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Anthony Chickillo

Steelers’ Anthony Chickillo Placed On Exempt List

October 23rd, 2019 at 3:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, according to a press release. To replace him, the Steelers have signed linebacker Jayrone Elliott. 

Recently, Chickillo was charged with simple assault, criminal mischief, and harassment after an incident with his girlfriend. He’ll be barred from playing while on the exempt list, but a minimum six-game ban could be in his future, if the NFL’s investigation finds him at fault.

Chickillo was originally drafted by the Steelers in the sixth-round of the 2015 draft. After playing out his rookie deal, he signed a two-year, $8MM deal to remain with the team this past March. Last season, Chickillo played around 28% of the team’s defensive snaps while also serving as a core special teamer.

Elliott has been on and off of the Steelers’ roster for the last couple of months, with his most recent stint ending on Oct. 11. He’s back now with an eye on adding to his career total of 42 appearances.

Steelers’ Anthony Chickillo Arrested

October 20th, 2019 at 9:16pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers are in the news on their bye week, which is never a good sign. Pittsburgh linebacker Anthony Chickillo was arrested over the weekend, according to WTAE Pittsburgh.

Chickillo has been charged with simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment. A source told WTAE that the incident involved Chickillo’s girlfriend, so it’s a domestic violence issue. A Steelers spokesperson told the news channel “we are aware of an incident involving Anthony Chickillo last night and are still gathering information. Until we have further details we will not provide any further comments.”

It’s possible Chickillo will be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list since it’s a domestic violence incident, and he could be slapped with a minimum six-game ban if the league’s investigation finds him at fault. Chickillo was originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the sixth-round back in 2015. After playing out his rookie deal, he signed a two-year, $8MM deal to remain with the team this past March.

Last season Chickillo played around 28 percent of the team’s defensive snaps while also being a core special teamer. He missed three games earlier this year with a foot injury, returning for their Week 6 win over the Chargers and notching a half-sack. We’ll keep you posted when we hear more on the situation.

Steelers To Re-Sign LB Anthony Chickillo

March 12th, 2019 at 8:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Anthony Chickillo is sticking around Pittsburgh. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Steelers are re-signing the linebacker. It’s a two-year deal worth $8MM. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets that the Patriots were also in on Chickillo, and extended him a similar offer, but Chickillo wanted to win with Pittsburgh. He said, “it’s funny everybody’s counting us out. You still have to play the games.”

The 26-year-old has spent his entire four-year career with the Steelers. After being selected in the sixth-round of the 2015 draft, the Miami product has developed into a reliable backup linebacker.

In 2018, Chickillo appeared in 16 games for a second-straight season, compiling 24 tackles and two passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked him 40th among 103 eligible edge defenders.

With Chickillo back on board, the Steelers will have the ability to turn to him or Olasunkanmi Adeniyi to back up starters Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt. Fellow linebacker L.J. Fort is also a free agent, and there have been some rumblings that Pittsburgh could look to bring him back.

Steelers LB Anthony Chickillo Signs RFA Tender

April 21st, 2018 at 10:19am CST by Ben Levine

Anthony Chickillo will be back in Pittsburgh next season. Pro Football Talk reports that the outside linebacker has signed his $1.907MM restricted free agent tender with the Steelers (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Twitter).

The 2015 sixth-round pick out of Miami has spent his entire three-year career with the Steelers. He appeared in only seven games during his rookie campaign, but he played a much bigger role for the team in 2016, compiling 2.5 sacks. He appeared in a career-high 16 games (two starts) in 2017, collecting 19 tackles and three sacks. Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of his performance last season, as his grade would have ranked him in the bottom-10 among edge defenders had he earned enough snaps.

Chickillo will presumably slide back into his rotational pass rusher role in 2018. The 25-year-old will also serve as insurance behind starting outside linebackers Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt.

Steelers LB Anthony Chickillo Signs Tender

April 20th, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo is officially back in the fold. The 25-year-old has inked his restricted tender, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). 

