Fowler: Steelers Release ILB Vince Williams

[hawaiiansteeler]

Fowler: Steelers Release ILB Vince Williams

By Alex Kozora
Posted on March 16, 2021

The Pittsburgh Steelers have cut inside linebacker Vince Williams, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

to read rest of article:

https://steelersdepot.com/2021/03/fo...ince-williams/

[pczach]

You could feel it coming.

He was a true Steeler. Great guy. Great teammate.

To me, he looks a step slow out there. Still a solid player, but his number was a little high given the current situation. I saw him out of position more times this year than I could ever remember. I don't know if he was pressing without having an athletic sidekick playing ILB and he was trying to do too much, but he looked like a different guy to me last year.

Now, we will see if he draws any interest on the open market.

I wish him well. I also believe at some point he may be back in the 'Burg because I think both sides truly like each other. If he doesn't get a really nice offer somewhere else, you never know.

[st33lersguy]

Sorry but a little over 3 million back isn't worth cutting what was a solid starter after they already lost hilton and alualu

[DesertSteel]

Seems like an impact player is gonna be signed with some of the departures -- Alualu, Bince, Hilton, et al. I'm hoping that Colbert has something up his sleeve.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Seems like an impact player is gonna be signed with some of the departures -- Alualu, Bince, Hilton, et al. I'm hoping that Colbert has something up his sleeve.

I thought they were still really tight to the cap. Not having to pay Williams $4million salary doesnt really clear much room. Hilton, Feiler, Alualu were all free agents counting zero against the cap.

All the restructure and cut may pave the way for 1. JuJu deal or 2. TJ Watt extension.

All the players the Steelers drafted like Buggs, Justin Layne, Benny Snell, Ulysses Gilbert, Carlos Davis, Zach Gentry, Antoine Brooks, Anthony McFarland are going to have to step um and contribute.

[86WARD]

I’ll miss Vince. My favorite Vince moment was when DeAndre Hopkins was lying down in the end zone celebrating and Vince snuck in next to him. I can’t find the clip at the moment.

[Mojouw]

It is day two of a long off-season. This move looks "bad" because VW is a fun player to root for and the depth chart is not exactly chock full.

Two months from now, VW will still be a guy I want to root for, but the depth chart may look improved.

[86WARD]

Cut on 3:16...

[DesertSteel]

I thought they were still really tight to the cap. Not having to pay Williams $4million salary doesnt really clear much room. Hilton, Feiler, Alualu were all free agents counting zero against the cap.

All the restructure and cut may pave the way for 1. JuJu deal or 2. TJ Watt extension.

All the players the Steelers drafted like Buggs, Justin Layne, Benny Snell, Ulysses Gilbert, Carlos Davis, Zach Gentry, Antoine Brooks, Anthony McFarland are going to have to step um and contribute.

Well, to clarify, an impact FA under Colbert is paying $7-8M per for 3 seasons with $12M guaranteed.

[teegre]

I was not a fan of the cut, when I thought it was $4 million savings. You are not going to find a better FA for $4 million.

If it is only $3 million...


NOTE: Not re-signing Hilton, nor Alualu, and cutting Bince tells me that JuJu is coming back. Plus, I think that Colbert floated the FAKE twitter report (4 years / $88 million)... so that when JuJu gets 4 years / $40 million, it seems like am amaaaaazing deal.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Well, to clarify, an impact FA under Colbert is paying $7-8M per for 3 seasons with $12M guaranteed.

Agree. Ebron's 2-year $12million was a big deal last season.

[ThorndikeFFA]

Or, they think that someone like Parsons or Bolton will drop to them in the first. Can you imagine a healthy Bush and Parsons at ILB together? Jeepers!

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I was not a fan of the cut, when I thought it was $4 million savings. You are not going to find a better FA for $4 million.

If it is only $3 million...


NOTE: Not re-signing Hilton, nor Alualu, and cutting Bince tells me that JuJu is coming back. Plus, I think that Colbert floated the FAKE twitter report (4 years / $88 million)... so that when JuJu gets 4 years / $40 million, it seems like am amaaaaazing deal.

I thought Vince was owed a $4million salary this season, plus a small roster bonus. The approx $3million is dead cap space from signing bonus, etc.

If you are strapped for cash and can save $4million by cutting your ILB and replace him with Robert Spillane at $850,000....there it is. Honestly its getting to be the equivalent of me cancelling Netflix and just watching old shows on youtube kind of financial pinching for the Steelers.

