Are they or aren't they?

A report surfaced that the Steelers are among the three finalists for HBO's Hard Knocks show, something the NFL later denied.

According to the report, the Steelers, Bears and Giants are the three teams the league is looking at handing over to HBO for a behind-the-scenes look during training camp this year.

Any of the three, which all have a big following, would be a ratings bonanza for HBO, which is what the network is looking at.

You can bet, despite the league's denials, that the three finalists announced are, in fact, correct.

There are only eight teams eligible to begin with, and among those eight, the Steelers, Giants and Bears would, without a doubt, be the biggest draws.

The others are the Bills, Cardinals, Jaguars, Raiders and Rams. Outside of Oakland, which might actually be an interesting watch, there's not a lot of draw with those teams.

It's likely that somebody from HBO leaked the three teams it wants and is pushing the NFL to give access to.

We'll see if the league buckles and serves up one of its premiere teams.

The Steelers, who run a tight ship at training camp, don't want show coming to Saint Vincent and becoming a distraction. But given the league's new rules regarding the show, they might not have a choice.

@ In their latest mock drafts, ESPN's Mile Kiper and Todd McShay couldn't have had more different picks for the Steelers.

Kiper had Pittsburgh taking Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin, while McShay settled on Virginia Tech corner Kyle Fuller.

I've already made my thoughts known on what I think of mocks that have the Steelers taking an offensive lineman. I discount them immediately.

But Fuller was the guy I had the Steelers taking in my latest mock last week, though Darqueze Dennard was gone in McShay's mock, while he was still available in mine.

Honestly, I could see the Steelers taking either one.

@ Draft prospect Scott Crichton, a defensive lineman from Oregon, had this to say about his pre-draft visit with the Steelers.

"I was one of those kids who wanted to play for the Steelers," Crichton told Sirius radio. "I'm a big Steelers fan. That was my team growing up. When I went over there it was just like a dream come true. I just fell in love with the place."

At 6-3, 275 pounds, Crichton is a bit undersized to play defensive end for the Steelers. But he also lined up at outside linebacker and nose tackle at times for Oregon. And he forced 10 career fumbles, including six in 2013.

An interesting look at the top 150

As I said before, I look at rankings and mock drafts from all over the internet in the - months at least this year - leading up to the draft.

Many are nearly identical in their rankings, almost as if somebody puts out a list early and then others copy it.

But here's an interesting look at the top 150 prospects in this year's draft from Rotoworld.

Rotoworld's top 150

It has some different players in the mix to be selected in the first couple of rounds and is worth a look.

Steelers 2014 Schedule

The NFL released its schedules for 2014 and it wasn't necessarily kind to the Steelers.

Pittsburgh gets just four days off after its opener, when it has to head to Baltimore for a Thursday night game.

The Steelers also play all four of their games against division rivals Cleveland and Baltimore in the first nine weeks of the season. They won't play the Bengals until December, when they have two of their final four games against Cincinnati.

Another interesting part of this schedule? All of the team's away games are schedule in groups of two.

After playing Baltimore Sept. 11, the Steelers are at Carolina the following week. After playing Jacksonville Oct. 5, they are at Cleveland the following week. After playing the Jets Nov. 9, they are at Tennessee Nov. 17. And following a game at Cincinnati Dec. 7, Pittsburgh is at Atlanta Dec. 14.


Sept. 7, Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Sept. 11, at Baltimore, 8:25 p.m.
Sept. 21, at Carolina, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 28, Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Oct. 5, at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Oct. 12, at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Oct. 20, Houston, 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 26, Indianapols, 4:25 p.m.
Nov. 2, Baltimore, 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 9, at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.
Nov. 17, at Tennessee, 8:30 p.m.
Bye week
Nov. 30, New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Dec. 7, at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Dec. 14, at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Dec. 21, Kansas City, 1 p.m.
Dec. 28, Cincinnati, 1 p.m.

Just over three-weeks out Mock

With the draft about three weeks away, here's an updated look on how things could go May 8.

1.       Houston, Jadaveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina. A freakish athlete who is too good to pass up.

2.       St. Louis, Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn. Don’t be surprised to see the Rams also take a QB at some point high.

3.       Jacksonville, Blake Bortles, QB, USC. The Jaguars have tried to make do with patchwork QBs since Mark Brunell.

4.       Cleveland, Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson. The Browns get a stud receiver to pair with Josh Gordon.

5.       Oakland, Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M. The Raiders love big-name players and have had issues selling out their stadium. Manziel would create some excitement around the team.

6.       Atlanta, Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M. The Falcons need to protect Matt Ryan better.

7.       Tampa Bay, Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M. Three A&M players in a row.

8.       Minnesota, Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State. Carr has passed Teddy Bridgewater in the QB pecking order of this draft.

9.       Buffalo, Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo. The Bills get a home-grown talent.

10.   Detroit, Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State. The Lions would have liked Evans to fall and could trade up for him. But here they ‘settle’ for Gilbert.

11.   Tennessee, Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA. The Titans need playmakers all over the place. They get one on the defensive side of the ball who will fit into defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s 3-4 scheme.

12.   N.Y. Giants, Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt. The Giants need to start rebuilding their interior defensive line.

13.   St. Louis, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama. The back end of the Rams’ secondary is a mess. Clinton-Dix will help that right away.

14.   Chicago, Timmy Jernigan, DR, Florida State. The Bears would have preferred Donald, but grab another difference maker at defensive tackle.

15.   Pittsburgh, Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech. It’s a tough call over some guys still on the board, but Fuller fits. Forget what the talking heads are saying. Fuller will end up higher in this draft than some of the other more-hyped corners. He’s a feisty zone corner who will tackle all day long.

16.   Dallas, Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan. The Cowboys need to improve their offensive front.

17.   Baltimore, Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville. The Ravens continue to rebuild their secondary, though they could go offensive tackle.

18.   N.Y. Jets, Odell Beckham, WR, LSU. The Jets have to have somebody to throw the ball to.

19.   Miami, Zach Martin, OL, Notre Dame. Head coach Joe Philbin was a longtime offensive line coach. And the Dolphins’ line was a mess last season thanks to the Incognito-Martin fallout.

20.   Arizona, Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio State. The Cardinals grab a speedy defender for an already-improving defense.

21.   Green Bay, C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama. The Packers want an inside backer who is good in coverage.

22.   Philadelphia, Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State. Dennard’s fall ends.

23.   Kansas City, Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina. The Chiefs need an offensive playmaker to pair with Dwayne Bowe.

24.   Cincinnati, Jason Verrett, CB, TCU. Verrett could also be a consideration for the Steelers. He’s solid in coverage and feisty.

25.   San Diego, Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame. The Chargers need a big body in the middle of their defense.

26.   Cleveland, Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville. The Browns got their receiver early and get a QB later in the first round.

27.   New Orleans, Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Boise State. Lawrence is a guy who is starting to generate some first-round talk. The Saints add to an already-impressive pass rush.

28.   Carolina, Marquise Lee, WR, USC. Carolina needs somebody to add to their passing game.

29.   New England, Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU. This is a typical Belichick pick. Van Noy could play inside or out and the Patriots need depth at both.

30.   San Francisco, Dee Ford, DE/LB, Auburn. The Aldon Smith situation forces the 49ers to look to the future.

31.   Denver, Xavier Su’a-Filo, G, UCLA. The Broncos are in a win-now mode and Su’a-Filo can be plugged in on their line.

32.   Seattle, Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State. The Seahawks don’t have any glaring needs and can take the best playmaker available. 

A look at the Steelers visitors thus far

Here's a look at the players the Steelers have hosted thus far for their pre-draft visits. Each team gets 30 players, though local players - in the Steelers' case, Aaron Donald, for example - don't count against that number.

These are the guys who have actually visited, not players who are rumored to be coming in.

CB

Shaq Richardson, Arizona (6-0, 194) A late round sleeper prospect with good size.

Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State (5-11, 199) A physical corner who is better in press coverage than he is in zone. The Steelers have, however, played more press in the past couple of years.

Bradley Roby, Ohio State (5-11, 194) Speedy and athletic. His 2012 tape was better than his 2013 tape. He also had an arrest for a bar incident that drew a suspension. Talented but which tape do you trust?

Jason Verrett, TCU (5-10, 189) A feisty corner who plays bigger than his size. A 4.38 40 and 39-inch vertical make up for his lack of height. Sticky in coverage.

Phillips Gaines, Rice (6-0, 193) A 4.38 40 at the combine certainly was an eyebrow raiser for Gaines, who owns 45 career collegiate starts. Opponents completed just 32.5 percent of the passes they threw his way in 2013, though, like Roby, he was suspended for the opener due to an undisclosed violation of team rules.

S

Brock Vereen, Minnesota (6-0, 199) Saw time at corner, nickelback and free safety in his career. His size and cover skills, along with a 4.47 40 make him an interesting candidate.

