Reports started building tonight that Steelers left tackle Max Starks would be released. Several of the major sites are now reporting that he has indeed been informed and will officially be released on Friday. Starks signed a 4-year, $26.3 million contract two years ago and is rumored to have shown up very heavy when he reported to the Steelers facility this week. Starks spent the second half of the 2010 season on injured reserve with a neck injury that required surgery, but he announced in a recent interview that he had been cleared by the doctors and deemed himself healthy and ready for the season. With Read more [...]

The Steelers announced yet another undrafted free agent signing today as Southern Illinois quarterback Chris Dieker was signed today according to the Steelers website. Dieker measures in at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds and compiled a 20-9 record in his three years as a starter. He left Southern Illinois ranked in the top five in school history in 13 different offensive categories. He finished his career at the school ranked third in six different categories: passing yards (5,237), completions (446), attempts (757), completion percentage (.589), touchdown passes (41) and total offense (5,735). Dieker Read more [...]

The Steelers added a 19th undrafted free agent on Wednesday as it was announced that Michigan State punter Aaron Bates has been signed. Bates measures in at 6 feet, 198 pounds and played in all 52 games during his career with the Spartans where he also served as the teams holder. Bates ranked second in school history with 260 punts and seventh in punting average of 42 yards. Heading into today, the Steelers only had one other punter signed to the roster in Jeremy Kapinos. Daniel Sepulveda is currently an unrestricted free agent and the signing of Bates could lead you to believe that there is Read more [...]

Steelers unrestricted free agent cornerback Ike Taylor will not make to market as Adam Schefter is reporting via Twitter that he will likely end his career in Pittsburgh after agreeing to a new 4 year contract. Details of the contract are unavailable right now, but it means that Taylor is signed through the 2014 season. More info on the deal as I get it. Taylor will not officially be able to sign his contract until 6 p.m. on Friday per the new labor rules and will not be able to practice until Aug. 4 due to the stipulations of free agent signings. He is currently entering his 9th season with Steelers Read more [...]

This post will serve as the running list of undrafted free agent players that have agreed to terms with the Steelers. I should note that I will try to confirm these as best as I can, but none of them should be considered official until the Steelers announce the signings. I have seen players commit to one team and jump to another in the past and some of the reports can not be verified. Please bookmark this page and check back as I will be updating it over the next several days. DT Anthony Gray - Southern Mississippi TE Weslye Saunders - South Carolina DL Miguel Chavis - Clemson WR Terrence Read more [...]

The Steelers seem to have their first undrafted free agent commitment tonight as Southern Mississippi defensive tackle Anthony Gray has agreed to sign with the Steelers. Gray reportedly had it narrowed down to the Packers and Steelers according to a post on Facebook and chose the Steelers. Gray was reportedly worked out by the Steelers prior to the NFL draft and measured in at 5-foot-11 3/4, 330 pounds at his Pro Day back in March where he reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in 5.19 seconds and 5.17 seconds, the short shuttle in 4.61 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.93 seconds. He registered a Read more [...]

In addition to putting a first round tender on tackle Willie Colon March 1st, the Steelers have also tendered restricted free agents tackle Tony Hills and quarterback Dennis Dixon. Also tendered were unrestricted free agents cornerback William Gay and tight end Matt Spaeth. It is currently unknown what level these players have been tendered at, but they were likely the low level tenders that would require teams to give up a draft pick for the round the player was original drafted in as compensation if the Steelers failed to match any contract offers made by other teams. Both Gay & Spaeth fall Read more [...]

Jason La Canfora reports that the Steelers have officially placed the franchise tag on linebacker LaMarr Woodley as expected and will announce the move later today. It has long been speculated that Woodley would be franchised as the team works towards getting a long term deal with the left outside linebacker. 2010 was the final year of Woodley's rookie contract in which it paid him $550,000 in base salary and with bonus money, he was a around a $900,000 cap charge. Woodley has recorded 10 or more sacks over the last 3 seasons and has 39 for his career along with being credited with 186 tackles. Read more [...]

A day after safety Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith was re-signed to the offseason roster, the Steelers have also announced they have re-signed practice squad defensive end Ra'Shon Sunny Harris to their offseason roster on Thursday. Harris was originally drafted by the Steelers in the sixth round (205th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft, but was released prior to the start of the season. After spending time on the Carolina Panthers active roster and practice squad, he was released and re-signed to the Steelers offseason roster. He was with the Steelers again for the 2010 training camp, but once again failed Read more [...]

The Steelers have re-signed practice squad safety Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith to their offseason roster on Wednesday. Cromartie-Smith spent the entire 2010 season on the Steelers practice squad and was originally signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent last April after playing his college ball at UTEP. He is the cousin of current NFL cornerbacks Antonio Cromartie of the New York Jets and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of the Arizona Cardinals. Cromartie-Smith is mostly regarded as a strong safety type.

