– As reported here at Pittsburgh Sporting News on Friday, the Steelers officially signed free agent RB LeGarrette Blount to a two-year, $3.85 million contract. Blount immediately becomes the primary backup to starting RB Le’Veon Bell and should handle the short-yardage and goal line carries for Pittsburgh. Blount is also a solid kick returner, averaging 29.1 yards per return in that capacity last season for New England. The 27-year-old running back also received a $950,000 signing bonus.
– The signing of Blount unofficially outs an end to the Steelers free agent bonanza for the time being. The team was a little more than $1 million under the $133 million league salary cap prior to the signing. The Steelers found a way to maneuver this deal to fit within that limit, but now will find themselves strapped until the $8 million in cap relief they earned with the release of OLB LaMarr Woodley becomes available on June 2.
– A fun note for Steelers fans, who never shy away from nifty player nicknames: LeGarrette Blount and his steamrolling method of play have earned the 250-pound back the moniker “The Winnebago”. Park that one right next to “The Bus” in that Steelers garage.
– After meeting with the Steelers three times last week, free agent RB Maurice Jones-Drew signed a three-year deal with the Oakland Raiders on Friday. Financial terms were not available. Jones-Drew is an Oakland native who graduated from De La Salle High School in Concorde, CA and played collegiately at UCLA. The Raiders offered the running back something he could not have gotten with Pittsburgh – a chance to start. The Raiders resigned long-time RB Darren McFadden this offseason, but allowed former Pitt Panther RB Rashard Jennings to depart. Jennings signed with the New York Giants.
– The addition of LeGarrette Blount has officially made this offseason the busiest in Steelers history in terms of free agent additions. The team has added several prominent names, and all figure to get an opportunity at significant playing time in 2014.
– Free agent FS Ryan Clark spent the day in Seattle on Thursday, meeting with the Seahawks. Seattle is looking for a backup safety behind Earl Thomas and Clark now seems to be alright with settling in as a backup somewhere. Clark originally stated that he would not sign with Pittsburgh for a minimum deal, nor would he sign to be a backup. Now that he has waited until the junkyard stage of the free agency period, Clark may be better off waiting until camps open and teams begin to see injuries become a factor.
– With cap space maxed out and over two months until the Steelers have any flexibility, DE Brett Keisel will probably start making the free agent rumor mill rounds. It is still possible Keisel ends up back in Pittsburgh, but now it’s entirely up to the supply-and-demand of the market. One thing that is obvious though: If Keisel were to come back, both he and the Steelers would have a good bit of making up to do.
AFC North Update
– The Baltimore Ravens are in the hunt for free agent TE Owen Daniels. Former Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak is now the offensive coordinator in Baltimore, so Daniels could be reuniting with the man who drafted him and for a time made him one of the top receiving tight ends in football.
– Former St. Louis Rams SS Dartan Stewart has signed with Baltimore. He will replace SS James Ihedigbo, who tweeted on Tuesday that he has signed with the Detroit Lions.
– The Cincinnati Bengals have signed DB R.J. Stanford and OT Marshall Newhouse.
– The Cleveland Browns have apparently landed former Bengals WR Andrew Hawkins. Cincinnati has informed Hawkins that they will not be matching the four-year, $13.6 million offer sheet from Cleveland.