Calvin Pryor, Louisville (5-11, 207) An impact free safety. It would be a shock if the Steelers selected him after signing Mike Mitchell.

Deone Bucannon, Washington (6-1, 211) Had 15 career interceptions, including six in 2013. Also forced three fumbles in 2013. The Steelers are looking for turnover-makers in the secondary. This guy can do it.

RB

Lache Seastrunk, Baylor (5-10, 201) Solid runner, but he struggled some against the better defenses he faced. An unknown as a pass catcher.

DL

Aaron Donald, Pitt (6-1, 285) Had all kinds of production at Pitt, but really doesn’t fit the Steelers’ scheme.

Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame (6-6, 304) Had hernia surgery in the 2013 offseason. Then had foot issues this offseason that have kept him from working out. A dominant player in 2012. Fell off somewhat in 2013.

Scott Crichton, Oregon State (6-3, 273) Athletic enough that he could play linebacker. A disruptive player who had 10 career forced fumbles. Also played nose tackle at times in college.

Ra’Shede Hageman, Minnesota (6-6, 310) Built like an offensive tackle. At times he looked dominant. Other times, he looked disinterested. Could be because everyone ran away from him.

WR

John Brown, Pittsburg State (5-10, 179) A 4.34 40 at the combine certainly put Brown on everyone’s radar. He’s not big, but the speedster did have five career touchdown returns (3 punts, 2 kickoffs). Late round steal?

Donte Moncrief, Ole Miss (6-2, 221) Love this kid. A freaky athlete who stood out on video I was watching of other SEC players.

Bruce Ellington, South Carolina (5-9, 197) Though he’s short, he’s built like a running back. Also started at point guard for two seasons for the Gamecocks, showing his complete athleticism.

Martavis Bryant, Clemson (6-4, 211) Another of the big receivers in this draft, though he hasn’t generated the heat of some of the others. Of course, playing opposite Sammy Watkins will have that effect.

LB

Ryan Shazier, Ohio State (6-1, 237) The speedy Shazier is a Lawrence Timmons’ clone who could play inside or out for the Steelers. He’d probably have to be a first round pick.

Jordan Zumwalt, UCLA (6-4, 235) Like Shazier, Zumwalt could play inside or out, though he doesn’t have the speed of Shazier or Pierre-Louis. But he could be had in the middle rounds.

Kevin Pierre-Louis, Boston College (6-1, 232) Another speedy linebacker, Pierre-Louis is a bit on the small side. Would have to play inside for the Steelers, who are obviously looking for cover linebackers.

Carl Bradford, Arizona State (6-1, 250). Like the other linebackers listed here, he can play inside or out. Unlike the others, he has more classic Steelers size.

TE

Rob Blanchflower, UMass (6-4, 256) Struggled through the 2013 season with a sports hernia, which could be why the Steelers brought the late round selection in to kick the tires.

Interesting mock draft

I readily admit that I look at other people's mock drafts. Of course, the first thing I do is glance at who the mocker has the Steelers selecting.

If it's an outlandish pick - this year that would be any mock that has the Steelers taking an offensive lineman first - I quit reading. Otherwise, I'll continue and take in the rest of the mock.

Of course, most mocks, after having the Steelers focusing on nose tackle Louis Nix early, have settled in on the Steelers taking a cornerback or wide receiver of late.

Those wouldn't be bad picks.

But lately, another name has started to surface that makes some sense, North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron.

In fact, Lance Zierlein, a Houston-based media member whose father also happens to be former Steelers offensive line coach Larry Zierlein, threw Ebron's name out last week on Twitter in connection with the Steelers.

I went back and forth with him a bit on it and it made sense.

Then, while perusing the internet, I found the Walter's Football site five-round mock and lo and behold, there was Ebron going to the Steelers again.

Looking at that draft, again, it made sense.

Here's what Walter's had for the Steelers through five rounds:

1. Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
2. Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
3. Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole Miss
4. Brent Urban, DE, Virginia
5A. Anthony Steen, G, Alabama
5B. Ron Powell, OLB, Florida

I think the Steelers would be thrilled with that haul.

Ebron would be an immediate matchup problem for opponents when paired with Heath Miller. Do you stay in a base defense with both tight ends on the field or go to a sub-package?

Verrett, at 5-10, 189 pounds, is a little undersized, but he's fast (sub-4.4 40) and feisty enough to get the job done at the NFL level.

I've long been a fan of Moncreif and couldn't believe he'd last until the end of the third round, but looking at this mock, it made sense. This WR draft is just that deep.

Urban has also been on my radar as a 3-4 end. He's 6-7, 295 pounds and played out of position at DT the last two seasons after Virginia switched from a 3-4, where he was an end, to a 4-3.

He's not an outstanding athlete, but he's active and gets his hands in the passing lanes.

Steen, of course, was a three-year starter at RG for Alabama, which is no small feat.

Powell, meanwhile, has outstanding upside. He tore his ACL twice in 2012, but rebounded with a solid season in 2013. His arrow, as Mike Tomlin likes to say, is definitely pointed up.

Steelers sign Podlesh

The Steelers assured they will open the 2014 season with their sixth punter in the past four years when they signed veteran Adam Podlesh on Tuesday.

Podlesh, who was with Chicago in 2013, replaces Mat McBriar as the veteran punter on Pittsburgh's roster and will compete with Brad Wing, who has never punted in the NFL, for the job with the Steelers.

At first glance, Podlesh doesn't appear to be an upgrade. His gross average of 40.6 yards in 2013 ranked 33rd in the league.

But he placed 27 kicks inside the opposing 20 - McBriar and Zoltan Mesko had 16 combined for the Steelers in 2013 - and had just two touchbacks, which ranked third in the NFL among regular punters.

Ironically, Podlesh was selected 11 picks ahead of Daniel Sepulveda in the 2007 draft.

The Steelers traded fourth and sixth-round picks in 2007 to move up seven spots to select Sepulveda.

Three more prospects visit the South Side

The Steelers hosted three more potential draft picks on Monday as we close in - finally - on the NFL draft.

In on Monday were corner Shaq Richardson of Arizona, TCU cornerback Jason Verrett and defensive end Scott Crichton of Oregon State.

Richardson is a 6-0, 194-pound late-round prospect at corner, a big difference from Verrett.

At 5-10, 189, Verrett is widely viewed as the fourth best corner in this draft behind Darqueze Dennard, Justin Gilbert and Kyle Fuller.

The only way the Steelers would likely draft him is if they traded down or if he happened to be available in the second round.

Crichton is an interesting prospect at defensive end. He's listed at 6-3, 273, so he would have to put some weight on to play defensive end for the Steelers.

But he has a good motor and forced 10 fumbles in his career. He also recorded 19.5 sacks in his last two seasons.

Crichton is considered a second- or third-round prospect.

Steelers have three more visitors

The Steelers hosted three more potential draft picks on Thursday, as Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, UCLA linebacker Jordan Zumwalt and Washington State strong safety Deon Buchanon were at the team's South Side practice facility.

Both Shazier and Zumwalt are considered inside linebacker prospects in the Steelers' 3-4.

Shazier (6-1, 238) ran a ridiculously fast 4.38 40 at the Ohio State workout. Even if you add, say a 10th of a second onto that time to adjust for the track, he's still the fastest linebacker in this draft.

But it is a concern that he had a hamstring issue at the combine and then tweaked the same injury during his Ohio State workout. Maybe guys that big aren't supposed to run that fast.

He also tested off the charts in pretty much every drill, including showing off a 42-inch vertical.

Zumwalt (6-4, 235) made 30 starts in college, mostly inside in UCLA's 3-4 defense.

While he doesn't possess Shazier's outright athleticism, he's a rangy player who is described as "violent," even among football players.

While Shazier is considered a first-round prospect, Zumwalt is more of a third- to fourth-round pick.

Buchanon, 6-1, 211, is a second- to third-round guy. He ran a 4.49 40 at the combine.

Steelers host Pryor

The Steelers hosted Louisville safety Calvin Pryor today and some were quick to dismiss the visit because the team had signed Mike Mitchell to play free safety this season.

As Lee Corso likes to say, "Not so fast my friend."

The Steelers did the right thing by bringing Pryor in.

After all, what if, for example, the top 10 players - I'm excluding quarterbacks - on their board are gone, including all of the receivers, corners, linebackers and defensive linemen?

What if the top player remaining on their board when it comes time to pick at 15 is Pryor by a lot and they then find themselves unable to trade back?

Even though strong safety Troy Polamalu just signed a three-year extension, I don't think anyone expects him to play out the end of it. I would expect Polamalu to play this season, see how he feels, and then play again in 2015 if he feels healthy enough.

Beyond that is anyone's guess.

And what happens if Mitchell falls flat on his face or they were to get Pryor into camp and he's simply better? The Steelers aren't into him for a lot of money, so releasing him would not be a huge cap hit.

