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✦✦✦Official 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers Thread (1 Viewer)

A look at the Steelers' free agentsJanuary, 6, 2014
By Scott Brown | ESPN.com

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have 21 players who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on March 11th, the start of the NFL’s new year. Here is a quick look at 11 of those unrestricted free agents – and the priority the Steelers should place on re-signing them.


OLB Jason Worilds: The former second-round pick led Steelers with eight sacks and came into his own after a calf injury sustained by LaMarr Woodley provided an opening at left outside linebacker. Priority: Keeping Worilds should be at or near the top of Steelers’ to-do list.

WR Emmanuel Sanders: Showed flashes in his first year as a starter but also was plagued by inconsistency. Priority: Let market determine Sanders’ value and then see if he is worth bringing back.


DE Brett Keisel: Unlikely to return but I think the Steelers should seriously consider bringing back Keisel for one more season if the price is right. Priority: The Steelers can be patient here as Keisel, 35, won’t draw a lot of interest, at least initially, on the free-agent market.

DE Ziggy Hood: Hasn’t lived up to expectations as a first-round draft pick but I wouldn’t call him a bust either. He is one of the tougher ones to call since Hood has been serviceable and is one of three defensive ends who are impending free agents. Priority: Much like Sanders, the Steelers should let the market determine Hood’s value and then see if they are willing to pay it.

S Ryan Clark: He has had a tremendous run in Pittsburgh – and in the NFL in general considering he is still playing 12 seasons after making the Giants as an undrafted free agent. Priority: The Steelers need to get younger in the secondary and that almost certainly spells the end of Clark’s playing days in Pittsburgh.


WR Jerricho Cotchery: Is coming off a career-best 10-touchdown season. Loves Pittsburgh, loves playing for Mike Tomlin and catching passes from Ben Roethlisberger. Is a consummate professional and great locker-room guy. Priority: The Steelers need to make this happen as they should be able to find common ground with Cotchery in terms of bringing the 10th-year veteran back in 2014.

DE: Al Woods: Woods saw the first significant playing time of his career and started a pair of games at nose tackle for the injured Steve McLendon. He can play both end and nose tackle and still has upside. Priority: The Steelers, assuming the price is right, should bring back Woods. I don’t see both Keisel and Hood returning and there is a chance each has played his last game in Pittsburgh. Uncertainty at defensive end beyond Cameron Heyward makes re-signing Woods a key.

RB Jonathan Dwyer: Love him as a No. 2 running back who can be a spot starter if Le’Veon Bell goes down with an injury. The question is will Dwyer seek a larger role elsewhere and will there be much interest in him as a potential starter? Priority: Dwyer is another player whom the Steelers will let test the market and then see if they want to make a run at bringing him back.

C Fernando Velasco: One of the most unsung players of the season, Velasco stabilized the center position following the loss of Pro Bowler Maurkice Pouncey. Ruptured Achilles ended his season after 11 games. Priority: Velasco would be ideal as the first center/guard in reserve, and recent history shows how important depth is along the offensive line. The Steelers should have a good chance of re-signing Velasco because of his injury.

G/OT: Guy Whimper: Proved to be a valuable fill-in and started a game at each guard spot. Whimper would bolster the offensive line depth if he returns. Priority: The Steelers should be able to bring back Whimper, assuming he wants to return, and his position flexibility is a bonus.

S Will Allen: The veteran rejuvenated his career after re-signing with the Steelers following his release by the Cowboys. Allen played significant snaps as a third safety in the quarter package and was a core special-teams player. Priority: Allen wants to return and I think there is a good chance that the Steelers bring him back for another season because of their comfort with him and his ability to play special teams.

Rest of the free agents: RB LaRod Stephens-Howling, RB Felix Jones, WR Plaxico Burress, TE David Johnson, TE Michael Palmer, C Cody Wallace, LB Stevenson Sylvester, LB Jamaal Westerman, P Mat McBriar and LS Greg Warren.
 
Thanks BigSteel!

I love the rundown of Steelers FA by Scott Brown and pretty much agree 100% of what he says.

 
Man, because he went down so early you forget how much of a factor LSH might have been. Nice COP guy for sure.

 
Leeroy Jenkins said:
What's the cap situation, and who are potential cap causalities?
Bad and possibly Ike, Troy and certainly others.

RC might have to go/not be resigned or play for a lot less. Levi Brown counts a ton against their cap so there's no way he'll be back. They're something like 10M over and Levi would be ~6M. They'll have to restructure a few to get under and that's before new contracts for Worilds and draft picks.

 
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Leeroy Jenkins said:
What's the cap situation, and who are potential cap causalities?
Bad and possibly Ike, Troy and certainly others.