The Steelers signed 6-foot-8 wide receiver Wes Lyons on Thursday to a two year reserve/future contract as they continue to expand their offseason roster. Lyons is a Woodland Hills High School and West Virginia graduate and finished his WVU career with 42 receptions for 517 yards, including 20 for 263 yards as a senior in 2009. Lyons worked out for the Steelers in late December and spent time with Jets in minicamp last season. The Steelers currently have 52 players now under contract for 2011 as they expand the roster to 80. Read more [...]

The Steelers started expanding their offseason roster on Thursday as they signed six players to future contracts. WR Tyler Grisham, TE Eugene Bright, T Kyle Jolly, LB Chris Ellis, K Swayze Waters and LB Chris McCoy were all signed today. Grisham, Bright, Jolly and Ellis all ended the season on the practice squad. Waters was waived by the Oakland Raiders early during the regular season and McCoy ended last season on the Houston Texans practice squad.

The Steelers have placed rookie center Maurkice Pouncey on injured reserve Saturday and signed guard/center Dorian Brooks to their 53-man roster. Pouncey was ruled out on Friday with the high ankle sprain he suffered against the New York Jets in the AFC Championship Game. Brooks has been on the Steelers practice squad all season after being signed last April as an undrafted free agent out of James Madison. As I mentioned last week, Brooks has been working as a center way back in training camp and it looks like he could be active on Super Bowl Sunday as the back up center to Doug Legursky. Trai Read more [...]

The Steelers started making plans for their offseason roster as they signed 6 players to reserve/future contracts on Tuesday. Among the players signed were linebacker Baraka Atkins, linebacker Mortty Ivy, running back James Johnson, guard Nevin McCaskill, fullback/tight end Jamie McCoy and cornerback Donovan Warren. Warren is perhaps the most noticeable as he went undrafted after he announced his decision to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility at Michigan and enter the 2010 NFL Draft upon the NFL's Draft Advisory Board prediction he would be drafted in the first three rounds. He was Read more [...]

The Steelers worked out punters today and signed former Penn State punter Jeremy Kapinos to take the place of injured Daniel Sepulveda. Sepulveda will have surgery on Friday to repair the torn ACL in his right knee and was placed on injured reserve. Kapinos averaged 43.8 yards for the Green Bay Packers last season on 66 punts. He also punted in one game for the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season.

The Steelers waived kicker Jeff Reed today and signed free agent kicker Shaun Suisham. Reed, who was franchised in the off-season, has been informed that he'll be released despite his fully guaranteed $2.814 million base salary. Reed has struggled this season, converting just 15 of his 22 field goal attempts. Suisham was originally signed by the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Bowling Green in 2005, has made 79.1 percent (87 of 110) of his field goals and 101 of 103 extra points (98.1 percent) during his career. He has twice kicked in the regular season for both the Dallas Cowboys Read more [...]

As expected, the Steelers placed starting left tackle Max Starks on injured reserve Wednesday morning with a neck injury and activated rookie lineman Chris Scott from the PUP list to the 53 man roster to take his place. Starks was injured Monday night against the Bengals and tried to return wearing a big neck brace, but ultimately was forced again from the game. Head coach Mike Tomlin called the injury a neck stinger during his Tuesday press conference, but a later MRI revealed a disc problem in the vertebrae as well. Tackle Jonathan Scott is expected to now start at left tackle with Starks down. Chris Read more [...]

Another day another practice squad move as former 2009 6th round draft pick Ra'Shon Sunny Harris was signed back to the Steelers practice squad on Wednesday. The Steelers had an opening after Al Woods was signed off of the practice squad by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Harris was with the Steelers through the preseason and released in the final roster cuts. He was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills on October 6, 2010 and placed on their practice squad, but released later in the month. Read more [...]

The Steelers are going to lose another practice squad body as rookie defensive lineman Al Woods will be signed off the Steelers practice squad by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after having to place their own rookie defensive tackle Brian Price on injured reserve. By NFL rules, Woods must be signed to the Bucs 53 man roster. Woods, originally drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round, was signed to the Steelers practice squad on September 7th after he was released by the Saints after training camp. He was termed a project and expected to be groomed as a 3-4 defensive end. Earlier in the day Read more [...]

The Steelers filled the opening on their practice squad on Tuesday as they signed linebacker Chris Ellis to their practice squad. The Buffalo Bills drafted Ellis in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft and waived him last month. He played defensive end at Virginia Tech while in college before Jason Worilds assumed the position. The Steelers will try to see if he can continue his transition into an outside 3-4 linebacker. The Steelers had an opening on the practice squad because they signed Steve McLendon on Saturday from the 8 man squad and released rookie linebacker Thaddeus Gibson to make room Read more [...]