The Steelers and guard David DeCastro have made some progress on contract talks after a slow period, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The two sides were said to be talking in mid-June, but things were quiet for about six weeks between the two sides. 
With one year left to go on his contract, DeCastro figures to be a priority for Pittsburgh to address, along with star running back Le’Veon Bell. DeCastro, 26, has established himself as one of the core pieces on the Steelers’ offensive line, starting all but one game over the course of the last three seasons. This past season, the 2012 first-round pick earned his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections.
Pro Football Focus graded DeCastro as the league’s 14th-best guard in 2013 – out of 81 qualified players – and ranked him 18th of 78 in 2014. Last year, DeCastro was ranked as the 15th best guard in the NFL by PFF with roughly equal grades for his pass blocking and run blocking.
After picking up their fifth-year option on DeCastro, the Steelers have him on their books for a salary of $8.07MM in 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
DeCastro is undoubtedly the priority. They won’t be signing Bell. Even ignoring the off-field issue, they won’t offer him anything close to what he’ll be seeing from other teams.