RC might have to go/not be resigned or play for a lot less. Levi Brown counts a ton against their cap so there's no way he'll be back. They're something like 10M over and Levi would be ~6M. They'll have to restructure a few to get under and that's before new contracts for Worilds and draft picks.
Yep, Brown will be the first to go.

Ike is going to have to take a severe pay cut to remain, he counts almost $12M and the team can save $7M of cap space if he's cut. Same might be true for Troy -- he still has some gas left in the tank and it would be tough to cut him but he counts almost $11M and $8M could be saved if he is cut. I don't think he will be though.

LaMarr Woodley will also be a goner after June 1st if they can re-sign Jason Worilds.

Heath Miller could also be a cap casualty but he'll be an UFA in 2015 and so they may just try to extend his contract a couple years. It wouldn't surprise me if they are already talking to Ben about an extension. He counts for a whopping $18M against the cap so signing him to an extension could create a lot of cap space.

 
Dolphins Will Likely Want To Interview Omar Khan For General Manager Job

07 January 2014

The Miami Dolphins announced on Tuesday that they have mutually parted ways with general manager Jeff Ireland and already the speculation has started that Pittsburgh Steelers Director of Football and Business Administration, Omar Khan, could be a candidate to replace him.

:hot: Kahn is our salary cap man.
Is that a bad thing considering how bad we are cap wise? :D

Wish he could/would stay but he's been a somewhat hot commodity for a while. Surprised he's not been offered a GM spot already.

 
Man, because he went down so early you forget how much of a factor LSH might have been. Nice COP guy for sure.
Just about every synopsis I've seen of the Steelers' FA situation dismisses him as "no way he returns." However, I think he's a damn-near perfect complement to Bell, not to mention that in the EXTREMELY limited sample size of part of the Titans game, the offense was moving better with him behind Roethlisberger than it was with any of the other backs. Is his injury considered career-threatening?

 
Leeroy Jenkins said:
What's the cap situation, and who are potential cap causalities?
Bad and possibly Ike, Troy and certainly others.

RC might have to go/not be resigned or play for a lot less. Levi Brown counts a ton against their cap so there's no way he'll be back. They're something like 10M over and Levi would be ~6M. They'll have to restructure a few to get under and that's before new contracts for Worilds and draft picks.
Yep, Brown will be the first to go.

Ike is going to have to take a severe pay cut to remain, he counts almost $12M and the team can save $7M of cap space if he's cut. Same might be true for Troy -- he still has some gas left in the tank and it would be tough to cut him but he counts almost $11M and $8M could be saved if he is cut. I don't think he will be though.

LaMarr Woodley will also be a goner after June 1st if they can re-sign Jason Worilds.

Heath Miller could also be a cap casualty but he'll be an UFA in 2015 and so they may just try to extend his contract a couple years. It wouldn't surprise me if they are already talking to Ben about an extension. He counts for a whopping $18M against the cap so signing him to an extension could create a lot of cap space.
I'm not convinced Woodley will be cut. Not at all.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
Leeroy Jenkins said:
What's the cap situation, and who are potential cap causalities?
Bad and possibly Ike, Troy and certainly others.

RC might have to go/not be resigned or play for a lot less. Levi Brown counts a ton against their cap so there's no way he'll be back. They're something like 10M over and Levi would be ~6M. They'll have to restructure a few to get under and that's before new contracts for Worilds and draft picks.
Yep, Brown will be the first to go.

Ike is going to have to take a severe pay cut to remain, he counts almost $12M and the team can save $7M of cap space if he's cut. Same might be true for Troy -- he still has some gas left in the tank and it would be tough to cut him but he counts almost $11M and $8M could be saved if he is cut. I don't think he will be though.

LaMarr Woodley will also be a goner after June 1st if they can re-sign Jason Worilds.

Heath Miller could also be a cap casualty but he'll be an UFA in 2015 and so they may just try to extend his contract a couple years. It wouldn't surprise me if they are already talking to Ben about an extension. He counts for a whopping $18M against the cap so signing him to an extension could create a lot of cap space.
I'm not convinced Woodley will be cut. Not at all.
If they can't sign Worilds then I don't see them cutting Woodley. If they do sign Worilds then Woodley's days might be numbered. It will also depend on what they do with Ike and Troy and whether or not they can sign Ben to an extension.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
Leeroy Jenkins said:
What's the cap situation, and who are potential cap causalities?
Bad and possibly Ike, Troy and certainly others.

