Ed Bouchette reports on Wednesday that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that he believes restricted free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace will be reporting soon to Latrobe to sign his tender.
Bouchette reports that Roethlisberger has been in close contact with Wallace since camp opened last Wednesday and that he even offered to fly down to Louisiana to talk to Wallace. That request was reportedly denied, but you have to give Roethlisberger credit for trying at least, as it shows great leadership on his part.
“I don\’t know what\’s going on with his agent or what they\’re telling each other, but he wants to be here,” Roethlisberger told the Post Gazette. “I believe he will be here and I think he\’ll be here soon.”
When and if Wallace reports, Roethlisberger does not seemed concerned that his speedy receiver will have any problems picking up the new offense according to the report. Roethlisberger even stated that he would be willing to work extra with Wallace once he does arrive and that includes staying after practice if that is what it takes. Roethlisberger claims the fact that Wallace only plays one position as the reason why he shouldn\’t have a problem picking things up.
Although the report is encouraging, we also heard both Emmanuel Sanders and Keenan Lewis share their optimism during their arrival to training camp that they thought Wallace would not be too far behind. The fact remains that it doesn\’t matter what anyone thinks Wallace may or may not do at this point, as the only thing that matters is when Wallace actually walks into training camp and signs his one-year tender of $2.74 million.
Wallace turns 26 today, so you can bet that he will be busy tonight. I highly doubt that one of those activities will be packing for a Thursday flight to Pittsburgh. We shall see.
