Steelers are gearing up for free-agent frenzy
By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The quiet that has pervaded Steelers' headquarters for most of the offseason is now the calm before the storm.
A new NFL labor deal appears to be imminent — it could be reached Thursday — and that means the Steelers will soon have to take multitasking to another level.
Director of football operations Kevin Colbert will likely have days, not weeks and months, to signs free agents and draft picks before the start of preseason practice.
The Steelers, who are preparing for a 46th consecutive training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, have a sizable to-do list even if they just concentrate largely on their own free agents.
Ike Taylor, the team's best cornerback, will be an unrestricted free agent. Willie Colon, who started 54 consecutive games at right tackle before an injury sidelined him, is almost certain to have the same status once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.
Signing outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley to a long-term contract — the Steelers placed the franchise tag on him prior to the start of the lockout — will be a top priority, and the Steelers may have to do some financial massaging because they are an estimated $10 million over what the salary cap has been projected to be under the terms of the new CBA.
Colbert has declined interview requests until the lockout is lifted. But it seems pretty safe to assume that he and the Steelers have done everything they can to prepare for free agency, given how little they've had to do during the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987.
"Teams have already done their homework," said agent Doug Hendrickson, whose clients include Woodley. "They've had different charts up and teams know what they're looking for and especially since the draft ended they know what needs they have, so I don't think there's going to be utter chaos."
Controlled chaos may be more apropos, even for the Steelers, who also have a handful of complementary players that are going to be unrestricted free agents in addition to Taylor and Colon. read more.....