RC might have to go/not be resigned or play for a lot less. Levi Brown counts a ton against their cap so there's no way he'll be back. They're something like 10M over and Levi would be ~6M. They'll have to restructure a few to get under and that's before new contracts for Worilds and draft picks.
Yep, Brown will be the first to go.

Ike is going to have to take a severe pay cut to remain, he counts almost $12M and the team can save $7M of cap space if he's cut. Same might be true for Troy -- he still has some gas left in the tank and it would be tough to cut him but he counts almost $11M and $8M could be saved if he is cut. I don't think he will be though.

LaMarr Woodley will also be a goner after June 1st if they can re-sign Jason Worilds.

Heath Miller could also be a cap casualty but he'll be an UFA in 2015 and so they may just try to extend his contract a couple years. It wouldn't surprise me if they are already talking to Ben about an extension. He counts for a whopping $18M against the cap so signing him to an extension could create a lot of cap space.
I'm not convinced Woodley will be cut. Not at all.
Same. They would love to have all 3.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
Leeroy Jenkins said:
What's the cap situation, and who are potential cap causalities?
Bad and possibly Ike, Troy and certainly others.

RC might have to go/not be resigned or play for a lot less. Levi Brown counts a ton against their cap so there's no way he'll be back. They're something like 10M over and Levi would be ~6M. They'll have to restructure a few to get under and that's before new contracts for Worilds and draft picks.
Yep, Brown will be the first to go.

Ike is going to have to take a severe pay cut to remain, he counts almost $12M and the team can save $7M of cap space if he's cut. Same might be true for Troy -- he still has some gas left in the tank and it would be tough to cut him but he counts almost $11M and $8M could be saved if he is cut. I don't think he will be though.

LaMarr Woodley will also be a goner after June 1st if they can re-sign Jason Worilds.

Heath Miller could also be a cap casualty but he'll be an UFA in 2015 and so they may just try to extend his contract a couple years. It wouldn't surprise me if they are already talking to Ben about an extension. He counts for a whopping $18M against the cap so signing him to an extension could create a lot of cap space.
I'm not convinced Woodley will be cut. Not at all.
If they can't sign Worilds then I don't see them cutting Woodley. If they do sign Worilds then Woodley's days might be numbered. It will also depend on what they do with Ike and Troy and whether or not they can sign Ben to an extension.
The cap hit is way too prohibitive if they cut him before June 1. If he's a post 6/1 casualty, yes - it saves them about $8M under the cap this season... BUT, that also means they'd have ~$10 million in dead money against this year's cap between him and Colon, and close to $9M in dead money on next year's cap for Woodley alone. I think a lot of guys will be released before Woodley will - restructuring him made him virtually uncuttable for at least 1 more season, IMO.

Add to this his age, the position he plays in the 3-4, and the fact that he has still been fairly productive in the increasingly rare times he's been on the field and healthy, and I don't see them giving him the axe. Just one guy's opinion.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
Leeroy Jenkins said:
What's the cap situation, and who are potential cap causalities?
Bad and possibly Ike, Troy and certainly others.

RC might have to go/not be resigned or play for a lot less. Levi Brown counts a ton against their cap so there's no way he'll be back. They're something like 10M over and Levi would be ~6M. They'll have to restructure a few to get under and that's before new contracts for Worilds and draft picks.
Yep, Brown will be the first to go.

Ike is going to have to take a severe pay cut to remain, he counts almost $12M and the team can save $7M of cap space if he's cut. Same might be true for Troy -- he still has some gas left in the tank and it would be tough to cut him but he counts almost $11M and $8M could be saved if he is cut. I don't think he will be though.

LaMarr Woodley will also be a goner after June 1st if they can re-sign Jason Worilds.

Heath Miller could also be a cap casualty but he'll be an UFA in 2015 and so they may just try to extend his contract a couple years. It wouldn't surprise me if they are already talking to Ben about an extension. He counts for a whopping $18M against the cap so signing him to an extension could create a lot of cap space.
I'm not convinced Woodley will be cut. Not at all.
If they can't sign Worilds then I don't see them cutting Woodley. If they do sign Worilds then Woodley's days might be numbered. It will also depend on what they do with Ike and Troy and whether or not they can sign Ben to an extension.
The cap hit is way too prohibitive if they cut him before June 1. If he's a post 6/1 casualty, yes - it saves them about $8M under the cap this season... BUT, that also means they'd have ~$10 million in dead money against this year's cap between him and Colon, and close to $9M in dead money on next year's cap for Woodley alone. I think a lot of guys will be released before Woodley will - restructuring him made him virtually uncuttable for at least 1 more season, IMO.

