Day four of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp is over, and the news was flying in from all ends of the spectrum before and after the team took the field.
It wasn’t your typical day of training camp for the Steelers on Wednesday. While their may focus was bouncing back from their day off on Tuesday, there was always plenty of headlines for the team to hear of off the field as well.
Alejandro Villanueva contract details
For starters, Alejandro Villanueva’s contract details were finally released. The left tackle is looking at a 4-year/$24 million deal with a $6.5 million signing bonus that will be dispersed throughout the final two years of the contract, according to Jeremy Folwer.
After waiting practically the entire summer, Villanueva got what he deserved and can now focus solely on playing football. With preseason Week 1 against the New York Giants right around the corner, there’s no better time to start putting all attention on the matchup ahead.
Scott Orndoff waived, Jake McGee signed
Unfortunately, for an undrafted free agent, being injured means the end of your tryout. For Scott Orndoff out of Pitt, his time with the Steelers ended only three days into camp.
With the waiving of Orndoff, the Steelers were forced to sign another tight end. This time, they signed 2016 undrafted free agent, Jake McGee out of Florida and Virginia. The 6’5, 250-pound tight end spent time with the Carolina Panthers, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers, but has yet to see a regular season game.
Orndoff could still return to Pittsburgh if he passed waivers and impresses enough to make another cut. However, with Jesse James, Xavier Grimble and David Johnson, the chances of Orndoff or McGee making anything more than the practice squad are slim.
James Conner and Senquez Golson receive injury update
For James Conner, he’s looking at nothing more than a minor sprained AC joint that shouldn’t keep him out of contact for more than the remainder of the week. As the Steelers are already with starting running back Le’Veon Bell, having Conner able to fill the void is important for this team as they approach Week 1 of the preseason.
Golson’s is a little more serious. The actual injury itself wasn’t deemed serious, but it is expected to keep him off the field longer than hoped. With his shot at making the final 53-man roster already slipping, he needs to be on the field as much as possible.
With Cameron Sutton also missing practice Wednesday, Golson’s shot at competing for a playing role is still out there. The third year corner out of Ole Miss had high expectations before back-to-back training camp injuries kept him sidelined for his first two seasons.
Now, he’s out to prove he’s still worth a roster spot, but with more missed time, the likelihood of him staying in Pittsburgh gets smaller and smaller.
Ben Roethlisberger and Martavis Bryant have heart to heart
The most anticipated event of the summer was Ben Roethlisberger and Martavis Bryant sitting down to have the man-to-man talk to clear the air between the two offensive stars.
Well, according to Roethlisberger, the talk has finally happened. And not only that, but Big Ben went on to talk about how he now trusts Bryant and that the wideout has paid his dues and should be reinstated.
This is huge for the Steelers moving forward. Now there is no distractions heading into the preseason, and this offense can go out and perform to it’s full potential.
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