I'm not saying it's a likely thing that the Steelers would take Pryor, but they do have to do their homework.

Month out mock draft

With the NFL draft now a month away - give or take a few days - here's how I see things breaking down at this point.

I'm sure things will change greatly over the next month, and I'm sure this mock won't make everyone happy. But it was something to do on a rainy night in the office.

I'll do at least one more mock as we slowly press towards the draft - which is ridiculously late this year.


1. Houston, Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida. Bill O’Brien got a first-hand look at Bortles last season when he went into State College and beat the Nittany Lions.

2. St. Louis (from Washington), Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn. The Rams need to see exactly what they have in QB Sam Bradford, but they can’t keep him healthy because the line is so bad.

3. Jacksonville, Jadaveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina. Jacksonville has been trying to find pass rushers for the better part of the last 10 years.

4.  Cleveland, Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M. The Browns didn’t go to Manziel’s pro day, then scheduled a private meeting with him. Sammy Watkins would make sense, too, but what good are wideouts if you don’t have someone to get them the ball?

5. Oakland, Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson. The Raiders just traded for Matt Schaub to take QB off the board. Now, they get Schaub a toy.

6. Atlanta, Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo. The Falcons would have liked to get Clowney to pump up their pass rush and could move up to get him. But they settle for Mack here, and that’s not a bad thing.

7.  Tampa Bay, Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M. The Bucs need help all the way across the line and get it here.

8. Minnesota, Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville. The Christian Ponder experiment is over.

9. Buffalo, Taylor, Lewan, OT, Michigan. The Bills need a right tackle and Lewan looks more like a RT in the NFL than a LT to me.

10. Detroit, Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State. The Lions need help in the secondary. It will be tough to pass on the home state kid in Darqueze Dennard of Michigan State, but Gilbert’s speed and return ability make the difference.

11. Tennessee, Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State. After losing Pro Bowl corner Alterraun Verner in free agency, the Titans could use a replacement.

12. N.Y. Giants, Aaron Donald, DT. Pitt. Donald is the perfect fit for New York’s attacking front four.

13. St. Louis, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama. The Rams could go WR here but they can get one later. What they can't do is get the best safety available. And rumor has it they love Clinton-Dix.

14.   Chicago, Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State. Jernigan was dominating the national championship game until gassing out in the fourth quarter.

15.   Pittsburgh, Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M. With both top corners gone, the Steelers breath a sigh of relief that Evans isn't. If he and both top corners are gone, look for a trade back.

16.   Dallas, Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville. The Cowboys defense has been a mess on the back end for years.

17.   Baltimore, Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina. The Ravens could use defensive help, but Ebron is too good to pass up.

18.   N.Y. Jets, Zack Martin, OL, Notre Dame. The Jets could use a playmaker on offense, but Martin’s a nice value pick for a team that needs guard help.

19.   Miami, Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama. The Dolphins would have preferred Martin, but settle for Kouandjio.

20.   Arizona, Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State. The Cardinals go for the value. And Carson Palmer is now 34 years old.

21.   Green Bay, Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA. The Packers could use help anywhere on their defensive front.

22.   Philadelphia, Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State. Shazier has outstanding speed, which will fit in well with what the Eagles are trying to build.

23.   Kansas City, Marquise Lee, WR, USC. The Chiefs struck out with Jonathan Baldwin a couple of years ago. But Lee is a more proven commodity.

24.   Cincinnati, Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri. Michael Sams got all the publicity, but Ealy’s the better pro prospect.

25.   San Diego, Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame. The Chargers need a run stuffer in the middle of their 3-4.

26.   Cleveland, Brandon Cooks, WR, Oregon State. The Browns got their QB early in the draft and now get the fastest player in this draft later.

27.   New Orleans, Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech. Here's a darkhorse pick for the Steelers if Gilbert and Dennard are gone.

28.   Carolina, Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State. The Panthers are basically starting over at wide receiver.

29.   New England, Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon State. Crichton is the kind of disruptive athlete Belichick likes.

30.   San Francisco, Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, LSU. The 49ers don’t have enough playmakers on offense.

31.   Denver, Dee Ford, DE/LB Auburn. An additional pass rusher for the Broncos.

32.   Seattle, Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame. The Seahawks suffered some defensive line losses and get a good value pick in Tuitt.

Steelers add Heyward-Bey in another low-cost move

You at least have to give the Steelers an A for effort for what they've done this offseason even if you don't necessarily like all of the moves.

The Steelers signed their seventh veteran free agent from another team Wednesday, adding wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey with a one-year minimum salary deal.

I said throughout the season the Steelers wouldn't be cash-strapped this offseason and that has proven to be the case, as the team has gone outside its character and added some pieces in free agency. For a team that has usually sat on its hands in the corner of the room while everyone else went crazy, it's a change.

But in reality, the Steelers have continued to be conscious of the big picture, not overspending for any player, even some of their own.

The team wanted to keep Al Woods and Jerricho Cotchery. But once the bidding got too high for both of those players, the Steelers allowed them to walk, signing Cam Thomas and Lance Moore to the deals they had been offering Woods and Cotchery.

Are they upgrades? We don't know at this point. But had they signed Woods and Cotchery to the money they got from Tennessee and Carolina, respectively, the Steelers could have been out of the market completely and missed on adding any of the other five players they have signed.

And that is where the Steelers have bettered themselves this offseason.

In previous years, because the salary cap was stagnant the past few years, the Steelers were only able to replace aging stars and free agent losses with rookies. They opened the 2013 season with 20 new faces on the roster, most of them young, unproven players.

This year, they are replacing veteran free agent losses with veterans. That should make a difference in 2014.

@ The Steelers hosted Michigan State corner Darqueze Dennard and Notre Dame defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt.

Denard has been linked often with the Steelers and the 15th pick in the upcoming draft. The Steelers like him a lot.

Tuitt, meanwhile, was considered a first-round pick heading into this season, but a foot injury has limited him from doing much in pre-draft workouts. He could fall to the second round, where the Steelers would likely love to get him just as they did when tight end Heath Miller fell to them in 2005 when he couldn't work out in the offseason due to a sports hernia issue.

Steelers sign McCain, will host Heyward-Bey

The Steelers continued a very busy offseason Tuesday by signing free agent cornerback Brice McCain to a one-year deal.

McCain, who was basically the nickel corner for Houston the past few years, will count just $635,000 against the team's salary cap.

His signing leaves the Steelers with less than $500,000 in remaining cap space. But that won't stop the team from continuing to shop.

Wednesday, veteran wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey is expected to visit.

The Steelers can likely fit Heyward-Bey under their cap without making any other moves if he's willing to sign a one-year deal at the minimum as McCain did. Pittsburgh gave McCain a $730,000 contract with a $65,000 signing bonus.

But per NFL rules, teams can get a cap discount for veteran players that lowers their cap hit slightly. And he moves another salary out of the top 51 salaries, for which the basement is currently $420,000.

McCain, 27, is expected to battle William Gay for the nickel position while also playing special teams and providing veteran depth.

Heyward-Bey would be an interesting signing if the Steelers can make that happen.

The 6-2, 219-pound speedster is a former first-round pick of Oakland who spent 2013 with Indianapolis.

His best season came in 2011 when he caught 64 passes for 975 yards and four touchdowns. He had 29 catches for 309 yards and a score in 2013 for Indianapolis.

@ The Steelers hosted a pair of my draft favorites today, bringing in Ole Miss speedy wideout Donte Moncrief and Baylor running back Lache Seastrunk.

Moncrief is considered a second-round talent, though I wouldn't be shocked if he went at the end of the first round, while Seastrunk is a third or fourth-round guy.

Steelers land a big fish

Sorry I've been a little inactive on the blog this week. Been in Myrtle Beach watching my son's high school baseball team open the season.

The Steelers, of course, added another good free agent pickup on Friday, signing running back LeGarrette Blount to back up LeVeon Bell.

Blount, a former 1,000-yard rusher with Tampa Bay, comes over from New England, where he ran for more than 700 yards and seven touchdowns in 2013 as part of a running back rotation.

He might not get quite as much work as the 150-plus carries he had with the Patriots in 2013, but I would expect the Steelers to split the touches between Bell and Blount in a 70-30 fashion.

Blount also averaged more than 29 yards per kickoff return in 2013 for New England, so there's a good chance he will serve that role with the Steelers as well.

The 250-pounder averaged a  very healthy 5.0 yards per carry in 2013 - the second time in his four-year NFL career he's been at 5.0 - and should give the Steelers the best 1-2 running back punch in the AFC North.

@ With a wide receiver and running back added to the equation, the Steelers will be done in free agency offensively. They'll add a wide receiver in the first two days of the draft in May to complete their offensive makeover.

I still see some mock drafts with the Steelers taking an offensive linemen in the first round and chuckle every time. That's not going to happen.

Pittsburgh is taking a wide receiver or corner in the first round with the top targets being Darqueze Dennard, Justin Gilbert, Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin, pretty much in that order.

