UPDATE: Eli Rogers signs with Steelers

[Cyphon25]

honestly Hunter has more upside than DHB at this juncture considering he is not needed for ST with the additions of Marcus Allen and Berhe ...DHB best asset was speed , speed I am not so sure he possesses at this juncture ( 31 + ) Hunter is much younger & more talented on paper .... push come to shove I do not want the game riding on the ability of either of them having to make a play because they likely will drop the ball .... so there is that

Neither really have "upside". Hunter has the physical traits but has only ever performed consistently during practice and offers no ST value at all. I know your point is that we have other guys to take over ST duties but you still don't keep 5th and 6th guys who offer no ST value, at least typically. DHB on the other hand is still one of the best punt cover guys in the NFL and is (most likely) still the fastest guy on the Steelers roster. When Shazier, AB, and whomever else raced each other a year or 2 ago they wouldn't even let DHB in the race because they knew he would beat them.

On top of that people still write DHB off but with that speed he remains a good guy to send on a vertical route and take the top off of the defense. His speed is hard to match and despite his history of drops early in his career he has very few drops as a Steeler. Add onto that his locker room and coaching presence and there is no way he goes and shouldn't. There are 3 WR's who deserve to make it over DHB. AB, JuJu, and Washington. DHB is the 4th. The competition for 5th, 6th and beyond are all of the other guys though it will likely be Tucker and Hunter.

they'll probably slide Jewell to ILB...

That is already Jewells position no? I don't think he ever played OLB.

Still salty the Steelers didn't take him.

[86WARD]

AB, JuJu, Hunter, DHB, Washington, Tucker, J. Thomas, Quad, and Tevin Jones. Out of these 9 names, yes I would keep DHB. Quad is only 5'8" and sub 200lbs. We already know who Justin Hunter is on the football field. Thomas and Tucker are a couple smaller guys that have some experience in this offense but they didn't beat out Rogers before. I'm somewhat familiar with Tevin Jones because he played for my school but I don't expect anything eye popping. Unless I'm missing a piece DHB currently has that 6th roster spot.

Taking Bryant and Rogers out of that mix makes that list look less than impressive...

[Dwinsgames]

Neither really have "upside". Hunter has the physical traits but has only ever performed consistently during practice and offers no ST value at all. I know your point is that we have other guys to take over ST duties but you still don't keep 5th and 6th guys who offer no ST value, at least typically. DHB on the other hand is still one of the best punt cover guys in the NFL and is (most likely) still the fastest guy on the Steelers roster. When Shazier, AB, and whomever else raced each other a year or 2 ago they wouldn't even let DHB in the race because they knew he would beat them.

On top of that people still write DHB off but with that speed he remains a good guy to send on a vertical route and take the top off of the defense. His speed is hard to match and despite his history of drops early in his career he has very few drops as a Steeler. Add onto that his locker room and coaching presence and there is no way he goes and shouldn't. There are 3 WR's who deserve to make it over DHB. AB, JuJu, and Washington. DHB is the 4th. The competition for 5th, 6th and beyond are all of the other guys though it will likely be Tucker and Hunter.



That is already Jewells position no? I don't think he ever played OLB.

Still salty the Steelers didn't take him.

listed as OLB on broncos team page I do believe , I could be wrong it was late when I looked and I was pretty tired

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Taking Bryant and Rogers out of that mix makes that list look less than impressive...

Do we really want Bryant on his final year of contract and one drug test away from another suspension, in a Steelers jersey? Disgruntled and giving up on deep balls thrown to him, with Ben rolling his eyes at the lack of effort. James Washington is a big upgrade over Bryant.

Eli Rogers....is a #4 WR on this team at best and who knows after the injury. Can easily find somebody to play the #4 WR spot in the NFL. The Steelers WR corps is actually better this year than last season, as Washington will surpass the 50 receptions and 600 yards that Bryant contributed in 2017.

