The NFL free agency period is in full swing and you can bet that we won’t miss a beat of Steelers coverage. While the Steelers are releasing players, signing free agents, restructure and extending contracts and re-signing their own free agents we’ll be busy looking around for mentions of your Black & Gold. Here’s your Steelers Morning Huddle for Tuesday, March 24th.
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Worilds wasn’t in the plans anyway
Mike Prisuta got a one on one with Steelers GM Kevin Colbert while in Phoenix for the annual NFL Owners Meetings. Among other topics Colbert discussed the surprising retirement of linebacker Jason Worilds. Colbert explained that Worilds wasn’t in the Steelers’ plans for 2015 anyway, and that’s why they were letting him hit the free agency market.
"“We didn’t know where Jason’s (free-agent) market was going to go. We anticipated it being much more than we were going to be able to handle, so his deciding to retire really didn’t affect us because he really wasn’t in our plans. I am surprised that Jason did it at this point, but I respect his wishes to move on with his life.” – Kevin Colbert"
It seemed like everyone from Rooney down to Tomlin expressed interest in having Worilds come back this season at the end of last year but it does make a little sense that maybe Colbert knew to move forward without him because they weren’t ever able to sign him to a long-term deal beforehand. Worilds signed his transition tag tender almost immediately but then never agreed to terms on a longer contract.
What’s next for Jarvis?
The re-signing of James Harrison might give Steelers fans a lot of good feelings at first but then the realization sets in that Harrison was needed because even at 36 years old he was the best pass rusher on the team last year. That leaves a lot of question marks for Jarvis Jones, their 2013 first-round draft pick, who has yet to showcase solid pass rushing skills consistently on the field.
Last season Jones dislocated his wrist in a Week 3 game in Carolina on a play where he was sacking Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and forcing a fumble. As ESPN’s Scott Brown explains, the Steelers are going to need him to pick up right where he left off with that injury or find himself behind a 37-year-old Harrison on the depth chart.
The Ike Taylor Show
Gerry Dulac of the PPG got in touch with Ike Taylor, who became a free agent earlier this month and who has already accepted that he’s likely played his last game as a Pittsburgh Steeler. Dulac explains that Taylor at one point said he was in training and willing to play for another team this season but now is saying that he’s not fielding offers from teams; he’s fielding offers from television networks. Taylor is mulling offers with the NFL Network and NFL Films.
What this says to me is that possibly the pull that some of the Steelers veterans have towards their former defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau isn’t as strong as we maybe initially thought it would be. No two players were more vocal about their affection and loyalty to LeBeau than James Harrison and Taylor and now Harrison has re-signed with Pittsburgh and Taylor is considering a career in television over playing for any other team. Wonder what that means for Keisel and Polamalu?
Next: Steelers Sign Harrison But What About Porter?
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