If none of those players are available, or if it's Benjamin, who they feel they might be able to get a few picks later, you could see a trade down.

My perfect Steelers scenario at this point would be Dennard in the first round and a big wideout in the second, with Donte Moncrief and Jordan Matthews being the targets.

@ With Alex Carrington signing with St. Louis earlier this week, the odds increased for the Steelers to bring back Brett Keisel for one more year to serve in a defensive line rotation with Cam Thomas.

Steelers-Bills agree to joint practices

The Steelers and Bills have agreed to hold joint practices the next two seasons over the course of three days.

The Bills will visit Latrobe this summer, with the Steelers returning the favor and visiting the Bills' camp at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y., in 2015.

The Steelers and Bills used to hold a joint practice/scrimmage back in the early 90s at Edinboro University and Pittsburgh also used to scrimmage against Washington.

The interesting thing about these scrimmages is that the Bills' general manager, Doug Whaley, is a former scout for the Steelers and Buffalo has a number of former Steelers on its roster.

@ The Steelers hope to sign a veteran free agent running back by the end of this week.

Maurice Jones-Drew is still the frontrunner, but he wants $3.5 million to play this season, more than the Steelers, who are currently less than $1 million under the salary cap, are willing to pay.

LeGarrette Blount will be in town later this week to meet with team officials once they get back from the owner's meetings.

The Steelers can free up some cash immediately with a restructure of Lawrence Timmons' contract, something that would be beneficial to both parties.

At some point, they'll also work out a new deal with linebacker Jason Worilds - though that's a little more difficult since it's a negotiation. It takes two sides to agree.

The team isn't in any hurry to extend quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is scheduled to make just over $12 million this season and has two seasons remaining on his current deal.

That's a bargain price for a quarterback of Roethlisberger's skill.

Steelers add linebacker depth

The Steelers signed Buffalo free agent linebacker Arthur Moats on Monday, barely getting him in the door at the team facility before coming to an agreement on a one-year deal.

Moats, a starter at weakside linebacker for the Bills in 2013, has good speed -he ran in the 4.6s at the NFL combine - and  size at 6-2, 250. He can play inside or outside, giving the Steelers some much-needed depth.

In 2013, Moats, a former sixth-round pick of the Bills, had 54 tackles.

His signing would appear to bring to an end any thoughts by the team of bringing James Harrison back.

That's probably not a bad thing. At 26, Moats is 10 years younger than Harrison and will give the team far more flexibility on game days because he can also play special teams.

It will be interesting to see if he can push or beat out Vince Williams for a starting spot at inside linebacker, or if that's even in the cards.

Moats is considered a good locker room guy and is very active in the community.

@ The Steelers have pushed running back LeGarrette Blount's visit to Friday when Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney II return from the owners meetings.

The Steelers don't appear to be in a real hurry to sign a backup running back. That is one position where it is very easy for a rookie to come in and contribute greatly right away.

@ The Steelers received a third, fifth and sixth round draft pick in the compensatory draft.

The third rounder was expected for Mike Wallace, as was a fifth for Keenan Lewis. The sixth was a little unexpected. I had guessed they'd get a seventh, if anything.

Pittsburgh now has nine picks in this year's draft.

Steelers sign Moore, to host Blount

The Steelers on Friday bolstered their thin wide receiver group by signing veteran Lance Moore to a two-year deal.

Pittsburgh was in dire straights at receiver, having lost both Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery in free agency to Denver and Carolina, respectively, earlier this week.

Moore, who has 346 career receptions for 4,281 yards and 38 touchdowns, gives the Steelers another veteran option. The only other receivers with NFL experience on the roster behind Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Derek Moye, have a combined eight career receptions, all of which came in 2013.

The Steelers would have preferred to keep Cotchery, but when he scheduled a visit with Carolina earlier this week, they immediately contacted Moore and had him in for a visit.

The addition of Moore could give the Steelers a MAC-heavy starting offense in 2014. Brown, Moore and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger all played in that conference.

Ironically, Moore also signed as a rookie free agent with Cleveland in 2005 before joining New Orleans after his release. Now, Moore will play against the Browns twice a year for at least the next two seasons.

@ The Steelers are expected to host free agent running back LeGarrette Blount next Friday. Blount rushed for more than 700 yards with seven touchdowns for New England last season despite sharing the running back duties.

Pittsburgh hosted Maurice Jones-Drew earlier this week. But Jones-Drew is reportedly seeking an offer of at least $3.5 million per year, which is more than the Steelers are willing to pay at this point.

The Patriots want to bring Blount back next season, while Baltimore is also reportedly interested in his services.

@ Tight end Michael Palmer also was re-signed by the Steelers Friday to a one-year deal.

Another day, another FA loss

Jerricho Cotchery accepted a two-year deal from Carolina on Thursday, spurning an offer to return to the Steelers.

The deal is worth $5 million, with $3.5 million of that front-loaded into the first season, making it an offer the Steelers would have had a tough time matching.

Pittsburgh is currently about $2.5 million under the salary cap.

With Cotchery gone, the Steelers have a combined 8 receptions on the roster among their receivers not named Antonio Brown.

The Steelers hosted veteran wide receiver Lance Moore on Wednesday and were in a holding pattern with him while they waited to see what happened with Cotchery. Now, you can expect the Steelers to begin courting Moore even harder.

@ Team president Art Rooney II said Thursday that the Steelers have been informed by the league that it will not lose a draft pick for the Mike Tomlin sideline infraction last season in Baltimore.

That's not necessarily a surprise, but it is new news.

@ Tomlin was at Notre Dame's pro day today and did some individual workouts with nose tackle Louis Nix III.

That calculated move - Tomlin made sure photographers were there taking his picture with Nix - could be pure smokescreen.

Surprise visitor on the South Side

Veteran receiver Lance Moore finally made his visit to the Steelers facility on the South Side Wednesday.

But the buzz of the day involved the surprise visit of Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

MJD is one of the top free agent running backs available this season, despite the fact he turns 29 on Sunday. He's still a productive running back, even though his rushing average dropped to a career-low 3.4 yards last season.

He's still very productive catching the ball out of the backfield and though he might not get a starting offer anywhere at this point in his career, there has to be other suitors out there who would use him as a third-down back.

As such, I'd be shocked if the Steelers signed him, but he is returning Thursday for another day of meeting with the team, so that's a positive sign.

Moore will remain a possibility as long as Jerricho Cotchery's situation remains unsettled.

But at 5-9, Moore would be another slot-type receiver, though he has played outside at times during his career in New Orleans.

It would be interesting to see how he fit into the mix with the other smurf-type receivers currently on the Steelers' roster, Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton.

@ The Steelers are currently about $2.5 million under the salary cap, but can free up as much as $4 million in cap space with a simple restructure of Lawrence Timmons' contract.

@ The James Harrison rumors continue to be hot and I'm hearing the Steelers are considering bringing the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year back for a season at the veteran minimum.

That move, however, wouldn't likely be made until after the draft.

As I wrote yesterday, I can see the need for a proven pass rusher who knows the defense. But bringing in a reserve linebacker who, at 36, isn't likely to play special teams is troublesome.

Free agency, start of Week 2

Tuesday marked the start of the second week of the free agency period as the Steelers hosted wide receiver Lance Moore of New Orleans.

James Starks, who was supposed to visit as well, signed a two-year contract instead to stay in Green Bay.

Meanwhile, after spending all of Monday and part of Tuesday in Carolina, Jerricho Cotchery left Charlotte without a contract.

He is deciding whether to accept an offer from Carolina or return to the Steelers.

Cotchery likes it here and fits in well in the locker room. I'd say he's probably leaning toward returning to Pittsburgh, but it might come down to money.

@ James Harrison told the NFL Network Monday night he'd like to come back to the Steelers. He still lives in Pittsburgh and was released last week by Cincinnati.

At first glance, it might make some sense for the Steelers to bring Harrison back. Their only real depth behind Jason Worilds and Jarvis Jones at outside linebacker is Chris Carter.

But they also have to find out what they have in Carter, who is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of this season.

For a long time the Steelers relied on veterans at the expense of playing some of their younger players. As such, once those players hit free agency, they had a very limited knowledge of what those players could do in terms of game action with the added issue of ticking the younger guys off because they felt there was a glass ceiling here.

The best thing for the Steelers to do is wait until after the draft to make a decision with Harrison. In fact, they could wait until after June 1, when they'll get an additional $8 million in cap space, to sign a guy who already knows the system.

The trouble with bringing Harrison back at his point is that he'd have to come back knowing he's a backup. And at his age, he might no longer be able to play special teams, a must for a reserve linebacker.

Steelers re-sign Whimper

If you'd have told me last August the Steelers would be re-signing offensive lineman Guy Whimper, I'd have told you they were in desperation mode.