Add to this his age, the position he plays in the 3-4, and the fact that he has still been fairly productive in the increasingly rare times he's been on the field and healthy, and I don't see them giving him the axe. Just one guy's opinion.
I hear you and think you may be right but depending on what happens at other positions they might be forced to.

 
So, anyone up for stealing Darryl Smith away from the Ravens? He only had a 1 year deal at 1.1 million.

Raven fans on their different forums say he was "easily the best player on the defense" this year.

He may be 31 turning 32 but he was absolutely killing it for them since jumping from Jacksonville. He called all their plays from the very onset of camp.

He wont be getting a big payday (unless the Ravens do it, but they drafted 2nd rounder Arthur Brown to take that spot) simply because of age.

That's the type of lower level free agent we typically target.

And Farrior played for us until he was 36. 3 or 4 years of Smith would make me very happy.

*The Ravens have 15 million of space, but only 37 players under contract. And rookies to sign also.

They just made mention that they may not be able to keep Terrell Suggs. Also... 6 or 7 other starters are free agents.

 
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Nice....


Coach John Harbaugh expects Arthur Brown to win a starting inside linebacker job in 2014.

A favorite of the draftnik community a year ago, Brown surprisingly slipped to the second round and then underwent sports hernia surgery. He ended up as a strict reserve, playing just 211 snaps and compiling a mere 15 tackles in 14 games. With a full offseason to earn his stripes, Brown shouldn't have a problem beating out Josh Bynes and Jameel McClain. Jan 8 - 11:01 AM
Source: Jeff Zrebiec on Twitter
:cool: Hello Darryl.

 
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I think Woodley will still be around next year. With as good as Worilds was this year, whats to say he doesnt come back to earth a bit or once he gets his big money deal now, loses the motivation some a la Woodley?

As for Daryl Smith, sure Id like him, but not like Im holding my breath waiting for them to bring him in. Figuring out what, if any, FA's the Steelers will sign is a bigger crapshoot than knowing what horse is going to the glue factory next.

 
Kenny Powers said:
I think Woodley will still be around next year. With as good as Worilds was this year, whats to say he doesnt come back to earth a bit or once he gets his big money deal now, loses the motivation some a la Woodley?

As for Daryl Smith, sure Id like him, but not like Im holding my breath waiting for them to bring him in. Figuring out what, if any, FA's the Steelers will sign is a bigger crapshoot than knowing what horse is going to the glue factory next.
I don't expect either of them to be in Pittsburgh. Somebody will give Worilds way more than he is worth. Woodley is hurt all the time, sucks now even when he plays, and makes tons of money.

 
Was shocked to see they fired Jack Bicknell (I know, a little behind here). I thought the improvement of the Oline, esp having to shuffle people, was very impressive. I guess the thinking is they got better in spite of him, like not using ZBS, more quick throws, or maybe the assistant they interviewed for the job had something to do with the improvement. :shrug:

 
So we lost Mike Wallace (became 4th highest paid WR in NFL and 2nd highest in guaranteed pay) and Keenan Lewis (back up pro bowler)

and I was wondering if we get some good compensatory picks out of them.

Steelers Free Agent Loses:

WR Mike Wallace - Miami Dolphins - Signed a five year, $60 million contract that will pay him $12 million in 2013 and have an average base salary of $9.75 million.

CB Keenan Lewis - New Orleans Saints - Signed a five-year, $25.55 million contract that will pay him $7 million in 2013 and have an average base salary of $3.56 million.

RB Rashard Mendenhall - Arizona Cardinals - Signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract that will pay him $2.5 million-plus possible incentives in 2013 and have an average base salary of $2 million.

T Max Starks - San Diego Chargers - Signed a one-year, $1 million contract that will pay him $1 million-plus possible incentives in 2013 and have an average base salary of $1 million.

S Will Allen - Dallas Cowboys - Signed a one-year, $905,000 contract that will pay him $905,000 in 2013 and have an average base salary of $840,000.

S Ryan Mundy - New York Giants - Signed a one-year, $780,000 contract that will pay him $780,000 in 2013 and have an average base salary of $715,000.

Steelers Free Agent Additions:

QB Bruce Gradkowski - Cincinnati Bengals - Signed a three-year, $4.95 million contract that will pay him $1.85 million in 2013 and have an average base salary of $1,366,666.67 million.

P Brian Moorman - Dallas Cowboys - Signed a one-year, $940,000 contract that will pay him $940,000 in 2013 and have an average base salary of $940,000.