[teegre]

I thought Vince was owed a $4million salary this season, plus a small roster bonus. The approx $3million is dead cap space from signing bonus, etc.

If you are strapped for cash and can save $4million by cutting your ILB and replace him with Robert Spillane at $850,000....there it is. Honestly its getting to be the equivalent of me cancelling Netflix and just watching old shows on youtube kind of financial pinching for the Steelers.

My dyslexia is showing.

Spillane replaces Bince. That makes sense. He did it in the regular season, and it gives Colbert extra money to play with.

[st33lersguy]

You're probably not going to find someone as good as or better than Vince who will play for $3.3 million. Hell for the money they saved with Williams and the average salary Alualu was signed for in Jacksonville(6.3 million), even then, you'll struggle to sign one solid player. What really happened here is that a team with depth issues created more depth issues just so they could tell people they were creating salary cap room.

All this talk from people as to how present day Ben can still win with a great supporting cast and yet they seem to be trying to ensure that he doesn't end up with a great supporting cast, almost like they kept him around just because they don't want to move on from him yet, as if it would force a reboot they don't want to make.

[pczach]

You're probably not going to find someone as good as or better than Vince who will play for $3.3 million. Hell for the money they saved with Williams and the average salary Alualu was signed for in Jacksonville(6.3 million), even then, you'll struggle to sign one solid player. What really happened here is that a team with depth issues created more depth issues just so they could tell people they were creating salary cap room.

All this talk from people as to how present day Ben can still win with a great supporting cast and yet they seem to be trying to ensure that he doesn't end up with a great supporting cast, almost like they kept him around just because they don't want to move on from him yet, as if it would force a reboot they don't want to make.

They already did find someone for less money. Spillane played well last year, and he is a much cheaper option.

I believe Spillane played as well as Williams or better. The defense actually played better when Spillane was first inserted into the lineup.

[EzraTank]

Where did Alulu and Hilton go? CBS sports has them as UFA still.

[SteelMayhem72]

Sounds almost like a total rebuilding stage. Better have something up their sleeves or Ben is gonna wish he never came back

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[SteelMayhem72]

I thought they were still really tight to the cap. Not having to pay Williams $4million salary doesnt really clear much room. Hilton, Feiler, Alualu were all free agents counting zero against the cap.

All the restructure and cut may pave the way for 1. JuJu deal or 2. TJ Watt extension.

All the players the Steelers drafted like Buggs, Justin Layne, Benny Snell, Ulysses Gilbert, Carlos Davis, Zach Gentry, Antoine Brooks, Anthony McFarland are going to have to step um and contribute.

Alualu baffles me. Really liked him and also losing Hilton really stings.

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[st33lersguy]

They already did find someone for less money. Spillane played well last year, and he is a much cheaper option.

I believe Spillane played as well as Williams or better. The defense actually played better when Spillane was first inserted into the lineup.

Ok, but now you have to find backups which is who exactly? You could have had Spillane and Williams along with Bush. Instead you now have to find someone else who will either be more expensive or a downgrade. The other option would be burning a first round pick on an ILB, a valuable pick that could have otherwise could have been spent elsewhere such as fixing the offense because the team created depth issues to save a meager $3 million. See how that works?

[pczach]

Sounds almost like a total rebuilding stage. Better have something up their sleeves or Ben is gonna wish he never came back

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This is not a total rebuild.

A few key free agent signings and a good draft will do the trick.

There is still much to be done before the season starts.

[cubanstogie]

Sounds almost like a total rebuilding stage. Better have something up their sleeves or Ben is gonna wish he never came back

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my initial thought too, but there has to be ace in the hole. We aren’t miami or houston.

[pczach]

Ok, but now you have to find backups which is who exactly? You could have had Spillane and Williams along with Bush. Instead you now have to find someone else who will either be more expensive or a downgrade. The other option would be burning a first round pick on an ILB, a valuable pick that could have otherwise could have been spent elsewhere such as fixing the offense because the team created depth issues to save a meager $3 million. See how that works?

The team knows they need to do better than having Spillane and Williams, and they may be able to do it cheaper.

There are going to be some real bargains in free agency. With the salary cap situation, many good players are going to be cut and teams don't have the money to pay market value for everyone. Those left at the end of the FA period are going to be signing for well below their true value. The team will have the opportunity to sign depth players on the cheap if they choose to do that.