[DesertSteel]

There are Eli Rogers on every practice squad in the NFL.....

[86WARD]

Do we really want Bryant on his final year of contract and one drug test away from another suspension, in a Steelers jersey? Disgruntled and giving up on deep balls thrown to him, with Ben rolling his eyes at the lack of effort. James Washington is a big upgrade over Bryant.

Eli Rogers....is a #4 WR on this team at best and who knows after the injury. Can easily find somebody to play the #4 WR spot in the NFL. The Steelers WR corps is actually better this year than last season, as Washington will surpass the 50 receptions and 600 yards that Bryant contributed in 2017.

At the point where this team is primed to make a Super Bowl Run? Of course you want Bryant. Rogers had a lot of potential when he had the ball in his hands, more than any other #4 the Steelers have had on the roster. He had AB type moves out there. He struggled behind the receiving corp to find playing time.

We don’t know that JuJu wasn’t a one hit wonder. We don’t know that Washington isn’t the next Limas Sweed. Until a game is played, they really aren’t better on paper than they were at the end of last season...lol.

[Cyphon25]

listed as OLB on broncos team page I do believe , I could be wrong it was late when I looked and I was pretty tired

Just checked and you are right. I did see just yesterday one of their writers did a roster projection and had him listed as ILB. It would be odd if they were using him as OLB because that doesn't really fit for him. He is most definitely suited for ILB.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

At the point where this team is primed to make a Super Bowl Run? Of course you want Bryant. Rogers had a lot of potential when he had the ball in his hands, more than any other #4 the Steelers have had on the roster. He had AB type moves out there. He struggled behind the receiving corp to find playing time.

We don’t know that JuJu wasn’t a one hit wonder. We don’t know that Washington isn’t the next Limas Sweed. Until a game is played, they really aren’t better on paper than they were at the end of last season...lol.

Why would we think that JuJu is a 1 hit wonder? He showed in college all the skills, attitude and work ethic that he showed his rookie season and that contributed to his success. He does the right things and that is why he is successful.

Bryant is behind Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson on the depth chart, and all he has shown is that he complains, pouts and smokes weed when he doesn't get what he wants.

Lets wait until week 8 of the season and see if Bryant is pouting, suspended or both and we will also see if James Washington has more receptions than Bryant by that point. I'm willing to bet that Ben is gonna love Washington and the way he comes to practice every day with his hard work attitude and by default will have more trust in James Washington than he ever did in Martavis Bryant.

[Fire Goodell]

Yep. Garrett & Chubb would have been the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL.

Yep, though I'm glad we won't have to face that 2x a year lol. I pretty much started celebrating when they picked Denzel Ward instead. Yeah he's a good corner, but I think Chubb could have made their D even better. An elite level pass rushing DL has a way of improving all the other units by making the opposing QB's life hell. But hey, count on Cleveland to mess everything up

[86WARD]

Why would we think that JuJu is a 1 hit wonder? He showed in college all the skills, attitude and work ethic that he showed his rookie season and that contributed to his success. He does the right things and that is why he is successful.

Bryant is behind Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson on the depth chart, and all he has shown is that he complains, pouts and smokes weed when he doesn't get what he wants.

Lets wait until week 8 of the season and see if Bryant is pouting, suspended or both and we will also see if James Washington has more receptions than Bryant by that point. I'm willing to bet that Ben is gonna love Washington and the way he comes to practice every day with his hard work attitude and by default will have more trust in James Washington than he ever did in Martavis Bryant.

