HEADLINES

Cam Thomas (DL)

AFC Notes: Louis, Dareus, Thomas, Taylor

June 7th, 2014 at 10:35am CST by Matt Feminis

With Donald Thomas injured, Lance Louis, who hasn’t played since November 2012 because of a torn ACL injury, is working as the Colts’ first-team left guard, shares ESPN’s Mike Wells. Louis appeared to be an emerging talent in 2012 when he started the first 11 games for the Bears, and Colts GM Ryan Grigson took notice: “I was sitting watching the Bears (on tape) with Tom Telesco when we were preparing for them. I look at the tape and I said, ‘Who’s No. 60?’ I look him up in the system and the guy ran a 4.72 (40-yard dash) at 309 (pounds) coming out of San Diego State. He was faster than some of the receivers who are going to go in the second round this year. So, we’re watching that and we’re thinking, in free agency, this guy is going to break the bank because he’s the best player on their line. He gets his knee blown out and things change. We stayed on him all (last) year and the knee’s fine now and we have him here for two years. Hopefully he gets back to that level of play where he’s a good starter. He’s a guy who is completely off the radar who we’re optimistic about.”

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • A pair of off-season arrests for Bills defensive lineman Marcell Dareus has thrown his long-term stability into question, prompting Adam Schein of SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio (highlighted on the web by Pro Football Talk) to ask head coach Doug Marrone if Dareus “gets it.” The coach’s response? “That’s a good question.”
  • Steelers 6-4, 330-pound defensive lineman Cam Thomas, who signed a two-year, $4MM deal in March, is working at nose tackle and five-technique, writes Mark Kaboly of Triblive.com.
  • Dolphins cornerback Jamar Taylor, a 2013 second-rounder, played just 40 snaps as a rookie after a pre-draft kidney ailment and subsequent sports hernia affected him. He’s healthy now and competing with Cortland Finnegan and Will Davis for available playing time between the No. 2 corner and nickel back jobs, writes ESPN’s James Walker, who also notes the Dolphins got just 1,126 snaps by their rookies last year, third-fewest in the league.
  • It was a tale of two seasons for Chiefs cornerback Marcus Cooper in 2013, writes ESPN’s Adam Teicher, who identifies Cooper as a young player who must improve. A seventh-rounder claimed on waivers, Cooper immediately “looked like he belonged,” earned the third cornerback job and “played better than either of the two starters for the first half of the season,” according to Teicher. However, Cooper’s play deteriorated during the second half of the season and he was demoted. At 6-2, 192 pounds, Cooper has the dimensions and physical tools the Chiefs desire, but the team needs more consistency out of him.
  • Because of free-agent departures, there’s competition for jobs up and down the Chiefs roster, details AP writer Dave Skretta.
  • MarQueis Gray, an undrafted college quarterback out of Minnesota, converted to tight end and stuck with the Browns last season, appearing in 12 games (two starts). The team is again tapping into his versatility, this time trying him at fullback, according to George M. Thomas in the Beacon Journal.

Steelers Notes: Moats, RBs, Harrison

March 23rd, 2014 at 2:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers will meet with free agent inside linebacker Arthur Moats, likely on Monday, tweets Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Moats, 26, has drawn a surprising lack of interest during free agency. He started 12 games last season for the Bills, accruing 54 tackles and grading as the 12th-best inside linebacker in the league, especially excelling in run defense, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He would slot in next to Lawrence Timmons in the Steelers 3-4 defense.

Some other Steelers items:

  • Robinson also tweets the Steelers will add a veteran running back, and corroborates an earlier report that the team will meet with LeGarrette Blount on Friday.
  • Continuing on the running back theme, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chimes in, adding that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin “felt good” about last week’s visit with RB Maurice Jones-Drew, and that Pittsburgh remains amenable to signing the veteran (Twitter link).
  • Dulac also adds that the team maintains interest in bringing back linebacker James Harrison, quoting general manager Kevin Colbert as saying the team is “never going to close the door on any possibility, especially with a guy who was a huge part of our success” (via Twitter).
  • Dulac tweets that recently-signed Cam Thomas will work as a defensive end, but could also get time at defensive tackle.
  • Robinson reports that the Steelers scouting staff will attend the pro days of North Carolina, Duke, and Texas A&M, with Colbert and Tomlin likely attending the Aggies event (Twitter link).
  • Signing a steady, low-cost free agent like receiver Lance Moore is symbolic of the Steelers free agency strategy, writes Scott Brown of ESPN.com.

Steelers Sign Cam Thomas

March 14th, 2014 at 4:45pm CST by Luke Adams

4:45pm: Thomas’ two-year contract with the Steelers is worth $4MM overall, with a $1MM signing bonus and base salaries of $1MM (2014) and $2MM (2015), tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

12:56pm: The Steelers have signed defensive tackle Cam Thomas to a two-year deal, according to agent David Canter (via Twitter). Thomas, an unrestricted free agent, had spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Chargers.

Making 11 starts for the Chargers in 2013, Thomas played 547 defensive snaps for the Chargers, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF graded his performance as a little below average, but he managed to log 26 tackles and 13 quarterback pressures while playing primarily at nose tackle.

For the Steelers, Thomas will help fill the void on the defensive line left by Ziggy Hood, who signed with the Jaguars earlier this week.