– The Steelers signed free agent OLB Arthur Moats to a one-year, $795,000 contract on Monday. Moats was a sixth-round selection of the Buffalo Bills in the 2010 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old Moats started 20 games for Buffalo in his four-year career, including 12 in 2013. Capable of playing both inside and outside linebacker, Moats will bring some much needed depth to the Steelers linebacking corps.
– Free agent DE Alex Carrington, who was courted heavily by Pittsburgh, signed with the St. Louis Rams on Tuesday. Carrington visited the Steelers earlier this month, but did not sign. He then made trips to Oakland and Cleveland as well before finally deciding on a one-year deal with the Rams. With Carrington now off the board, could this open the door for the return of veteran DE Brett Keisel?
– Head coach Mike Tomlin seems optimistic that the Steelers will sign a veteran running back once the NFL Owners Meetings conclude this week. Free agent RB Maurice Jones-Drew spent time visiting the team last week, and despite the rumors that the veteran is seeking a deal worth close to $4 million per year, the salary-cap restricted Steelers seem to still be in the mix. At the AFC coaches-media breakfast on Tuesday, Tomlin was asked about Jones-Drew: “We need to have depth in that area and we will in the no-so-distant future, whether it’s in free agency or the draft,” Tomlin stated. He added “We are looking to add depth at that position, and a guy of that caliber, a been-there, done-that type of veteran, will be an asset for us.” Jones-Drew has received interest from the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets in addition to Pittsburgh.
– The other free agent running back possibility for the Steelers is RB LeGarrette Blount. Blount was originally scheduled to meet with team officials last weekend; however the trip was rescheduled so that Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert could attend. Both Tomlin and Colbert are in Orlando for the owners meetings. Rescheduling the visit with Blount shows that the Steelers have a genuine interest in signing the 27-year-old masher, who totaled 772 yards and seven touchdowns last season for the Patriots. Blount will be in Pittsburgh on Friday.
– Free agent CB Chris Owens – who met with the Steelers last week – signed with the Kansas City Chiefs this past weekend. Owens was being looked at more for his special teams ability rather than as a rotational cornerback for the Steelers.
– OL Kevin Beachum was almost an afterthought when the Steelers selected him late in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft, but the versatile lineman has earned his roster spot over the past two seasons. Beachum will receive a $236,667 raise in 2014 thanks to the Performance-Based Pay Program included in the NFL collective-bargaining agreement. The raise is due to the increased playing time Beachum earned in 2013 when he played center, guard and left tackle for the Steelers. In terms of solid late-round draft picks, Pittsburgh seems to have found a hidden gem in Beachum.
– Former Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley has made an impression on his new head coach. In an interview with NFL.com, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen stated that he believes Woodley sustained his numerous injuries mainly due to playing out of his natural position (Woodley was a 4-3 defensive end in his University of Michigan days), and needing to keep his playing weight down in order to fit into the Pittsburgh 3-4 defense. Oakland is set to dispatch Woodley as a DE in their defense after insisting he bulk up to 275lbs.
– Football fans in Pittsburgh were thrilled last summer when the Steelers signed former Pitt Panthers RB LaRod Stephens-Howling. Unfortunately, the shifty running back known as “The Hyphen” lasted only one week in his homecoming to the Steel City, suffering a season-ending ACL tear in the first regular season game with the Steelers. Despite his brief time with the franchise, Stephens-Howling must have made an impression on former Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson. Now in the same role for the Minnesota Vikings, Wilson is reportedly asking the Vikings to take a flyer on the former Greater Johnstown High School star. The Steelers have shown no interest in bringing Stephens-Howling back for 2014.
– When the Steelers decided not to resign former Pro Bowl WR Mike Wallace following the 2012 season, the Miami Dolphins secured his services with a five-year, $60 million contract. While Wallace had become a major weapon for the Steelers after being drafted in the third-round of the 2009 NFL Draft, the deal he signed with Miami echoed the decision by the Washington Redskins to sign former Steelers WR Antwaan Randle-El for seven-years, $31 million in March 2006. Now just one year into his deal, Wallace is reportedly being shopped by the Dolphins. CBSSports.com insider Jason LaCanfora has reported that Miami has discussed sending Wallace to the Philadelphia Eagles for fellow WR DeSean Jackson. Wallace will count as a $17.25 million salary cap hit in 2014 for the Dolphins, a number that makes trading him a very tough proposition. Should Miami not find a taker for Wallace, the team could choose to outright release him after the coming season, when his cap hit would reduce to a mere $12.1 million. The decision to keep and extend WR Antonio Brown over Wallace by the Steelers looks better and better with each passing day.
– The recent rumors regarding the Steelers and OLB James Harrison have not led to any confirmed activity, and the signing of Arthur Moats may have filled their need for depth at OLB. If Harrison is still on the market closer to training camp, look for Pittsburgh to possibly bring him back on a one-year deal in mid-summer. At this point in his career, the value of Harrison lies in his ability to push the younger linebackers in camp and re-establish some of the “Swagger” (copyright Ike Taylor, circa 2010) the team has lost in the past few years. The key here is the extra cap room the Steelers will free up once LaMarr Woodley is off the books in June.
– With the Oakland Raiders trading for QB Matt Schaub and essentially handing him the starting quarterback job, former Jeanette High School and Ohio State star QB Terrelle Pryor has reportedly asked the Raiders to trade him. Oakland still seems set on drafting a young QB in the draft to work as an understudy to Schaub, which even further clouds any future for Pryor in the Bay Area. While his athletic ability is unquestioned, Pryor still has significant character issues and does not seem like a player the Steelers would be interested in acquiring. However, the franchise has always placed value on allowing locally-grown players an opportunity (Charlie Batch, Mike Logan, Bruce Gradkowski). Should Oakland eventually release Pryor, don’t be surprised if the Steelers give him a chance to re-establish himself on the NFL level. Despite his history, the Steelers are an organization that prides itself on its local ties. Pryor could find his way to Latrobe this July, stay tuned.
– The Steelers have been awarded three compensatory draft picks in the upcoming 2014 NFL Draft. The team will have the 97th overall (third round) selection as compensation for losing Mike Wallace in free agency last March. They also received a fifth-round pick (173rd overall) and a sixth-round pick (215th overall) for losing RB Rashard Mendenhall and CB Keenan Lewis. These picks now boost the Steelers up to nine overall selections in the draft. Compensatory draft picks cannot be traded. A team in need of a bountiful draft and staring down the barrel of quite possibly the deepest talent pool in a decade, the Steelers are in great shape to come away with a solid 2014 draft class.
– Finally, the staff at Pittsburgh Sporting News is saddened by the passing of Buffalo Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson Jr. this past Tuesday. Wilson was a key figure in the growth of the NFL in the past half-century. One of the founding owners of the American Football League, Wilson was a true gentleman and will forever be remembered as a legend by football fans across the globe. Ralph Wilson Jr. was 95 years old, a Class of 2009 NFL Hall of Fame member, and a pioneer of the sport as it stands today. RIP, Mr. Wilson.