You see it year after year where players come into the league, have a great year and then vanish into nowhere-ville. It's not like its a new concept. It happens a lot actually. Remember the name Kendrell Bell? I'm not saying it's going to happen, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility and it's no guarantee, at this point, that he's a sure thing. Washington...well, he's a rookie and we've seen quite a few rookies not pan out...(again, Limas Sweed and then there's Troy Edwards, Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton, Willie Reid, Martavis Bryant (lol)). The only sure thing is AB. Having extra talent at the WR-Corps isn't a bad thing and your blind if that group is better off at this point right now, without a talent like Bryant, than with him. Bryant's status on the Raiders roster has no bearing on the Steelers...other than it takes a #2 talent and puts it on another roster.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

You see it year after year where players come into the league, have a great year and then vanish into nowhere-ville. It's not like its a new concept. It happens a lot actually. Remember the name Kendrell Bell? I'm not saying it's going to happen, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility and it's no guarantee, at this point, that he's a sure thing. Washington...well, he's a rookie and we've seen quite a few rookies not pan out...(again, Limas Sweed and then there's Troy Edwards, Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton, Willie Reid, Martavis Bryant (lol)). The only sure thing is AB. Having extra talent at the WR-Corps isn't a bad thing and your blind if that group is better off at this point right now, without a talent like Bryant, than with him. Bryant's status on the Raiders roster has no bearing on the Steelers...other than it takes a #2 talent and puts it on another roster.

I might be misunderstanding here. Are you saying that the Steelers WR corps is worse off this season because JuJu could "vanish into nowhere-ville" and that it would be better if a reliable talented WR like Bryant was on the Steelers roster instead of the Rookie Washington?

I personally trust going forward with JuJu than Bryant. I also trust going forward with the Belietnikoff winner in Washington, than Bryant. Again, by week 8 of this NFL season, James Washington will have more receptions than Martavis Bryant. I am confident in that statement.

[Cyphon25]

I might be misunderstanding here. Are you saying that the Steelers WR corps is worse off this season because JuJu could "vanish into nowhere-ville" and that it would be better if a reliable talented WR like Bryant was on the Steelers roster instead of the Rookie Washington?

I personally trust going forward with JuJu than Bryant. I also trust going forward with the Belietnikoff winner in Washington, than Bryant. Again, by week 8 of this NFL season, James Washington will have more receptions than Martavis Bryant. I am confident in that statement.

I think the idea is that we were better on paper last year. Keep in mind when Bryant went out there were light whispers of Randy Moss comparisons. The dude was an absolute beast for a stretch there. Now we were getting him fresh off of suspension and in the best shape he had ever been in. There was a ton of optimism. Hindsight tells us that optimism was poorly placed but that is hindsight.

However, I think you can basically swap out Bryant and JuJu. We just watched JuJu ball out and now there is a ton of optimism for him. Washington is now the JuJu of last year. So for me we are in almost the exact same position outside of the fact that Rogers isn't on the roster. So this year is just slightly behind last year in terms of WR depth on paper. Not like Rogers is a dominant guy but he was a solid WR and you knew what you were getting with him.

I would bet on this year ultimately turning out better than last year but talking purely on paper I think last year had the edge to start the season.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I think the idea is that we were better on paper last year. Keep in mind when Bryant went out there were light whispers of Randy Moss comparisons. The dude was an absolute beast for a stretch there. Now we were getting him fresh off of suspension and in the best shape he had ever been in. There was a ton of optimism. Hindsight tells us that optimism was poorly placed but that is hindsight.
.

1. being better on paper doesn't count for squat. Game is played on turf and not on paper and Bryant's weakest ability was avail-ability. Can't help the team from the bench or suspension.

2. Were there really whispers of Randy Moss comparisons? Who on crack was thinking that after Bryant had his mom move in next to him in Pittsburgh and he still couldn't avoid multiple violations and a 12 month suspension.

3. Hindsight and optimism. If anybody read any of Bryant's interviews after his suspension, the would see that he never followed the Steelers, kept in touch with the Steelers and didn't think he owed any Steeler teammates an explanation for his actions that got him suspended for a year. Any optimism that a guy with that kind of attitude would comeback and be a good teammate and not a distraction, is misguided optimism IMO.