But after a solid season in 2013 as Pittsburgh's swing offensive lineman, Whimper was brought back Monday for a one-year deal.

It's a solid signing and gives the Steelers eight of their top nine offensive linemen returning in 2014.

Center Maurkice Pouncey is on pace with his rehab and should be ready to return from his torn ACL by the start of training camp, at the latest.

Because of that, a line that has often entered training camp in a state of flux, will be pretty well set heading into 2014.

Unless something changes dramatically, Pouncey will be at center with David DeCastro and Ramon Foster at guard, Kelvin Beachum at left tackle and either Mike Adams or Marcus Gilbert at right tackle.

Certainly the tackle spots could change, but none of the changes would be drastic. Adams could blossom under the tutelage of new line coach Mike Munchak and take the left tackle spot from Beachum, for example.

But after years of being unsettled, the Steelers' line finally has some semblance of continuity.

@ After signing Whimper, the Steelers have $2.4 million in remaining cap space.

They can, however, free up some cap room by working out and extension with transition tagged linebacker Jason Worilds or with a restructure of Lawrence Timmons' contract.

@ Adam Schefter is now reporting that running back James Starks will re-sign with Green Bay for a two-year deal. The Steelers will have to look elsewhere for running back help.

At this point, I like Michael Bush of Chicago and Bernard Scott, formerly of Cincinnati and Baltimore.

I think guys such as Knowshon Moreno and LeGarrette Blount will just be too expensive.

WR could become an issue

The Steelers took an expected hit on Sunday when wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders signed a three-year deal with Denver worth $18 million.

But another, unexpected loss could also be on the way as free agent wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery is scheduled to visit Monday with the wide receiver-starved Carolina Panthers.

If the Steelers lose both wide receivers, they will be in a similar situation to Carolina. The Panthers released wideout Steve Smith last week and he signed with Baltimore, while Brandon LaFell, Carolina’s other starting wideout, signed with New England late Saturday night.

The Steelers still have Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Brown, but are now in danger of losing two of their top three wideouts.

Sanders was second on the team with 67 receptions for 760 yards and six touchdowns in 2013, while Cotchery led the Steelers with 10 touchdown receptions to go along with his 46 receptions for 602 yards.

If Cotchery, whom the Steelers would like to re-sign, agrees to a deal with Carolina, the only receivers other than Brown with NFL experience on Pittsburgh’s roster would be Derek Moye and Markus Wheaton, two players with eight combined career receptions.

The Steelers have had some talks with Cotchery’s agent and he just returned from a team-sponsored fan cruise on Saturday, but the 31-year-old played collegiately at North Carolina State.

Just in case, the Steelers also have set up a meeting with free agent wideout Lance Moore of New Orleans on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh has just over $3 million in remaining salary cap space after making five free agent signings last week, including Carolina safety Mike Mitchell, though the team can count on an additional $8 million in cap space being cleared June 1 when LaMarr Woodley’s contract comes off its books.

Steelers to host Starks

Needing a reliable backup to running back Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers will take a look at Green Bay free agent James Starks.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal, Starks will meet with the Steelers on Monday.

The Steelers are quite familiar with Starks, who turned 28 last month. He started Super Bowl XLV for the Packers in a 31-25 victory over the Steelers, gaining 52 yards on 11 carries. He also gained 47 yards on 10 carries in a 38-31 Pittsburgh victory in Green Bay last December while serving as the backup to rookie Eddie Lacy.

Starks had 493 yards on 89 attempts in 2013 serving as the backup to Lacy, the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year.

The Steelers are looking for a capable backup to Bell, their rookie of the year in 2013 when he set a franchise record with 1,259 total yards.

Reserve running back Jonathan Dwyer signed with Arizona earlier this week, and fellow reserves Felix Jones and LaRod Stephens-Howling are also both unrestricted free agents.

Currently, the only other running back on Pittsburgh’s roster is Alvester Alexander, who spent the entire 2013 season on the practice squad.

After signing safety Mike Mitchell, defensive lineman Cam Thomas, safety Will Allen, long snapper Greg Warren and center Cody Wallace earlier this week, the Steelers have about $3.5 million in available salary cap space.

@ Looking for a good sign? Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, a free agent, was on the Steelers-sponsored fan cruise the past few days.

The Steelers have been in negotiations with the agent for Cotchery about his return. It would seem he's still very much interested in returning.

Perhaps in the future, the Steelers should send all of their impending free agents on a cruise in the opening days of free agency. Tough to get a new contract offer on a boat.

@ After a whirlwind tour of the country, making trips to Jackonsville, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, San Francisco and, apparently, Denver, Emmanuel Sanders appears to be signing with Denver.

The Steelers had planned on losing Sanders all along. They weren't going to overpay for a No. 2 receiver who has a history of foot injuries.

Sanders didn't miss any time the past two seasons with the injuries - he has had problems in both feet - but he did sit out some practices because of soreness.

Day 4 free agency

The Steelers signed nose tackle Cam Thomas to a two-year deal on Friday. The move could mean that Steve McLendon is slated to move to defensive end., though Thomas can also play end.

Thomas was one of two defensive linemen to visit the team on Friday in the wake of Al Woods signing with Tennessee and Ziggy Hood leaving for Jacksonville.

Thomas (6-4, 330) started 10 games for San Diego last season. He signed a two-year deal worth $4 million that included a $1 million signing bonus and a $1 million salary for 2014, putting his cap number at $1.5 million this season.

Buffalo's Alex Carrington was the other. There is no news on Carrington yet though he reportedly had a good visit.

Carrington isn't fully healed from the quad injury he suffered last season, but he checked out OK with the team's doctors

Free agency, Day 3

The Steelers lost a second defensive lineman Thursday as Ziggy Hood signed with Jacksonville. Coupled with the loss of Al Woods to Tennessee, it assures the Steelers will have a whole new look on their defensive line in 2014.

That's not a bad thing.

The line was just OK in 2013. Cam Heyward is an emerging star and Steve McLendon is a good, not great, nose tackle.

But the Steelers didn't get much out of the other defensive end spot last season. Brett Keisel is 37 and clearly on the downside, while Hood never became the 3-4 end the Steelers hoped.

Pittsburgh will have Buffalo's Alex Carrington in for a visit later today. He was on my pre-free agency watch list and would be a good fit.

The Steelers are also bringing in San Diego nose tackle Cam Thomas for a visit. Thomas began the season as San Diego's starting nose tackle but was benched after 10 games.

The losses of Woods and Hood also increases the chances that Keisel might be brought back on a one-year deal. But if they do so, it would not be as a starter.

Linebacker LaMarr Woodley signed a two-year deal with Oakland worth $12 million, or about $1.5 million than he's costing the Steelers in dead cap money over the next two seasons.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders will make his third free agency visit. After spending time with Jacksonville and Tampa Bay, Sanders will head to Kansas City.

Day 2 of free agency

The Steelers made a couple of moves on Wednesday that were much more Steelers-like, re-signing a pair of their own players, center Cody Wallace and long snapper Greg Warren.

Neither move will get much publicity outside of Pittsburgh, but both were solid moves.

Wallace will provide veteran depth behind Maurkice Pouncey, while Warren has long been a solid long snapper since joining the team in 2005.

The Wallace signing means the Steelers likely won't re-sign Fernando Velasco, though that's certainly not written in stone. Velasco, of course, missed the final four games of 2013 with a torn Achilles' tendon. Wallace started those final four games and the Steelers went 3-1.

Three players jumped ship, as running back Jonathan Dwyer signed with Arizona, tight end David Johnson left for San Diego and defensive lineman Al Woods was lured away by Tennessee.

Dwyer had an up-and-down career with the Steelers, leading them in rushing in 2012, then getting released at the end of training camp in 2013. The Steelers later brought him back, but he wasn't in their long-term plans despite the fact they don't have a running back on the roster with any experience behind Le'Veon Bell.

The Steelers would like to re-sign LaRod Stephens-Howling, instead, though they could also look for other veteran help.

 Woods signed with the Titans for $5 million over two years. Considering the Steelers will pay new safety Mike Mitchell just under $2 million this season, that was too rich for their blood, even though they would have liked to have him back since they have little defensive line depth.

Johnson, a former starter at fullback, hasn't played much due to injury in the past two seasons.

Meanwhile, a second defensive lineman, Ziggy Hood, spent Wednesday in Jacksonville meeting with Jaguars officials.

Woods, Hood and Brett Keisel, all unrestricted free agents, combined with Cameron Heyward and Steve McLendon to play the majority of the snaps on the defensive line last season for the Steelers.

Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who was second on the team with 67 receptions for 740 yards and six touchdowns – all career bests – spent the day visiting with the Jaguars, as well. Sanders is scheduled to visit Tampa Bay today.

The player the Steelers signed Mitchell to replace, free safety Ryan Clark, will visit with Washington today. Clark joined the Steelers in 2006 after two seasons with the Redskins.