Chickillo, a 2015 sixth-round pick, appeared in seven games for the Steelers as a rookie but primarily contributed on special teams. In his sophomore year, he stepped into a larger role with the team. Chickillo has appeared in all but one of the club’s regular season games over the past two years and has tallied 38 total tackles and 5.5 sacks in that span.

In other Steelers news, running back Le’Veon Bell was a no-show (as expected) for the start of the team’s offseason program.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/18

March 13th, 2018 at 9:35am CST by Dallas Robinson

Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

RFAs

Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

Extra Points: Pack, Favre, Jags, Steelers

June 29th, 2017 at 9:00pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois signed with the Packers in March, and he spoke about that decision Thursday, telling Stu Courney of PackersNews.com: “To get that phone call that the Green Bay Packers want you is rare. It’s rare that you see them go outside and pick guys up and if they do, it’s for a reason.” Jean-Francois is right that the Packers typically aren’t the most aggressive team in free agency. They aren’t averse to signing released players, however, because adding them doesn’t cost compensatory draft picks. That was the case with the 30-year-old Jean-Francois, whom the Redskins cut loose a week before he caught on with Green Bay for $3MM. His decision came down to the Packers and Seahawks, and it seems Aaron Rodgers‘ presence tipped the scales in the former’s favor. “Just seeing a quarterback like him year in and year out be so successful … he’s been so consistent getting to the playoffs,” commented Jean-Francois.

More from Green Bay and two other NFL cities:

  • After Branden Albert ended his holdout and reported to Jaguars minicamp earlier this month, vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin told the left tackle that he looked heavier than before, according to Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders. Moreover, the out-of-shape Albert failed to impress the team’s coaches on the field, per Cummings, who notes that he’s far from a lock to start. Albert, whom the Jaguars acquired via trade from the Dolphins over the winter, will have to beat out second-rounder Cam Robinson. For now, Robinson is the front-runner for the job, suggests Cummings. At right tackle, Jacksonville has Jermey Parnell – a 16-game starter last year who ranked 31st among Pro Football Focus’ 78 qualified tackles (Albert was 65th).
  • We may not have seen the last of Brett Favre in a notable NFL role. The Hall of Fame quarterback told ESPN Wisconsin’s Wilde & Tausch on Thursday that he’s interested in working as a coach or a general manager down the line (via Richard Ryman of PackersNews.com). “I would say I’d never say never,” Favre said. “I believe that would be a dream job, working as a coach there or in some form of administration.” Favre would prefer to serve in some capacity with the Packers, with whom he starred from 1992-2007.
  • One of Arthur Moats or Anthony Chickillo could be in jeopardy of losing his roster spot with the Steelers, writes Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. With those two, T.J. Watt, James Harrison, Bud Dupree and seventh-rounder Keion Adams, the Steelers will enter training camp with six outside linebackers and only four or five spots. Watt, Harrison and Dupree are shoo-ins to make the roster, and whether both Moats and Chickillo will join them will come down to if the Steelers decide to deploy a five-OLB rotation. Meanwhile, Adams will likely head to the practice squad. Moats and Chickillo were both somewhat prominent members of Pittsburgh’s defense last year. Moats played 396 snaps, started in five of 16 appearances and picked up 3.5 sacks, while Chickillo amassed 316 snaps and 2.5 sacks in 15 games (seven starts).

Steelers Re-Sign LB Anthony Chickillo

February 14th, 2017 at 10:41am CST by Zachary Links

After making a name for himself in 2016, there was no way the Steelers were going to let linebacker Anthony Chickillo get away. The team has re-signed the exclusive rights free agent to a one-year deal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Anthony Chickillo (vertical)

Chickillo, a 2015 sixth-round pick, appeared in seven games for the Steelers as a rookie but primarily contributed on special teams. This year, he played in 15 games and made seven starts. on the year, he had 24 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and 2.5 sacks. Still just 24, Chickillo has played his way into a significant role on the 2017 team.