When Bryant was drafted in the 4th round as a junior, I said we got a steal because he was behind DeAndre Hopkins at Clemson and hadn't been the feature guy yet. I didn't know his past and addictions. To paraphrase description about draft bust Alonzo Spellman...…"Martavis Bryant has the skills of a world beater, but the mind of an egg-beater". The Steelers are better on the field and in the locker room with him gone.

[hawaiiansteeler]

The Steelers are better on the field and in the locker room with him gone.

I couldn't possibly agree with this statement more!

[Cyphon25]

1. being better on paper doesn't count for squat. Game is played on turf and not on paper and Bryant's weakest ability was avail-ability. Can't help the team from the bench or suspension.

Couldn't agree more. I am just letting you know why people are concerned with this years WR group and weren't so much last year. Because going in we had more "answers" than we do this year.

2. Were there really whispers of Randy Moss comparisons? Who on crack was thinking that after Bryant had his mom move in next to him in Pittsburgh and he still couldn't avoid multiple violations and a 12 month suspension.

It wasn't anything like "this guy is the next Moss" but when he hit his peak and with his physical skillset being what it is, the conversation was brought up like "this guy has the potential to be Moss like". So nothing crack about it, it was an apt comparison.

3. Hindsight and optimism. If anybody read any of Bryant's interviews after his suspension, the would see that he never followed the Steelers, kept in touch with the Steelers and didn't think he owed any Steeler teammates an explanation for his actions that got him suspended for a year. Any optimism that a guy with that kind of attitude would comeback and be a good teammate and not a distraction, is misguided optimism IMO.

Maybe for you sure, but others were being more positive about the whole thing. Turns out for the most part they were right. There were attitude problems but he didn't get suspended again and near the end of the season he was getting back to form. In fairness, they were wrong as well. Some were expecting really big things from a numbers standpoint and until late he never really got on the same page with Ben.

The Steelers are better on the field and in the locker room with him gone.

Definitely up for debate. If he kept his attitude in check we would be better on the field with him. The problem is we never know where his head is going to be at.

All that said the Steelers made the right move. Getting a 3rd for him was really good.

[Dwinsgames]

far to much hype for me on a guy who is 1 toke away from flipping burgers for a living

[teegre]

I’m with Dwins that Berhe can easily replace DHB on special teams. Berhe is nicknamed “The Missle” for a reason.

That said... Tomlin loves DHB.

[Born2Steel]

DHB is a 10 year vet and all he does mostly is play ST well. He's a veteran voice in the WR room, and I've never heard anyone say anything negative about him as a teammate. Currently on paper we have a 2nd year, a rookie, and Justin Hunter among our top4 WRs. Just saying I would not throw away DHB just to open a roster spot.

[86WARD]

I might be misunderstanding here. Are you saying that the Steelers WR corps is worse off this season because JuJu could "vanish into nowhere-ville" and that it would be better if a reliable talented WR like Bryant was on the Steelers roster instead of the Rookie Washington?

I personally trust going forward with JuJu than Bryant. I also trust going forward with the Belietnikoff winner in Washington, than Bryant. Again, by week 8 of this NFL season, James Washington will have more receptions than Martavis Bryant. I am confident in that statement.

No. That’s not what I am saying at all. I’m not comparing JuJu to Bryant. JuJu really isn’t part of the discussion here because he’s been on the roster for both seasons. I’m also not saying that Washington won’t be better that Bryant, JuJu or AB for that matter. Hopefully he is, but we don’t know that he will.

All I am saying is that the roster as is on paper, with the subtraction of Bryant and Rogers is not as good as it would be with them on the roster nor as good as it was at the end of last season. Added talent to a roster is never a bad thing. Washington is an unknown. No one knows what he’s going to do. Could be early years Bryant, could be latter years Bryant or worse, Troy Edwards. No one knows.

[Cyphon25]

I’m with Dwins that Berhe can easily replace DHB on special teams. Berhe is nicknamed “The Missle” for a reason.

That said... Tomlin loves DHB.

I am pretty sure Behre was brought in to replace Golden. So that still leaves DHB's spot for himself or someone else.

