The Steelers on Monday signed veteran offensive tackle Guy Whimper, who spent the past three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, likely spelling the end of Max Starks' tenure in Pittsburgh.
There had been some conjecture that the Steelers might want to wait and re-sign Starks, their starting left, at some point before training camp to serve as a backup/fallback plan to either Mike Adams or Marcus Gilbert at the left tackle position.
But with Whimper now under contract, that seems unlikely.
Either Adams or Gilbert will start at left tackle, with the other playing right tackle. Kelvin Beachum will be fallback option No. 1, with Whimper, who has made 22 career starts in seven seasons, being the second option.
The Steelers also signed rookie linebacker Terence Garvin, who spent the weekend with them at their rookie camp as a tryout.
Garvin played in 47 games at West Virginia, making 235 tackles with 10.5 sacks and three interceptions.
To make room on the roster for those moves, the Steelers released rookie center Ivory Wade and rookie defensive tackle Anthony Rashad White.
26 comments:
tons of terrible things said about Whimper around the web. Why?
I'll never understand the way that the team has treated Max Starks. He was always a solid to very good player at the most important position on the line. He also seems to be smart, interesting, and a good character guy. Ben loves him, but the coaching staff has been trying to run him off for seasons. Any idea why Dale?
Sorry, I asked this already. But is the hype on Golic simply because of his name, or is he actually a top UDFA?
Zac in Tempe
I echo Dan's comments. Can Starks really be worse than Whimper? He did a decent job at starting LT last year and can play both RT and LT. It's not like Whimper at age 30 is a developmental prospect that is worth a roster spot to see if he will grow into a star in a year or two.
Max Starks is a LT. Whimper is a RT. LT commands more money than RT. If something happens to the Steelers starting LT, the starting RT can switch over to the left spot, and Whimper can man the right side. I believe Starks is a luxury the Steelers can't afford.
~Fresh
Name on Golic until I see something more.
Starks wasn't coming back as a backup. He's holding out on signing until somebody offers him a starting job. It will happen at some point when somebody has an injury.
dale, do you know the terms of the contract? seems to me this is more of an insurance policy and trying to add competition for the backup spots. there's no way he's ever gonna start, barring injury.
also, i'm not sure why people think starks is getting treated poorly. he wants to start and the steelers don't want him to start. simple as can be.
It's a minimum deal. Steelers can't afford more than that right now.
That's good context -- didn't realize Starks was set on starting.
You know your cap situation is bad when you are forced to sign guys this terrible.
Yes, good one. Akin to "that guy's a bum! What a jagoff!"
ryan clark, in preparation for his post-nfl career, was able to give some locker room fodder to the patriots and brady. hope he backs up his words.
My point is that Starks should be the starting LT. He is young and much better than Gilbert. Starks at LT, Adams at RT, Gilbert as back-up.
starks is 31 years old. he is older than any linemen on the steelers, browns and ravens rosters. he would also be tied for the oldest linemen for the bengals. how in world do consider him young?
They have used second-round picks on Gilbert and Adams. They have to find out what exactly they have there with those two before they reach their second contracts.
That is something that has frustrated the front office a bit - the coaching staff keeps sticking with the veteran players and allowing young guys to get into their fourth year without knowing what you really have.
You'd hate to see Gilbert, for example, become a 10-year starter for somebody else because you decided to stick with Starks for one more season instead of seeing if Gilbert and Adams are your starting combo for the next decade.
Dale, the Steelers are still smarting from some of their recent OL blunders, including cutting former 3rd round pick Kraig Urbik, who is now a starter with the Buffalo Bill and just recently signed a 2nd contract with the Bills for $25M. I agree that they have to find out what they have in these youngsters. Thus far, neither Gilbert or Adams have shown me that they have the feet to be a LT in this league. Maybe they prove the doubters, like me, wrong. And on the defensive side, Cam Heyward should be given the chance to win that starting LDE spot from Ziggy Hood, who has been a big disappointment thus far. There shouldn't be too many starting positions locked up when you are coming off an 8-8 season.
BTW, I am glad that McClendon will finally get the chance to show what he can do as a starter. Big Snack was never the same player after Marshall Yanda targeted his knee in that season opener two years ago. If you are a team that has no salary cap room and relies on the draft each year to get better, then you better not miss on your draft picks. K.Colbert needs for these last 2 drafts to be a lot more hit than miss.
Dale please why should anyone think Max will be coming in as a backup. The Steelers have to trust one of their young OL. But they also have to ensure their Franchise can be healthy enough to get a shot at the SB.So again think Max gives the Best chance for doing that . this could come back and bit them.
Urbik was terrible here. Not sure he's much better for the Bills. After all, they haven't made the playoffs in over a decade. But the point remains the same. Have to see what they have.
i agree with the heyward/hood competition. i think heyward wins that hands down and brings more to the table for the d-line.
Dale, the beat writers in Buffalo say Urbik has been a pleasant surprise for the Bills. He might have been terrible when he was with the Steelers but he's been a much better player with the Bills. I don't think he's the reason that the Bills have sucked over the last decade either. I agree with you on seeing what the young OL have to offer. People tend to forget that it is only May. There is a long time between now and that first game in September. Still could be a few additions and subtractions to the final roster as vets are released due to performance or a need to create more salary cap flexibility.
Ramon Foster is just as good, if not better than Kraig Urbik, and Foster just signed a very cap-friendly three-year deal (3 yrs, $6 million).
Urbik just signed a 4-year, $15 million extension.
Both players are 27-year-old.
Considering both the players and their contracts, I'd take Foster.
-marc said...
starks is 31 years old. he is older than any linemen on the steelers, browns and ravens rosters. he would also be tied for the oldest linemen for the bengals. how in world do consider him young?-
Calling him "young" might have been too strong, but 31 years old isn't that old for an OL player. Tackles can generally play until they're in their late 30s. I'd expect that Starks has 4-6 more years as a starter. I'd be targeting him for a post June 1 contract using Colon's money and securing the Left for the next few years until Adams is ready to move over.
Maybe Gilbert pans out at LT, but from what I've seen I'm skeptical. Gilbert's main trait has been falling down and blowing out his teammate's knees (David Johnson, David DeCastro).
I think Adams will win the LT job. He's better equipped to handle it. Much better feet.
I agree with Dale. People forget that Adams had the best pass pro footwork out of whole draft class just a year ago. Many expect Gilbert to play LT probably just because he has more experience and NFL playing time under his belt. Still Adams is the one who is equipped to make the jump to be cabable starter on left side based on physicall skill set even though it hasn't yet pannned out. Scouts were raving that Adams had franchise LT footwork to handle the speed
...rush on left side and compared with Adams Gilbert is more of a mauler to play RT. We really have to hope both of these guys stay healthy during offseason to maximize their potential and make the nessesery jumps to play better on sundays. We still have high potential tackles and we clearly need more out of that potential.
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