Chickillo is now the sixth Pittsburgh ERFA to re-up with the team this offseason. Roosevelt Nix, Cobi Hamilton, Chris Boswell, Fitzgerald Toussaint, and Jordan Dangerfield have already signed back on with the Steelers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/30/15

September 30th, 2015 at 6:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from across the NFL:

  • The Patriots released linebacker Dekoda Watson, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. The veteran played primarily on special teams in the last two games.

Earlier Updates:

  • It was a busy day for the Texans, who overhauled their linebacker corps in an effort to improve the club’s special teams play. According to a press release, the Texans promoted ILB Max Bullough from their own practice squad, signed ILB Brian Peters from the Vikings’ practice squad, and signed OLB Kourtnei Brown from the Bucs’ practice squad. As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets, the club placed linebackers Mike Mohamed and Carlos Thompson on injured reserve.
  • The Jets have parted ways with one of their draft picks from this past May, waiving seventh-round defensive tackle Deon Simon today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Simon, 25, has yet to see any action in a regular season NFL game.
  • Having cut running back Mike James earlier in the week, the Buccaneers had an open roster spot, and used that opening to promote tackle Reid Fragel from their practice squad, according to a team release. Fragel initially survived Tampa Bay’s cutdown to 53 players, but was dropped and signed to the practice squad after the Bucs claimed several players off waivers.
  • The Steelers made a change to their defense today, announcing that they’ve cut defensive end Caushaud Lyons, promoting linebacker Anthony Chickillo to their active roster to replace him.

AFC Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/15

September 7th, 2015 at 6:54pm CST by Luke Adams

While many teams filled up their 10-man practice squads on Sunday, plenty of teams didn’t confirm their moves right away, or kept a few spots open on those units. On top of that, at least one club that signed 10 players to its taxi squad on Sunday has already made several changes, bringing in new players and jettisoning players who didn’t even spend 24 hours on the squad.

We’ll have updates on Monday’s AFC practice squad signings and cuts in this space, with teams listed in alphabetical order. When new moves occur, we’ll bump this post back to the top of the page. Here’s a round-up of today’s moves:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed (press release):

    • WR Daniel Brown
    • TE Dominique Jones
    • WR Jeremy Ross

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed (press release):
    • OLB IK Enemkpali
    • T Chris Martin
    • DE Cedric Reed
    • QB Alex Tanney

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed (press release):
    • RB Kapri Bibbs
    • TE Arthur Lynch
    • T Kyle Roberts
    • DE George Uko

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed:

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed (press release):
    • DT Hebron Fangupo
    • T Laurence Gibson
    • CB Jeremy Harris
    • DL David Irving
    • TE Ross Travis
    • FB Spencer Ware

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

  • Signed (Twitter links):
    • OL Chris Barker
    • T Blaine Clausell
    • OL Cameron Fleming (Twitter link via Jeff Howe)
    • LB Darius Fleming
    • LB Brandon King
    • WR Nathan Palmer
    • DB Daxton Swanson
    • DT Jimmy Staten
  • Signed and subsequently released:

New York Jets

  • To be signed:

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed:
    • George Atkinson III, RB
    • Mitch Bell, G
    • SaQwan Edwards, CB
    • Shelby Harris, DE
    • Dan Kistler, T
    • Tevin McDonald, S
    • Josh Shirley, LB

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed (Twitter link via Burt Lauten + team transactions page):
    • WR Isaiah Burse
    • LB Anthony Chickillo
    • T Matt Feiler
    • CB Doran Grant
    • TE Xavier Grimble
    • OL Barrett Jones
    • RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
  • Released:
    • RB Dominique Brown
    • OL Reese Dismukes
    • LB Shayon Green
    • DE Ethan Hemer
    • OL Antonio Johnson
    • TE Harold Spears
    • WR Jarrod West

San Diego Chargers

  • Signed:
    • OL Michael Ola (link via Michael Gehlken)

Tennessee Titans

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