[Born2Steel]

No. That’s not what I am saying at all. I’m not comparing JuJu to Bryant. JuJu really isn’t part of the discussion here because he’s been on the roster for both seasons. I’m also not saying that Washington won’t be better that Bryant, JuJu or AB for that matter. Hopefully he is, but we don’t know that he will.

All I am saying is that the roster as is on paper, with the subtraction of Bryant and Rogers is not as good as it would be with them on the roster nor as good as it was at the end of last season. Added talent to a roster is never a bad thing. Washington is an unknown. No one knows what he’s going to do. Could be early years Bryant, could be latter years Bryant or worse, Troy Edwards. No one knows.

I can agree with this. 1&2 are AB and JuJu, everyone agrees. #3 goes from Bryant to Washington/Hunter. #4 goes from Rogers to Washington/Hunter/DHB.

[Dwinsgames]

I am pretty sure Behre was brought in to replace Golden. So that still leaves DHB's spot for himself or someone else.

Marcus Allen ( no not that one the other one )

[Cyphon25]

Marcus Allen ( no not that one the other one )

He might not even make the 53.

[Dwinsgames]

He might not even make the 53.

he will make it

[Cyphon25]

he will make it

So will DHB.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Washington is an unknown. No one knows what he’s going to do. Could be early years Bryant, could be latter years Bryant or worse, Troy Edwards. No one knows.

Thanks for the clarification of your position. It helped me understand where you are coming from.

As for Washington, I'm not as unsure of what he will do as you and others may be and below is why:

-Washington lead FBS with 20.9 yard per reception average in 2018 and 13TD.
-lead FBS in2015 with most TD of 70 yards or longer(4)
-doubters will point to his 4.5 combine speed, but he was clocked as the fastest player on the Senior Bowl field in pads and was state 100m and triple jump champ in highschool.
-displayed great hands at combine workout, ran solid routes and tracked the deep ball naturally, which drew praise from Mike Mayock and Michael Irvin on NFL network.
-won many of his 1 on 1 battles in Senior Bowl practice and showed ability to work from boundary WR and in slot.
-humble and hardworking from growing up working on his parents farm.
-strong hands and high points footballs well, challenging for 50-50 catches.

As much as I think the Steelers are better by subtracting the malcontent Bryant from the roster, they drafted a fast, strong, sure-handed, hard working, WR that scored 38 TD's in his career in James Washington and I think he will have over 50 receptions and 800+ receiving yards, barring injury this season.

[Dwinsgames]

Eli left KC with no deal .... on to Cleveland

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Thanks for the clarification of your position. It helped me understand where you are coming from.

As for Washington, I'm not as unsure of what he will do as you and others may be and below is why:

-Washington lead FBS with 20.9 yard per reception average in 2018 and 13TD.
-lead FBS in2015 with most TD of 70 yards or longer(4)
-doubters will point to his 4.5 combine speed, but he was clocked as the fastest player on the Senior Bowl field in pads and was state 100m and triple jump champ in highschool.
-displayed great hands at combine workout, ran solid routes and tracked the deep ball naturally, which drew praise from Mike Mayock and Michael Irvin on NFL network.
-won many of his 1 on 1 battles in Senior Bowl practice and showed ability to work from boundary WR and in slot.
-humble and hardworking from growing up working on his parents farm.
-strong hands and high points footballs well, challenging for 50-50 catches.

As much as I think the Steelers are better by subtracting the malcontent Bryant from the roster, they drafted a fast, strong, sure-handed, hard working, WR that scored 38 TD's in his career in James Washington and I think he will have over 50 receptions and 800+ receiving yards, barring injury this season.

spot on , I am a big believer in the farmer ( no not Danny Farmer ) James Washington and his agricultural degree ... he is a worker and his major proves that

[Mojouw]

Thanks for the clarification of your position. It helped me understand where you are coming from.

