third-rounder earned himself a three-year, $15.92MM second contract with Philadelphia thanks to his consistency. Seumalo’s strong play has been reflected by positive year-over-year PFF grades ranking him amongst the best interior linemen in the league. In 2022, his overall grade of 72.7 placed him in the top 10 for all qualifying guards.

While that will make his departure a notable one for the NFC champions, it is not an unexpected one. The Eagles were thought to be set for a number of losses in free agency, and they have indeed seen several contributors to this year’s run to the Super Bowl depart. Seumalo will become the latest to do so, though Philadelphia has Cam Jurgens in place as a succession candidate. The 2022 second-rounder was drafted to one day replace Jason Kelce at the center spot, but the latter’s decision to keep playing at least one more year will allow Jurgens to get playing time at right guard.

Seumalo has an injury history, including 14 games missed in 2021 and seven in 2020. However, his addition is a significant one for a Steelers team which has made several moves up front in recent years. Improving along the interior will give a big boost to Pittsburgh’s o-line, and likely pave the way for a bounce-back season on the ground after they ranked mid-pack in rushing yardage in 2022.

The addition of Seumalo comes not long after Pittsburgh signed another former Eagles lineman in Nate Herbig. The latter inked a modest two-year deal, but a starting role was not thought to be out of the question. Regarldess of what happens with him, an upgrade at one guard spot has now been secured with Seumalo, who will look to replicate his personal and team success from his Eagles tenure in his new NFL home.

NFL Restructures: Smith, Mahomes, Fitzpatrick, Peat, Thomas, Hines, Waller

March 18th, 2023 at 2:10pm CST by Ely Allen

We had news recently that Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith had agreed to restructure his contract with the team, reducing his massive $17.6MM cap hit. Thanks to Todd Archer of ESPN, we now have some details on the deal. Smith was headed into the last year of an eight-year agreement, so his restructure essentially functions as a one-year contract.

The newly restructured contract will be a one-year, $6MM deal with a potential maximum value of $17MM. He received a $3MM signing bonus for the changes and has his $3MM base salary guaranteed. The deal rapidly escalates from there with several playing time incentives. Smith will receive an additional $1MM bonus for each of these snap share thresholds: 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, and 90%. This means that if he plays over 90% of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps, he will receive $9MM, one for each of the nine levels.

He can also receive playoff incentives, 75% of which are paid off of wins alone. The remaining 25% is paid if he plays over half of the team’s offensive snaps in those wins. He would receive $500,000 for each playoff win in which he plays the majority of the snaps. With four possible playoff wins, that’s a total of $2MM in playoff bonuses. Those plus the $9MM from the playing time incentives and the $6MM guaranteed at signing push the contract to it’s maximum value of $17MM.

Here is some other news on restructures from around the league:

  • The Chiefs created some financial breathing room by restructuring star quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘s massive contract, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The team converted $12MM of his 2023 roster bonus into a signing bonus, creating $9.6MM in cap space for the season.
  • Yates also reports that the Steelers found some cap space by restructuring the contract of a star. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick agreed to a restructured deal that would reward the Steelers with $10.07MM of additional cap space in 2023 by converting $13.42MM of his 2023 salary into a signing bonus.
  • The Saints were able to gain some cap room by restructuring the deal of guard Andrus Peat, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The team converted $4MM of his 2023 salary into a signing bonus, reducing his salary from $11.83MM to $7.83MM. He then took an additional pay cut to reduce his 2023 base salary to $1.5MM as the team voided out his 2024 salary, adding three more voidable years to the deal. The moves resulted in an additional $9.53MM in cap space for New Orleans.
  • Another NFC South player reportedly took a pay cut as Panthers tight end Ian Thomas agreed to a restructured deal, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. In his new deal, Thomas will earn $3MM in 2023 and $3.65MM in 2024. The deal creates an additional $2.88MM in cap space.
  • Another report from Yates tells us that the Bills have agreed to a renegotiated contract with running back Nyheim Hines. While the details are not yet available, it entails a $1MM signing bonus and the opportunity to earn $4.79MM in bonuses, clearing out some cap space for Buffalo while providing some incentives for Hines next season.
  • Lastly, following the tight end’s trade to the Giants, Darren Waller has agreed to a renegotiated deal with his new team, according to Yates. New York has converted $9.84MM of his 2023 base salary into a signing bonus. The move creates $7.87MM in additional cap space for the Giants.

Steelers To Sign LB Elandon Roberts, Release LB Myles Jack

March 16th, 2023 at 9:54am CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers’ Cole Holcomb addition will not round out their linebacker moves in free agency. They have also reached an agreement to bring in Elandon Roberts, Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com tweets.

Roberts agreed to a two-year deal with Pittsburgh. Brian Flores brought Roberts from New England to Miami in 2020. Though Flores is no longer with the Steelers, the team is bringing in a player the new Vikings DC coached in two cities. Roberts has 76 starts on his resume, including 32 over the past two seasons in Miami. Roberts’ deal is a two-year, $7MM pact, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who notes (via Twitter) the eighth-year veteran received a $2.3MM signing bonus.

Pittsburgh’s additions of Roberts and Holcomb will precede a release of Myles Jack, Adam Schefter of ESPN tweets. Jack signed a two-year , $16MM deal with the Steelers in 2022, but the team is moving to other options a year later. This marks the second straight March that a team has made Jack a cap casualty. A year after the Jaguars cut the longtime starter, the Steelers will save $8MM by making this move.

