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Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat: 3.20.18
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Ed Bouchette
1:58
Good afternoon, let's begin
Pete
1:58
For arguments sake, let’s say the Steelers sign Bell to a long term deal.  In the first season of the deal, Bell gains over 2,500 all purpose yards and scores 14 TDs; goven his me-first attitude, do you think he would hold out for a contract renegotiation?
Ed Bouchette
2:00
No, because he did not do that while he was under contract in his fourth year of his rookie contract, which paid him comparable peanuts. He stayed away last year until he signed his tag. I expect that to happen again but if he does sign a multi-year deal, i believe he would honor it no matter how productive he is.
AK
2:00
If the Steelers sign Burnett, do you think they would still target a S early and cut Wilcox?
Ed Bouchette
2:01
They are going to sign him unless something happens in his physical today. I believe they will still look to draft a safety, but maybe not as high as they might have
Bob R
2:01
I think it's pretty obvious the Steelers will draft an ILB in round 1 (assuming they don't fly off the board).  But if the rumors of Morgan Burnett signing, do you believe the Steelers are more likely to follow "best available" philosophy after round 1?
Ed Bouchette
2:01
Morgan Burnett's signing gives them more flexibility to do that, yes.
AK
2:01
Do the Steelers draft needs stay the same with the two signings?
Ed Bouchette
2:02
At inside linebacker they do, maybe not as high a pick for safety now.
JP
2:02
Ed, thank you for taking my question. Is it me or does the possibility of a quality RB ( like a Michel or Jones) falls in the 2nd round that the Steelers would jump at and pull Bell's tag?
Ed Bouchette
2:02
They might jump but not pull the tag, keep both for a year and go with the young runner fulltime in 2018
JerseySteel
2:03
Hi Ed - did the Steelers have any serious discussions with the Honey Badger?
Ed Bouchette
2:03
Not to my knowledge, no.
JerseySteel
2:03
Hi Ed - do you think the Steelers will sign Michael Thomas or Matthew Slater - or do you think they are about done in free agency after addressing a replacement for Mitchell and depth at ILB?
Ed Bouchette
2:04
I don't see them signing another safety in free agency. I could see them adding a backup offensive lineman still
2:09
Sorry, had to pause because Steelers just announced signing of S Morgan Burnett to 3-year contract
Fred
2:09
Would you still rank the Steelers’ chances of drafting a QB  as Blutarsky?
Ed Bouchette
2:10
I don't think they will draft a quarterback.
Agnew
2:10
Will the Steelers cut Wilcox?  $3.3M is a lot to pay for a backup on a cap strapped team.
Ed Bouchette
2:10
We'll see. Maybe they are waiting until they see what happens in the draft. They remain thin at safety, especially if they cut him
davesdogs
2:11
Can you briefly explain the actual difference between a FS and an SS ? And I'm not looking to hear ones free and the other is strong.....Thanks
Ed Bouchette
2:12
In its most basic form, the free safety is the deep man in the secondary and the strong safety plays closer to the line of scrimmage. In some Steelers defenses in past year, they were interchangeable, one playing one half of the field and the other the other half in a sort of Tampa 2
Stillers4Life
2:12
Burnett a good signing in your opinion? Is there much difference between him and Mitchell?
Ed Bouchette
2:13
Burnett is more versatile, he's also been injured more often, including 4 games missed last season. He has played SS and FS as well as slot corner and ILB. He's not a big playmaker.
Bob in Canada
2:13
If Mike Gesicki drops into the 2nd or 3rd round, do you think the steelers might take him instead of a receiver that high?
Ed Bouchette
2:14
I'm not sure they will draft a tight end, but I would not preclude them from taking him.
SteelerinNorCal
2:14
Do the Bostic and Burnett signings change the draft strategy much come April?
Ed Bouchette
2:14
They still need a good inside linebacker. Bostic merely takes the pressure off having nobody. Their safety strategy could change in that they could take one later, but I still could see them taking one in the second round.
Professor Flush
2:15
How much of the future have the Steelers "mortgaged" by restructuring contracts into the future? Won't this catch up to them sooner than later, or do they expect the salary cap to adjust upwards every year?
Ed Bouchette
2:15
They've been saying that for 10 years and while it has reduced their ability to sign some big-time free agents, it has not hurt them as a team or forced them to cut good players because of cap problems.
Bob in Canada
2:15
When a free agent player visits the steelers, but does not sign, what is the itinerary of the visit?  Do they go out to lunch, tour the facility, meet current players, etc.?
Ed Bouchette
2:16
Sometimes all of that, plus go over some chalkboard stuff.
BlackJack Bill
2:16
I am surprised that the Steelers rarely delve into the free agent market. They have found gems in the past including  James Farrior and Jeff Hartings. I would rather sign a proven young vet than rely on the development of a raw rookie. Your thoughts?
Ed Bouchette
2:17
They have used free agency to fill in some weaknesses or even holes but their idea of free agency is to sign their own players first and not let them leave via free agency.
Marty
2:17
I would have thought that the Steelers would have jumped at the chance of signing Mathieu.  Has anyone discussed this with Colbert or Tomlin?
Ed Bouchette
2:17
Mathieu, to me, is overrated, small and over-priced at $7 million, at least he was overpriced compared to  the Steelers cap space.
Dave
2:18
Do you think Leveonne Bell will ever be signed to a long term contract?
Ed Bouchette
2:18
My feeling is, if they haven't been able to sign him by now, they're not going to sign him.
BAKE
2:18
With the signing of Bostic and likely Burnett, how do you now rank the draft needs?
Ed Bouchette
2:19
ILB, S, OLB, WR,
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