RB LaRod Stephens-Howling - Arizona Cardinals - Signed a one-year, $780,000 contract that will pay him $780,000 in 2013 and have an average base salary of $715,000.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Veteran Additions:
QB Bruce Gradkowski, TE Matt Spaeth (2s), OT Guy Whimper (2s), CB William Gay (11s).
Offseason Losses:
RB Rashard Mendenhall(15s), WR Mike Wallace(16s), OT Max Starks, G Willie Colon(16s), NT Casey Hampton, DE/OLB James Harrison(10s), CB Keenan Lewis(16s), S Will Allen (4g Cowboys, cut and resigned by Steelers), S Ryan Mundy(9s).
A 3rd a 4th and a 7th?

Wallace, Lewis, Rashard

Grad=Colon, Spaeth=Mundy, Gay=Harrison, Whimper=Allen, Howling?(1g IRd)

Rashards 800 yards and 8 TDs might get a 6th if lucky based on pure starts?

 
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Was shocked to see they fired Jack Bicknell (I know, a little behind here). I thought the improvement of the Oline, esp having to shuffle people, was very impressive. I guess the thinking is they got better in spite of him, like not using ZBS, more quick throws, or maybe the assistant they interviewed for the job had something to do with the improvement. :shrug:
I heard Bouchette say the Bicknell firing was not a surprise to the Steelers beat writers. He said that assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett was much more visible at practice over the second half of the season and appeared to be handling the day-to-day offensive line coaching duties.

My guess is that he'll likely get the job.

 
Was shocked to see they fired Jack Bicknell (I know, a little behind here). I thought the improvement of the Oline, esp having to shuffle people, was very impressive. I guess the thinking is they got better in spite of him, like not using ZBS, more quick throws, or maybe the assistant they interviewed for the job had something to do with the improvement. :shrug:
I heard Bouchette say the Bicknell firing was not a surprise to the Steelers beat writers. He said that assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett was much more visible at practice over the second half of the season and appeared to be handling the day-to-day offensive line coaching duties.

My guess is that he'll likely get the job.
I read further that Tomlin wasn't pleased with the lack of improvement in the fundamentals for some of their younger linemen like Gilbert.

 
I think Woodley will still be around next year. With as good as Worilds was this year, whats to say he doesnt come back to earth a bit or once he gets his big money deal now, loses the motivation some a la Woodley?

As for Daryl Smith, sure Id like him, but not like Im holding my breath waiting for them to bring him in. Figuring out what, if any, FA's the Steelers will sign is a bigger crapshoot than knowing what horse is going to the glue factory next.
I don't expect either of them to be in Pittsburgh. Somebody will give Worilds way more than he is worth. Woodley is hurt all the time, sucks now even when he plays, and makes tons of money.
I think they are going to make a hard push to sign Worilds before March 11 when FA begins. If he isn't a Steeler by then he will be gone. The Steelers don't get into bidding wars.

Woodley may also be released but if Worilds leaves I think his chances to remain a Steeler increase dramatically.

 
Hearing rumors that Whisenhunt may be taking Steelers LB coach Keith Butler for the Titan's defensive coordinator job.

 
Hearing rumors that Whisenhunt may be taking Steelers LB coach Keith Butler for the Titan's defensive coordinator job.
If Butler is under contract the Steelers can prevent him from interviewing. I doubt they would do that but if this rumor is true it is time for Butler to be given the DC job.

If they really want him to take over when Lebeau retires (which doesn't sound likely any time soon) they need to do it now.

 
The Hank said:
Hearing rumors that Whisenhunt may be taking Steelers LB coach Keith Butler for the Titan's defensive coordinator job.
I've also heard he is looking at Browns DC Ray Horton
Per Adam Schefter's twitter, the Browns have granted DC Ray Horton to interview with any interested team, can be for HC position or lateral move.

I expect he or Butler will become DC of Tennessee

 
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moondog said:
Hearing rumors that Whisenhunt may be taking Steelers LB coach Keith Butler for the Titan's defensive coordinator job.
If Butler is under contract the Steelers can prevent him from interviewing. I doubt they would do that but if this rumor is true it is time for Butler to be given the DC job.

If they really want him to take over when Lebeau retires (which doesn't sound likely any time soon) they need to do it now.
good posting. I mean this will be what the 3rd or 4th year of this happening

 
So we lost Mike Wallace (became 4th highest paid WR in NFL and 2nd highest in guaranteed pay) and Keenan Lewis (back up pro bowler)

and I was wondering if we get some good compensatory picks out of them.
Yeah, imagine that, and during the NO/PHI game they kept saying how important Lewis was to their D before his concussion and afterwards, and all over the radio last week I kept hearing how big of a blow it would be for NO if he couldnt play vs SEA.

He signed a perfectly affordable deal and we never shouldve let him walk :rant:

 
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