Steelers safety Will Allen is schedule to be in Dallas to visit the Cowboys on Monday.
Allen, who is entering his 10th season in the league, is an unrestricted free agent who has spent the past three seasons with the Steelers after originally being drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs.
While not much more than a special teams contributor in his first three seasons with the Steelers, Allen, 6-1, 200, played a substantial role in 2012, displacing Ryan Mundy as a replacement for injured Troy Polamalu.
Allen started seven games in 2012, making 34 tackles and defending three passes. He was a more physical force in the secondary than Mundy and helped the Steelers to a No. 1 ranking in pass defense.
Allen's potential departure could leave the Steelers with a big hole on the roster behind Polamalu and free safety Ryan Clark.
Mundy, also a free agent, has already signed with the New York Giants, leaving second-year pro Robert Golden as the lone experienced backup at this point. And though the Steelers like Golden's potential, his experience in his rookie season was limited in 2012 when he recorded eight tackles.
The Steelers do have, however, a draft that is deep in safety prospects this year, led by Texas star Kenny Vaccaro, who is considered a first-round prospect and could be available when the Steelers pick in the first round with the 17th overall selection,
Texas holds its Pro Day on Tuesday. You can bet the Steelers will have plenty of people in attendance to check out the Longhorns, with an eye on Vaccaro, who will be looking to improve on his combine 40-yard dash time of 4.63 seconds.
Vaccaro plays much faster than that time. In fact, the Longhorns often used him to match up on passing downs with opposing slot receivers.
@ With Elvis Dumervil's signing by Baltimore, the odds are increasing ever so slightly that James Harrison could be back in Pittsburgh in 2013.
Baltimore was one of the few possible landing spots for Harrison, who hasn't drawn a great deal of interest on the open market thanks to his injury history.
Denver would be another possibility. The Broncos are currently looking at Dwight Freeney and John Abraham as replacements for Dumervil, but could turn to Harrison if those two options don't work out.
But the Steelers and Harrison could kiss and make up - if he's willing to swallow his pride - and get something done, probably after the draft.
completely unrelated to this post, I just read this description of Quinton Patton:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nfl.com/draft/2013/profiles/quinton-patton?id=2539250
Really hope this guy is around in round 2. He seems like exactly what the Steelers need at WR, supplementing Brown and Sanders. Gotta like the character too
Never heard of him but he does sound like a good pick for us. I hope we can be in position that we can get the right value for him.
ReplyDeleteI like Patton. But there are a lot of receivers in this draft that I like.
ReplyDeleteharrison just might retire. no way anyone is giving him the money he wants and how likely is it for him to actually admit he was wrong by agreeing to a lesser deal?
ReplyDeletethe story of the division next season won't be the ravens decline, but rather the browns improvement. they're gathering a good group the last couple years and it's really gonna start paying off. add better coaches across the board and another draft (of high picks) and they will be very competitive. actually, i would predict they will split with the rest of the afc north next season. they're biggest question mark is QB, and as long as they are average in that position, they are a decent team.
NFL.com is reporting that Harrison's agent is willing to discuss a deal with the Steelers, but I'm not sure the feeling is mutual. As a fan I'd like to see Harrison return and finish his career in Pittsburgh but I think a lot will be determined by his salary demands and how the draft plays out. If Jarvis Jones or some other premium pass rusher falls to them, I doubt the Steelers sign him. On the other hand if they wind up with a skill player then mabye they ride him for one more year.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Marc, the Browns are finally on the upswing (as are the Bengals) but the offense still needs a few pieces to be a serious contender. The AFC North is going to be very competitive next season and at this point I'm not sure which team will emerge at the top.
They wanted him back, but at a reduced salary. He didn't want to accept a 30 percent decrease in salary. Now, he might have to accept even less than that.
ReplyDeleteIt might be a win-win for the Steelers. They get Harrison back - he played well in the last month when he finally started feeling better - and at an even bigger salary reduction than they originally offered.
Is Allen as good as gone? The defense was at it's subtle best last year with him filling in.
ReplyDeleteThe Steelers aren't going to offer Allen anything more than the vet minimum
ReplyDelete