As for Washington, I'm not as unsure of what he will do as you and others may be and below is why:

-Washington lead FBS with 20.9 yard per reception average in 2018 and 13TD.
-lead FBS in2015 with most TD of 70 yards or longer(4)
-doubters will point to his 4.5 combine speed, but he was clocked as the fastest player on the Senior Bowl field in pads and was state 100m and triple jump champ in highschool.
-displayed great hands at combine workout, ran solid routes and tracked the deep ball naturally, which drew praise from Mike Mayock and Michael Irvin on NFL network.
-won many of his 1 on 1 battles in Senior Bowl practice and showed ability to work from boundary WR and in slot.
-humble and hardworking from growing up working on his parents farm.
-strong hands and high points footballs well, challenging for 50-50 catches.

As much as I think the Steelers are better by subtracting the malcontent Bryant from the roster, they drafted a fast, strong, sure-handed, hard working, WR that scored 38 TD's in his career in James Washington and I think he will have over 50 receptions and 800+ receiving yards, barring injury this season.

The only thing I worry about with Washington is the learning curve. He will see a totally different style of DB in the NFL than he did in his wide open college conference. How does he do with jams at the line, physical re-routing inside 5 yards, etc. That and I have read several pre-draft reviews that argued that he ran one route well and had a ton to learn with the rest of the route tree.

All that being said, how much of that could have described every recent Steelers WR and look how that mostly turned out really well. I'm gonna trust the process but am only cautiously optimistic.

[86WARD]

Thanks for the clarification of your position. It helped me understand where you are coming from.

As for Washington, I'm not as unsure of what he will do as you and others may be and below is why:

-Washington lead FBS with 20.9 yard per reception average in 2018 and 13TD.
-lead FBS in2015 with most TD of 70 yards or longer(4)
-doubters will point to his 4.5 combine speed, but he was clocked as the fastest player on the Senior Bowl field in pads and was state 100m and triple jump champ in highschool.
-displayed great hands at combine workout, ran solid routes and tracked the deep ball naturally, which drew praise from Mike Mayock and Michael Irvin on NFL network.
-won many of his 1 on 1 battles in Senior Bowl practice and showed ability to work from boundary WR and in slot.
-humble and hardworking from growing up working on his parents farm.
-strong hands and high points footballs well, challenging for 50-50 catches.

As much as I think the Steelers are better by subtracting the malcontent Bryant from the roster, they drafted a fast, strong, sure-handed, hard working, WR that scored 38 TD's in his career in James Washington and I think he will have over 50 receptions and 800+ receiving yards, barring injury this season.

The good thing is the Steelers track record has been pretty damn good with WRs in the draft...so that’s a huge plus imo.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Eli left KC with no deal .... on to Cleveland

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spot on , I am a big believer in the farmer ( no not Danny Farmer ) James Washington and his agricultural degree ... he is a worker and his major proves that

Nice Danny Farmer reference !! #83 from UCLA.

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The only thing I worry about with Washington is the learning curve. He will see a totally different style of DB in the NFL than he did in his wide open college conference. How does he do with jams at the line, physical re-routing inside 5 yards, etc. That and I have read several pre-draft reviews that argued that he ran one route well and had a ton to learn with the rest of the route tree.

All that being said, how much of that could have described every recent Steelers WR and look how that mostly turned out really well. I'm gonna trust the process but am only cautiously optimistic.

Sure he is gonna see some CB that jam at the LOS and there will be a learning curve, but if JW can throw around tractor tires and hay bales most of his life, I think he can learn to defeat a jam and get upfield.

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The good thing is the Steelers track record has been pretty damn good with WRs in the draft...so that’s a huge plus imo.

Yes, I agree

Big thing that sticks with me is Performance = Ability x Opportunity x Effort. Washington is loaded with ability and Effort, so he will just need the opportunity to excel. Others like Bryant lacked the effort, or Coates lacked the ability. I think the kid is gonna be just what the Steelers need.