Finally, linebacker LaMarr Woodley, released by the Steelers Tuesday in a salary cap-related move, announced on Twitter than he will travel to Oakland to visit with the Raiders today.

Steelers sign Mike Mitchell

The Steelers signed a player on the opening day of free agency for the first time in as long as I can remember, scooping up Carolina's Mike Mitchell, a free safety with a five-year, $25-million deal.

Mitchell was on my free agency list to watch and is a good signing.

He recorded four interceptions and four sacks last season in Carolina after playing his first four seasons in Oakland and is considered a good blitzer with excellent speed.

Not that this is surprising, but the signing ends Ryan Clark's tenure in Pittsburgh, something Clark confirmed Monday night when he tweeted that he had not received an offer from the Steelers.

With Mitchell on board, the Steelers now have quality starters and depth at safety with Troy Polamalu, Shamarko Thomas and Will Allen also coming back.

@ The Steelers have also begun negotiations with the agent for free agent wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery.

Cotchery, who led the Steelers with 10 TD catches in 2013, is an unrestricted free agent.

Steelers continue trimming

The Steelers on Tuesday will release linebacker LaMarr Woodley with a June 1 designation.

By doing so, the Steelers will receive $8 million in salary cap savings after June 1 with $5.59 million of his current deal being pushed into 2015.

So the Steelers will have to continue carrying his $13.59 million cap number until June 1.

Why do it now? It allows Woodley the opportunity to find a job elsewhere while also not giving him a chance to be injured during the offseason at an OTA or mini-camp.

Quite simply, it was the right thing to do.

When Woodley's money comes off the books, the Steelers will have around $11 million in cap space.

The team also worked out a deal with cornerback Ike Taylor to lower his $7 million base salary for 2014, which will be additional savings. Taylor took a $4.25 million pay cut to stay in Pittsburgh and will now earn $2.75 million.

Coupled with the moves they made last week, the Steelers now have around $8 million in cap space.

The Steelers made some initial inquiries with three potential free agent cornerbacks, speaking to the agents of Tennessee's Alterraun Verner, Miami's Nolan Carroll and Carolina's Captain Munnerlyn.

Carroll and Munnerlyn were two guys who were already on my radar and seem much more realistic than Verner, who was a 2013 Pro Bowl player.

The Steelers do have some ties to Verner, however. Offensive line coach Mike Munchak was his head coach in Tennessee, while Steelers defensive backs coach held the same position at UCLA when Verner was a player there.

Still, it's unlikely Verner is going to take a lesser deal from Pittsburgh because of that, especially when he has a number of suitors.

Steelers now close to cap compliance

The Steelers made a flurry of moves on Wednesday trimming $15 million off their 2014 cap to bring them within striking distance of the $133 million NFL salary cap.

All teams must be under the cap by Tuesday.

The Steelers gave safety Troy Polamalu and tight end Heath Miller two-year contract extensions that trimmed $8 million off of their salary cap while giving neither player any "new" money.

Both players had their 2014 salaries trimmed - $1.5 million for Polamalu and $1 million for Miller - with the remainder of what they were scheduled to earn turned into signing bonus, which can prorated over the three years of their contracts.

Polamalu will now have cap friendly salaries of $6 million in 2015 and 2016, while Miller's will come in at $4 million in each of those seasons.

The Steelers also signed impending free agent safety Will Allen to a deal that seals Ryan Clark's fate. With Allen now under contract, at 1 year and $985,000, the Steelers will allow Clark to leave, not a surprising fact, but now a fact nonetheless.

In addition, the team released Levi Brown, Curtis Brown and Larry Foote at a savings of $7.95 million.

What does all of this mean?

It means there isn't a true urgency to release cornerback Ike Taylor, though the team will continue to work with Taylor at lowering his 2014 salary, which is currently $7 million with a cap hit of $11.9 million.

The Steelers could see some additional cap savings with further extensions - Ben Roethlisberger - or by signing linebacker Jason Worilds, who had the transition tag placed on him Monday, to a more cap-friendly long-term deal.

The Steelers are also now in a position where they don't HAVE to cut linebacker LaMarr Woodley, though that could still happen with a June 1 designation.

Now what?

Now that the Steelers have taken care of their biggest issue in free agency, first slapping the transition tag on linebacker Jason Worilds and then getting him to sign it, thus assuring he won't leave as a free agent.

Next up with Worilds is getting him to agree to a contract extension that will lower his 2014 cap hit - currently set at $9.75 million thanks to the transition tag.

That will be critical for the Steelers, who now find themselves some $15 million over the cap after tagging Worlds.

Prior to tagging Worilds, the Steelers were around $6 million over the $133 million cap, a sum that could have been made up in one fell swoop by releasing Levi Brown and his bloated $6.2 million salary.

Now, the Steelers will have to get a little more creative, particularly if they wish to sign any of their own potential free agents before they hit the open market next Tuesday.

With Worilds out of the picture, who will they target?

Tops on my list would be wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who led the team with 10 TD catches in 2013, and two defensive ends, Brett Keisel and Al Woods.

Woods might be a guy who jumps out among those three. After all, he's been just a spot player over the past two years after hanging around on the practice squad.

But he showed enough flexibility last season at both end and nose tackle for him to be very valuable to the Steelers.

With Emmanuel Sanders likely to leave as a free agent, Cotchery would give the team a stable veteran presence at wideout, while the same could be said of Keisel at defensive end, where Ziggy Hood is also a free agent.

After those three, offensive lineman Guy Whimper would be next on my list, something I would never have envisioned typing last August. But Whimper showed enough as a swing man in 2013 to merit coming back again on a veteran minimum deal.

I would also try to bring back LaRod Stephens-Howling and Fernando Velasco, two guys who could be relatively easy re-signings given that both ended the 2013 season on IR.

Finally, I'd bring back Michael Palmer for tight end depth. Palmer showed me enough last season as a blocker and special teams performer that he's worth keeping around to push David Paulsen for the No. 3 tight end spot.

Steelers place transition tag on Worilds

The Steelers made a surprising move Monday, placing the transition tag on impending free agent linebacker Jason Worilds.

The move came after general manager Kevin Colbert said just a couple of weeks ago the Steelers were unlikely to use any tags this offseason.

But when some of the other top-end pass rushers were taken off the market via tags by their respective teams, it made Worilds one of the hottest prospects on the open market.

So the Steelers covered themselves, somewhat, by tagging Worilds, who led them with eight sacks in 2013 despite making just 11 starts.

The Steelers will now pay Worilds $9.7 million and change if they are unable to work out a long-term deal. He has the right the explore free agency and sign elsewhere, but the Steelers have the right to match the deal.

If they decline to match, however, they receive no compensation.

The tricky part is that teams can continue to offer transition tagged players a contract until July 21 - right before everyone goes to training camp. That, however, is unlikely.

It's somewhat unrealistic to expect a team to make a pitch to Worilds that would count much more than $9.7 million in 2014. A team would have to really front-load his contract with some guaranteed money to make that happen. And, as many Steelers fans are quick to point out, he's only really had one breakout half season.

He has more value to the Steelers, who have liked his potential from the start, than he has elsewhere. And there's also some pressure on the Steelers now to reach a long-term deal with him quickly that will help reduce his 2014 cap hit.

@ The Steelers also are working on an extension with tight end Heath Miller, among others, that will keep him in Pittsburgh in the future while also lowering his $9.5 million cap hit for 2014.

The Steelers, after tagging Worilds, are now about $15 million over the $133 million salary cap.

They can easily shed $6.2 million of that by releasing offensive tackle Levi Brown, and there are some simple restructures - with Antonio Brown for example - that will give them considerable cap savings as well.

But they also have to now get cornerback Ike Taylor to take a cut in pay from the $7 million base salary he's due in 2014.

Something tells me they wouldn't have tagged Worilds unless they were certain they had enough moves to make to get under the cap with relative ease.

News and notes

As we have seen in recent days, it's understandable why Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has taken all of the news regarding the salary cap with a grain of salt.

The latest reports have the cap now at $133 million - a figure that was sent out to teams in a memo, which would make it official - with it scheduled to raise to $150 million by 2016.

That's good news for the Steelers, of course, but it's also good news for all of the team who have found themselves up against the cap.

The biggest winners? Perhaps the Cincinnati Bengals.

With a lot of good young talent, the Bengals were going to have some issues signing guys in upcoming years - and still might given owner Mike Brown's propensity for being cheap. Now, the Bengals can sign who they want.

Their big issue will be whether they want to move forward in the future with quarterback Andy Dalton.

@ The Ravens cut loose a guy that would interest me a lot if I were in charge of the Steelers - linebacker Jameel McClain.

I've always liked McClain as a player. Some Steelers fans might still hold a grudge against McClain for his hit on Heath Miller a few years ago, but it was a football play, nothing dirty.

