Day three of the 2014 league year was pretty busy for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that action related to them only included them losing another one of their own unrestricted free agents and scheduling visits with a few from other teams. If you missed any of the Thursday news, here is a quick recap for you.
Day three started with news that the Tennessee Titans possibly wanting to bring in former Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley for a visit after he was done visiting with the Oakland Raiders. Woodley, however, ended up signing a two-year contract worth a possibly $12 million with the Raiders later in the day. Woodley would later say in interviews that he will be a defensive end in the Raiders 4-3 defense and that that will allow him to rush the opposing quarterback more. In addition, he also detailed how his final days as a member of the Steelers went down and said had they wanted him to stay, he would have been asked to take a pay cut.
Unrestricted free agent wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders continued his tour of Florida on Thursday as he visited with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after visiting with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday. Sanders remains unsigned heading into Friday and will now reportedly visit with Kansas City Chiefs with the New York Jets also keeping close tabs on his situation.
Unrestricted free agent defensive end Ziggy Hood visited with the Jaguars on Wednesday and he signed a four-year, $16 million contract with them on Thursday. Hood said during his introductory press conference that the Jaguars plan on kicking him back inside to defensive tackle, the position he played at Missouri.
ESPN draftnik Mel Kiper Jr. released his third mock draft on Thursday and now has the Steelers drafting Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert in the first round. Curiously enough, Gilbert’s Pro Day also took place on Thursday and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert were both in attendance to see it. They also reportedly both spent time with Gilbert Wednesday night as well.
The Steelers did schedule a few free agent visits on Thursday as Buffalo Bills defensive end Alex Carrington and San Diego Chargers nose tackle Cam Thomas are both expected to be in Pittsburgh on Friday.
The Cincinnati Bengals released former Steelers linebacker James Harrison on Thursday after just one season. That really isn’t that shocking as Harrison really wasn’t a good fit for that defense. Following his release, Harrison’s agent let it be known that his client still wants to play in 2014. I doubt the Steelers are interested in bringing Harrison back, but I guess we’ll see.
The ink has dried on the two-year contract that former Steelers defensive lineman Al Woods signed with the Titans on Wednesday and that deal reportedly maxes out at $5 million, according to Thursday reports.