Although Roberts’ Miami tenure included a late-December knee injury in his first year with the team (2020), he bounced back and became a regular starter — both with Flores and following his firing. Roberts started every game for the Dolphins last year, totaling a career-high 107 tackles (10 for loss) and registering 4.5 sacks. That interesting combination is a bit of an outlier for Roberts, who had never produced more than two sacks in a season during his time with the Pats or Dolphins. But the versatile defender did enough to earn a multiyear commitment.

While Pro Football Focus rated Roberts just outside the top 60 at linebacker last year, he graded as the advanced metrics site’s No. 1 pass-rushing linebacker (among off-ball ‘backers). The Patriots used Roberts as a starter throughout their late-2010s run of Super Bowl appearances; he made 33 starts with the Pats from 2016-19.

Jack, who is still just 27 despite having played seven NFL seasons, made 104 tackles last season. PFF graded the former second-round pick just below Roberts — a 2016 sixth-rounder — at linebacker. The seven-year starter, who now has four 100-tackle seasons on his resume, will look for a third NFL team. He should not be expected to command a contract in the $8MM-AAV range, however.

The Steelers are making wholesale changes at linebacker. Robert Spillane, who played 59% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps last season, signed with the Raiders this week. Devin Bush has long been viewed as a one-contract Steeler; the former top-10 pick is visiting the Seahawks today.

Steelers To Sign LB Cole Holcomb

March 15th, 2023 at 8:13am CST by Sam Robinson

In on the Leighton Vander Esch market, the Steelers will instead end up with another linebacker who spent his rookie-contract years in the NFC East. They are signing former Commanders linebacker Cole Holcomb, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The Commanders wanted to bring back the former fifth-round pick, John Keim of ESPN.com adds (on Twitter), but the sides were too far apart on value. Holcomb, 26, is heading to Pittsburgh on a three-year deal. Holcomb’s contract is worth $18MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Although Holcomb is coming off an injury-abbreviated contract year, he started throughout his four-year Washington tenure. He finished the 2021 season with 142 tackles, two interceptions — one of them a pick-six — and seven pass deflections, and Pro Football Focus graded the ex-North Carolina Tar Heel as a top-25 off-ball linebacker that year. He will join a Steelers team that ultimately did not see enough from former first-round pick Devin Bush, who is now a free agent.

Last year, Holcomb suffered a foot injury that ultimately required surgery. He underwent the procedure in December, but that did not impede a multiyear contract. The Commanders have already agreed to terms with ex-Seahawks linebacker Cody Barton, though Keim notes the team is still aiming to add another piece at that position.

Many ILBs have come off the board already, though a few options remain. Lavonte David and Bobby Wagner may be eyeing roles with surefire Super Bowl contenders, but Bush, Deion Jones, Zach Cunningham, Denzel Perryman and Rashaan Evans are available heading into the 2023 league year.

Pittsburgh still rosters 2022 free agency pickup Myles Jack, who is going into the second season of his two-year deal, but lost Robert Spillane to the Raiders on Tuesday. Spillane started 15 games over the past three seasons with Pittsburgh, which did not pick up Bush’s fifth-year option in 2022.

Steelers To Re-Sign S Damontae Kazee

March 14th, 2023 at 10:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Damontae Kazee is staying in Pittsburgh. The free agent safety is re-signing with the Steelers, according to Matt Lombardo of Heavy (via Twitter).

Kazee joined the Steelers last offseason on a one-year deal. A broken forearm (coupled with a three-game suspension) delayed his start to the season, but he still managed to get in nine games for his new squad. When all was said and done, the safety finished his first season in Pittsburgh with two interceptions and two passes defended.

The former fifth-round pick led the NFL with seven interceptions during the 2018 season. He was limited to only four games during his final season with the Falcons before joining the Cowboys in 2021. He started 15 of his 17 games for Dallas that season but still had to settle for a one-year deal from Pittsburgh last offseason.

Kazee will provide Pittsburgh’s secondary with some consistency in 2023. With Cameron Sutton gone, the team will be counting on free agent acquisition Patrick Peterson to fill a major void.

Steelers, DT Larry Ogunjobi Agree To Terms

March 14th, 2023 at 4:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers are extending their time with Larry Ogunjobi in the middle of their defensive front. The veteran defensive tackle is set to re-sign in Pittsburgh on a three-year, $28.75MM deal (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

Schefter adds that the contract includes $21.75MM in compensation over its first two years. That makes this pact a lengthier, more lucrative one than the one-year accord Ogunjobi played on in 2022. The latter contract came after a agreement which would have sent him to Chicago fell through due to an issue with his physical.

Ogunjobi, 28, was able to quickly circle back into the AFC North with his Pittsburgh deal after that. His Steelers debut came after four years spent with the Browns, and one with the Bengals. He arrived in the Steel City with significant expectations, given his production as a pass rusher in particular during his time in Ohio. The former third-rounder was also thought to have a clear path to playing time with Stephon Tuitt having retired.

Ogunjobi did indeed start all 16 games he played in last season, logging a healthy snap share of 63%. He notched 48 tackles in that span, a figure on par with his totals from each of the past four campaigns. After recording a career-high seven sacks as a Bengal in 2021, however, his total in that department dropped to just 1.5, the lowest such figure since his rookie season.

As a whole, the Steelers struggled to generate as much pressure with their defensive front as they have in recent years. Missed time from edge rusher T.J. Watt played a major role in that, of course, but the team will still be looking for an uptick in production from Ogunjobi moving forward. His effectiveness as a run-stopper will, in any event, give him a high floor as a player for the short-term future, as the Steelers continue to invest considerably in their defensive line.

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