Steelers Expect Mike Wallace To Be Ready For Week 1

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley mentioned that he believes WR Mike Wallace will be ready in time play in their Week 1 match up against the Denver Broncos.  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“It’s not a running back or someone who has to be in the action of the game,” said Haley, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I think it’s feasible he’s ready to go when we start this thing up.”

This is obviously an optimistic take on learning a new offensive system, but they will definitely keep things simple for Wallace. At least he possesses incredible speed to get behind opposing defenses, so even if he’s not being targeted, the defense will have to account for him on every passing play.

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Steelers WR Mike Wallace has finally signed his restricted free agent worth $2.742 million, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“I’d love to be here,” Wallace said. “This is the team that drafted me, this is where I want to stay. But I’m not worried about down the road. I’m just worried about playing football right now. That’s the only thing on my mind. Y’all might think I’m just saying that, but that’s it. I’m not worried about none of that.”

There’s been some speculation that Steelers and Wallace could revisit talks regarding a long-term contract extension that would keep him in black and gold, but that’s by no means a guarantee at this point in time. Pittsburgh has said that they’re no longer willing to discuss a deal with Wallace, and the fact that their cap situation remains cloudy for the foreseeable future, makes it hard to get something done now that Antonio Brown is locked up.

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Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace has ended his holdout and arrived at the team’s facility this morning, per Mark Kaboly. Wallace is expected to sign his one-year, $2.742 million restricted tender before this afternoon.

Wallace won’t be able to step onto the practice field until Monday, due to the new rules in the CBA. It’s crucial that while he’s not practicing, Wallace is learning as much as he can about new offense coordinator Todd Haley’s offense. While it’s great news for the Steelers to have Wallace back with the team and practicing, the time he has missed should hurt his performance on the field early on. It is expected that Wallace’s timing will be off and he could look a little sluggish for a game or two.