@ Things should really start to heat up on the free agent front with the Steelers in the coming week. With the start of free agency coming March 11, look for the team to lock up one or two of its impending free agents next week.

My guesses? Linebacker Jason Worilds and defensive lineman Al Woods.

@ The Steelers have also opened some extension negotiations with some veterans for cap relief. Look for something to happen with Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor.

DBs burn up the track

It was time for the defensive backs to run their 40s on Tuesday and they didn't disappoint overall.

Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert and Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard likely solidified their spots in the first round at the cornerback position.

Gilbert was timed at an ultra-fast 4.37 in the 40 for his official clocking. Considering his ideal 6-0, 202-pound size and excellent tape, he might have locked himself in as the top corner in this draft.

Dennard, the 2013 Jim Thorpe Award winner, came into the combine with fears that he wouldn't run well. He did, clocking at an official 4.51, though his hand-held times were both well under that, so some teams might have him faster.

The top two safety prospects both also did fine for bigger guys.

Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix had an official time of 4.58 at 6-1, 208 pounds with his hand-held times coming in at 4.50 and 4.52.

Louisville's Calvin Pryor, meanwhile, also clocked in officially at 4.58 at 5-11, 207.

Who really helped themselves?

How about Northwest Missouri State's Brandon Dixon (4.41), Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller (4.49), Phillip Gaines of Rice (4.38), Dontae Johnson of North Carolina State (4.45 at 6-2, 200), Jabari Price of North Carolina (4.45) and Jaylen Watkins of Florida (4.41).

Guys who are going to need to redeem themselves at their pro days with better times include Dion Bailey of USC (4.66), Ahmad Dixon of Baylor (4.64), Kenny Ladler of Vanderbilt (4.70) and Louchiez Purifoy of Florida (4.61).

Steelers draft starting to take shape

If you had any questions about what the Steelers were thinking heading into the NFL draft, they gave a glimpse this weekend at the combine.

Pittsburgh met with a number of players, most of whom were players at three spots: defensive linemen, wide receivers and safeties.

The potential early-round draft guys they spoke with according to Jim Wexell of SteelCityInsider.com include defensive linemen Ra'Shede Hademan of Minnesota and the Notre Dame duo of Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt, wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin of Florida State, Ole Miss' Donte Moncrief and Penn State's Allan Robinson, and safeties Terrance Brooks of Florida State, Calvin Pryor of Louisville, Ahmad Dixon of Baylor and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix of Alabama.

The team also met with corner Justin Gilbert of Oklahoma State and tight end Eric Ebron of North Carolina, both of whom are considered first-round prospects.

@ Moncrief is a guy who should jump out at you on that list. People knew he was fast, but at 6-2, 221 pounds, the former Ole Miss star - the same school that produced Mike Wallace - ran an uber-fast official 4.4-second 40.

By comparison, Benjamin (6-5, 240) ran an official 4.61, while Robinson (6-2, 220) was at 4.60.

Also of interest was that Vanderbilt's Jordan Matthews, who I have yet to see linked with the Steelers, ran a 4.46 at 6-3, 215 pounds. Not bad for a guy considered to be the most polished route runner in this draft by many.

Mike Evans of Texas A&M didn't hurt himself, either, with a 4.53 at 6-4 1/2, 231 pounds, though Sammy Watkins solidified his status as the No. 1 receiver by burning up the track with a 4.43.

Needless to say, this is a deep wide receiver class.

@ ESPN's John Clayton is now reporting that sources are telling him the salary cap is going up to $132 million in 2014. This after Adam Shefter reporter earlier in the week that it would be $130 million.

Of course, the original projections had it set at just over $126 million.

This is why Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said earlier in the week that nothing has yet been set in stone. The Steelers will continue to work off of the lowest figure and if the cap figure comes in higher, they'll be pleasantly surprised.

Currently, the Steelers are sitting at $138.75 million for their top 51 salaries. So if the cap does come in at $132, the simple release of Levi Brown at a savings of $6.25 million would pretty much put the Steelers in cap compliance.

There will, of course, be other moves - things will start heating up now that the combine is wrapping up. But, as I have been saying all along, the Steelers' cap situation isn't nearly as dire this season as it has been in previous ones.

Cap jumps to $130 million

The Steelers, and really everyone else in the NFL, got some good news Thursday when it was reported the salary cap is expected to be at $130 million in 2014, not the $126.3 million that was originally expected.

That number is not yet set in stone and could go up - which is more likely - or down, but for a teams currently over the cap, as the Steelers are as I write this, that's good news if it turns out to be true.

"I think that is a welcomed rumor," said Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert Thursday. "We haven't gotten any information on the cap, and I don't anticipate us getting it until really close to March 11. So whether it goes up or not, we have to prepare for the worst and see where it lands. You don't want to have false hope that it's going to be ($130 million) and then it's not. So, we still have to prepare off of what we were working with last year, and then maybe add to it.

"Those numbers start floating around, but they haven't been substantiated."

The first move will be releasing offensive tackle Levi Brown at a savings of $6.2 million. That move by itself will leave the Steelers just $2 million over the cap if the $130 million figure is correct, something that can be fixed with a simple restructure or a contract extension without releasing anyone else.

It was interesting to note, however, that NFL.com listed a number of Steelers as potential cap cuts, including LaMarr Woodley and Ike Taylor, with Troy Polamalu listed as a possible surprise cut.

Brown and linebacker Larry Foote were only listed possible potential cuts.

Make no mistake, Brown is going to be released. Of the others, Woodley is possible, but only after June 1.

I don't see Taylor or Polamalu being released.

Taylor will be asked to take a pay cut, to be sure. And if the Steelers ask him to take a pay cut, they also have to be prepared for what happens if he says no. But Taylor has said several times that he doesn't want to play anywhere else. He has a very close relationship with Steelers chairman Dan Rooney.

I'll take him at his word that he doesn't want to leave Pittsburgh.

Three weeks to free agency

With about three weeks remaining until the start of the NFL's free agency period on March 11, there has been little movement around the league in terms of teams signing their own guys

That could be due to what Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said was the deepest draft he's seen in 30 years. It could also be because teams still aren't quite sure where the cap is going to be at.

Early estimates put it at $126.3 million. The early estimates are usually low, and recently I've also seen around $128 million as being possibility.

Either way, the Steelers have some work to do before free agency begins. Colbert said last week that the team has had some preliminary talks with some players about new deals, extensions and possible pay cuts. Watch for those to heat up considerably in the coming weeks, most likely after everyone gets back from the NFL combine, which begins this weekend.

Look for the Steelers to also be players on the free agent market this offseason - at least on some mid to low-level guys, particularly on the defensive line and in the secondary.

Here are some guys I like who could come rather cheaply:

Alex Carrington, DE, Buffalo
Tyson Jackson, DE, Kansas City
Corey Wooten, DE, Chicago
Terrence Cody, NT, Baltimore
Earl Mitchell, NT, Houston
Clinton McDonald, DL, Seattle
Tony McDaniel, DE, Seattle
Captain Munnerlyn, CB, Carolina
Nolan Carroll, CB, Miami
Richard Marshall, CB, San Diego
Javier Arenas, CB, Arizona
Mike Mitchell, S, Carolina
Nate Allen, S, Philadelphia
Charles Tillman, DB, Chicago - convert to safety

Rashean Mathis, DB, Detroit - convert to safety

@ You can add Detroit safety Louis Delmas to this list.

The Steelers hosted Delmas, who was cut in a cost-related move, last week on Monday. Players who have been released are available to sign immediately.

Delmas, 26, had three interceptions and two sacks last season to go along with 64 tackles and eight pass defenses.

He's a former second-round pick out of Western Michigan.

Colbert speaks

Steelers general manager met with some media members Wednesday for the first time since the 2013 season ended and had some interesting things to say about both last season and what's to come.

Colbert said he was again disappointed by the team's 8-8 finish, but was perhaps not as disheartened as he was in 2012, when the team faltered after a strong start.

The Steelers started 0-4 last season, but rebounded to go 8-4 in their last 12 games, including 6-2 in the second half.

Colbert also said that while there is concern about linebacker LaMarr Woodley's injury issues, the Steelers might be capable of keeping both Woodley and Jason Worilds on their roster moving forward.

To that end, he did say the team has been in some discussions with their current group of potential unrestricted free agents about extensions. The team has been talking to players about restructures and extensions, though Colbert wouldn't name any specific players.

Colbert called this year's draft the "deepest I've seen in 30 years," mainly thanks to an influx of a record 98 underclassmen.

But, he did warn that some of those underclassmen, while talented, might not be emotionally or physically ready for the demands of the NFL, which could lead to some bust issues for some players.

It's never easy when it's Peazy

Mike Tomlin made another good addition to his coaching staff Tuesday when he hired former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter as a defensive assistant.