There is also the draft to fill the roster as it has always been. You're acting as if the team needs to draft someone in the first round to get a good player. Vince Williams was a sixth round pick and that worked out just fine.

This is how the Steelers have always operated. They replace and upgrade players through the draft.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

You're probably not going to find someone as good as or better than Vince who will play for $3.3 million. Hell for the money they saved with Williams and the average salary Alualu was signed for in Jacksonville(6.3 million), even then, you'll struggle to sign one solid player. What really happened here is that a team with depth issues created more depth issues just so they could tell people they were creating salary cap room.

All this talk from people as to how present day Ben can still win with a great supporting cast and yet they seem to be trying to ensure that he doesn't end up with a great supporting cast, almost like they kept him around just because they don't want to move on from him yet, as if it would force a reboot they don't want to make.

The $3.3 million was Guaranteed. He was going to get that money if he played or not in Pittsburgh. Its the Extra $4million they had to pay him if he was on the roster this season. $7million. Unless he restructured and stretched out the money like Ben.

- - - Updated - - -

Alualu baffles me. Really liked him and also losing Hilton really stings.

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Tyson Alualu is going to be 34 years old in 2 months. Letting an old defensive lineman walk in free agency isnt that shocking to me.

[Mojouw]

The team knows they need to do better than having Spillane and Williams, and they may be able to do it cheaper.

There are going to be some real bargains in free agency. With the salary cap situation, many good players are going to be cut and teams don't have the money to pay market value for everyone. Those left at the end of the FA period are going to be signing for well below their true value. The team will have the opportunity to sign depth players on the cheap if they choose to do that.

There is also the draft to fill the roster as it has always been. You're acting as if the team needs to draft someone in the first round to get a good player. Vince Williams was a sixth round pick and that worked out just fine.

This is how the Steelers have always operated. They replace and upgrade players through the draft.

Every year. Everyone freaks out the first month of the off season. Then the rest of the off season happens.

Hilton was a UDFA that forced his way in the field.

Alualu was a vet scrap heap signing.

AV was an unheralded signing.

Spillane was a scrub that I thought should be cut.

It is worrying and anxious as a fan but I’ll wait until August to freak out.

[pczach]

Every year. Everyone freaks out the first month of the off season. Then the rest of the off season happens.

Hilton was a UDFA that forced his way in the field.

Alualu was a vet scrap heap signing.

AV was an unheralded signing.

Spillane was a scrub that I thought should be cut.

It is worrying and anxious as a fan but I’ll wait until August to freak out.

Exactly.

When you spell it out like you just did, it is the map that shows how this team stays competitive every year, and how they go about building a roster. Most everyone thought every single one of those moves you listed were just roster fillers or garbage. They turn into gold because the front office is good at what they do.

It is easy to overreact. We all grow attached in some way to all of these players.

I always find it fascinating how every year there are people that believe that the team cannot replace the players they lose....yet they always do.

Reading some responses seems to reveal that many believe Big Ben should have been the one to go. I guess not everyone realizes that financially, having Ben here at least one more year makes a lot of sense because of how he was able to take less money to help the team clear some cap room.

We all hope for certain players to stay. We all pray they pay for a free agent that we covet. But the Steelers do what they do. When they are up against the cap, they restructure or cut players and they sign a few free agent players that they usually get at a good price. Then they draft. This team's lifeblood is the draft.

This is step 3 of 100 steps between now and when the team hits the field. I always reserve judgement until I see the final roster. I also trust that the organization makes the correct moves most of the time. Sure they make some mistakes, but the track record shows that they know what they are doing.

[BlackAndGold]

I wonder if they bring back Williamson for a cheap deal?

Bush and Spillane are the two starters at ILB, which is fine by me but depth is worrisome.

[EzraTank]

I wonder if they bring back Williamson for a cheap deal?

Bush and Spillane are the two starters at ILB, which is fine by me but depth is worrisome.

What are you talking about, LBers never get hurt.

[DesertSteel]

Sounds almost like a total rebuilding stage. Better have something up their sleeves or Ben is gonna wish he never came back

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Replacing mostly role players is not a rebuild. You plug in new role players for a fourth of the salary and keep rolling. Smart business. Bud is the exception but that’s the cost of doing business. At least they drafted for it ahead of time.