Kind of a newsy day

It was kind of a newsy day on the South Side today to let's dig into some of the major topics.

I found it interesting that the Steelers cleared about $6 million in salary cap space by restructuring the contracts of tight end Heath Miller, placekicker Shaun Suisham and wideout Antonio Brown.

Brown's deal, in particular, was revealing.

While Miller and Suisham had straight restructures done - turning salary into signing bonus - Brown's deal moved $2 million of his 2016 salary moved to this season to up his pay to $8 million,

He's now scheduled to earn $6.25 million in 2016 and will have one year remaining on his contract after that. But this move tells me the Steelers are likely to negotiate a contract extension with their star receiver after the season is completed.

* The money freed up could be used on a contract extension with left tackle Kelvin Beachum.

The Steelers entered the day with a decent amount of cap space, between $10 and $15 million, though it's tough to keep track at this time of year. Picking up a little over $2 million for new placekicker Josh Scobee was an added expense.

But the Steelers still would like to get something done with Beachum. Perhaps that will happen in the next few days.

* I really think Martavis Bryant is sorry for the position he put the Steelers in with his suspension for smoking marijuana. He has talked to his teammates about it and they are understandably upset with him.

But when Bryant continues with his "I don't know how this happened" act, as he did again Tuesday, it comes off as disingenuous.

Mike Tomlin was forthcoming about the situation Tuesday. Bryant should have been as well. It would make his statements about not wanting to put the team in this situation again a little more believable.

Then again, it doesn't matter if the fans and media believe him. It only matters if he has the trust of the team.

That obviously is shaken. Hence the selection of wide receiver Sammie Coates in the third round of this year's draft, something Tomlin said was a reaction to Bryant's pending suspension.

* Scobee hasn't played for a winning team since 2007. The Steelers haven't had a losing record since 2003.

Think the former Jacksonville kicker is a little happy today?

* Tomlin said he is a little concerned that his presumed starting safeties, Mike Mitchell and Shamarko Thomas, haven't been on the field at lot together in this preseason.

He's not, however, concerned enough to play them together Thursday against the Panthers, saying they got plenty of time together in the offseason.

We'll find out if that's the case in a week and a half in New England.