Porter, a member of the NFL's all-decade team for the 2000s, was a four-time Pro Bowl player, including three with the Steelers and in 2008 became the first player in league history to have at least 70 sacks and 10 career interceptions.

He finished his career with 98 sacks and 12 interceptions, including 60 and 10 with the Steelers.

Ironically, Tomlin's first big move as head coach of the Steelers in 2007 was to release Porter in a cost-cutting move. It also opened the door for James Harrison to move into the starting lineup.

Among Porter's duties will be working with the team's outside linebackers, including 2013 No. 1 draft pick Jarvis Jones.

Jones has a wealth of talent but is pretty laid back in his attitude. He's a hard worker, but could use some fire. Porter can certainly help him in that respect.

Porter joins secondary coach Carnell Lake and fellow defensive assistant Jerry Olsavsky as former Steelers players on the team's coaching staff.

@ Word has it that Ben Roethlisberger has been working out in California with young wide receivers Markus Wheaton and Derek Moye.

That's a good sign, as both Wheaton and possibly Moye will be counted on to take big steps forward in 2014.

Will Sam be accepted?

Missouri defensive end Michael Sam made headlines Sunday by announcing to the world something that was a pretty well-known fact among scouts and everyone at his college campus. Sam is gay.

Sam wanted to get out - no pun intended - in front of the story for the few remaining teams that didn't know he was gay. Considering he was pretty open about it at Missouri, there couldn't have been many NFL teams that didn't know.

Now, the focus shifts to his NFL future.

A 6-2, 260-pound defensive end, Sam is something that is perhaps even more dreaded than being gay. He's a tweener - too small to play end in many schemes, perhaps not fast enough or flexible enough to be an outside linebacker.

That will be what teams focus on with Sam over the next couple of months, not who he's sleeping with.

Currently, Sam is viewed as a mid-round draft pick. And I don't expect that to change a great deal, unless he shows at the NFL combine that he's capable of moving to outside linebacker.

Though he was an All-America player at Missouri last season, that doesn't necessarily mean his production will translate to the NFL. He's got to prove he can do it.

And if that happens, his teammates will accept him, gay or not.

Sam is certainly not the first gay football player. He's just the first one to announce it on the national stage.

Will it cause some teammates to avoid him in the locker room? Perhaps.

But that can be dealt with. In a locker room with 60 or so grown men, you can bet there are players who don't like each other or don't approve of everyone's lifestyle. Most of the time, it's not a problem. They just choose not to hang out together or see each other socially. It's not a big deal.

In today's society, no player would dare speak out against him. Nobody wants to be labelled a homophobe any more than they want to be labelled a racist or misogynist.

And if Sam can actually play the game at the NFL level and help his team win, nobody will care what he does in his private life.

Sam's biggest problem with be on game days when he has to deal with taunts from opposing teams and fans.

What about Roethlisberger?

In the days after the Super Bowl, I have seen multiple stories making a case why Russell Wilson should have been the MVP of the game. I've also seen others, such as Cam Chancellor stories and how he should have been the MVP.

It made me wonder why Ben Roethlisberger didn't get the same kind of respect after his performance in XLIII.

Santonio Holmes won the award following that game after catching nine passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, which happened to be the game-winner with 42 seconds remaining. Roethlisberger was 6-8 for 84 yards and also had a 4-yard rush on the game-winning drive that started at the Pittsburgh 22 and was pushed back to the 12 on the first play from scrimmage due to a holding penalty on Chris Kemoeatu.

But Roethlisberger was 21 of 31 for 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But Roethlisberger was masterful on the game-winning drive, buying time with his legs to find open receivers.

Had Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or pretty much any other quarterback directed that game-winning drive, they would have easily won the MVP award.

Heck, Wilson threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 43-8 rout that was more about Seattle's defense than anything the team's offense did.

Clark takes parting shot on his way out the door

Steelers safety Ryan Clark dropped a little bomb into the team's lap on Thursday as he prepares to head into free agency.

Making one of his regular appearances on ESPN's "First Take," Clark, who is working to make sure he has a job in the media after football, said that he knows that some of his teammates smoke marijuana and that the NFL's testing for that drug isn't nearly stringent enough to catch abusers of the substance.

Clark isn't telling any secrets.

Not only are there marijuana users in the Steelers' locker room, but around the league as well. But I doubt the number of marijuana users is any higher than it is among the general public fo

r young men between the ages of 21 and 35.

In fact, in the transcript of thousands of Tweets between Ritchie Incognito and Jonathan Martin, there are some references by Martin of a party at "Pouncey's" house in which there was drug usage.

We can assume that Martin was referring to Miami center Mike Pouncey, the twin brother of Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.

The Incognito-Martin tweets also make a great number of references to drinking alcohol as well.

So the usage of some recreational drugs by NFL players is nothing new. Ever seen North Dallas Forty?

Clark's teammates might not appreciate being outed. And I'm sure the Steelers and the NFL don't appreciate his candor in the matter.

But the league is fooling itself if it thinks an offseason drug test during OTAs or minicamp and another during training camp is going to keep its players from taking a toke here or there.

Looking at free agency

Got into the office tonight and saw that the Atlanta Falcons had just released defensive back Asante Samuel. That got me to thinking, if I were looking for a free agent free safety or corner, who would I target?

Everybody knows the big names, but the Steelers aren't going to be in the market for a Jarius Byrd or T.J. Ward. That's just too expensive.

But Samuel would certainly be a guy I'd look at to move to safety if I were the Steelers.

Yes, he was benched last season as a corner by a bad Atlanta team. But the thing that jumps out to me about Samuel is 51 career interceptions, including six in the past two seasons with Atlanta when his coverage skills were clearly waning.

At 33, Samuel could give you at least two or three good years as a bridge at safety, while also giving you something Ryan Clark did not, big-play ability.

The Steelers need a true centerfielder, somebody who is capable of forcing some turnovers, and Samuel is certainly capable of that. His six interceptions in the past two seasons, by the way, are one fewer than Clark had in the past four seasons.

Who else would I take a long look at?

How about former Steelers killer Rashean Mathis?

At 33, Mathis' days of playing corner are probably behind him. But at 6-1, 195 pounds, he's certainly got safety size and his 30 career interceptions certainly look good.

Super Bowl proves one thing

Many will point to the outcome of the Super Bowl and say it shows that defense and running the ball still matter in the NFL.

While that might be partly true, to me it also shows that teams who are not paying their quarterback big money - yet - have an advantage.

Seattle has done a good job drafting over the past few years. But, because it doesn't have $10 to $20 million tied up in the quarterback position, the Seahawks were also able to add some key players last offseason in free agency.

In fact, take a look at this list of players Seattle had the cap space to sign in the offseason:

Wide receiver Percy Harvin, defensive end Michael Bennett, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, defensive end Cliff Avril, cornerback Antoine Winfield and cornerback Marcus Trufant

Harvin didn't play much this season because of a hip injury, but made a huge impact in the Super Bowl, while McDaniel, Avril and Bennett were all key players in the defensive front rotation.

Harvin counted $13.4 million against the team's salary cap this season, while Avril was $9.25 million, making them two of the team's top five-paid players (Harvin was first, Avril fifth).

Quarterback Russell Wilson counted just over $800,000, and that number goes up to just over $950,000 next season.

In fact, it won't be until 2016 when the chickens really come home to roost for Seattle, though a number of key players off that stellar defense will become free agents before that.

But once it has to pay Wilson, who has won more games in his first two seasons than any other quarterback and is signed through 2015, Seattle is going to be in cap hell like everyone else who has a star quarterback.

Bettis snubbed again

Reports have surfaced that Steelers running back Jerome Bettis has again been denied a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that Bettis has failed to garner enough votes to get in. And this could have been his final chance with the regular voters.

It's not often that a player continues to make it to the finals and doesn't get in.

Bettis might now have to wait until he is eligible for the Senior Committee to put him up for the vote again. It's likely this committee - as currently constructed - has heard enough of the argument for Bettis for him to not even make the finalists in 2015.

And therein lies the problem with the voting process for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The way it is currently constructed, the selection committee consists of one media representative from each area with a current NFL franchise. If that area has more than one franchise - ie. New York - it gets two representatives.

A 33rd member is chosen by the Pro Football Writers of America, while there are also 13 at-large members.

That means that currently, and for quite some time now, the Pittsburgh area has one voter, Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette. And it has only had one voter for as long as I have been covering the Steelers, some 21 years.

Meanwhile, because of the at-large votes, there are no fewer than five - that I know of - voters who live in the New York City area.

It's a flawed process, to say the least.

I'm not saying the Pro Football Hall of Fame should open up its voting as the Baseball Hall of Fame does. Voting members for that organization need only be members of the Baseball Writers of America for 10 years to get a vote.

But including myself, there are at least five guys who work in the Pittsburgh media and have covered the Steelers - and thus the NFL - for 20-plus years on a daily basis. And only one of us has a vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.