NFL Notes: Bills, Redskins, Steelers

Bills

• According to OverTheCap.com, the Bills are not projected to receive any compensatory picks in 2018 after they signed seven free agents to contracts.
• Mike Rodak of ESPN previously pointed out that the Bills change this and possibly pick up a 2018 third-round compensatory pick for losing CB Stephon Gilmore to the Patriots if they were to release three of the seven players they signed by Week 10.
• Rodak lists DE Ryan Davis, OL Vladimir Ducasse, and WR Andre Holmes as the most likely players to be released.
• Beyond that, Rodak says they could also get a fourth-round compensatory pick next year if they also released either FB Patrick DiMarco or K Stephen Hauschka.

Redskins

• John Keim at one point predicted that rookie Samaje Perine would be the Redskins’ starting running back, but he now feels like Rob Kelley is likely to return as the team’s starter for the 2017 season.
• Keim believes Kelley will initially receive more carries but Perine will end up having a bigger role because of his ability to be effective in short-yardage situations and in the red zone.
• Keim also expects Chris Thompson to be mixed in on third-down situations this season.

Steelers

Steelers DL coach John Mitchell said “it’s time” for former sixth-round pick DT Dan McCullers to start producing or it could be McCuller’s last year in Pittsburgh.

“Dan McCullers, he’s got to grow up,” said Mitchell, via Chris Adamski of the Tribune-Review. “It’s time to make a move right now. This is going to be his fourth year. And usually in this league, after about four years, you have got to make a move. Or, either, you move somewhere else.”

McCullers added that he’s really going to try to stand out this year and prove himself to the coaching staff.

“We’ve got a deep, deep D-line,” McCullers said. “A lot of guys who can play, run around, a lot of good guys. So I am gonna try to do my best to stand out … All the reps that you can get, the better. It doesn’t matter if it’s first-team or second-team or third-team. You just want to prove yourself and show the coaches you can play.”