The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed former Chargers DT Cam Thomas to a two-year deal, according to his agent David Canter.
Thomas, 27, was selected in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Chargers. Thomas appeared in all 16 games for San Diego last season and totaled 23 tackles and an interception.
Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 48 defensive tackle in the league last year. He’s proven to be a pretty decent run-stopper in recent years.
Pittsburgh has already lost Ziggy Hood to the Jaguars and are expected to allow Brett Keisel to sign with a new team, so it makes sense that they would target some defensive linemen to round out their roster.
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So we replaced mediocrity with mediocrity?
No- we replaced a former first-round mediocrity with a former fifth-round mediocrity.
At least Thomas won’t demand millions to be mediocre.
Releasing Keisel is stupid-talk. He’s still a top-5 3-4 DE.
Keisel will be 36 at the start of the season, and No. 31 3-4 DE, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s a free agent, so I wasn’t suggesting that they should release him. I just think it’s probably time for them to start prepping a young guy to take his place.
Sorry- we really need a sarcasm font; i agree that Keisel is aging and wasn’t trying to be rude. My point was just that he seems to make for in batted-down passes and QB pressures what he has lost in pure speed and strength. And-tho i disagree- even being no. 31 at age 36 is OK w/me.
I’ve oft wondered how he’d affect those bubble-passes, quick-flats and end-arounds as an OLB. He lists as 285lbs. but is really more like 305. He was a natural 270 when he showed up here years ago and might regain some quickness and durability off of the line, especially as a part of a nickel package? He is almost 6’6″ w/looong arms….?
Some good points here.
Keisel, despite his age, is still a productive pass-rushing 3-4 DE, and they are hard to find. In fact, PFF only has 14 3-4 DEs with plus pass-rushing ratings, and he’s one of them.
At a veteran minimum contract, he could still have value for someone.
It’s also worth noting that he is actually a well below-average run-stopper.
Yeah. Brett seems to be sadly out of position a lot in the run game, but this might have come as a result of his having had such reliable coverage on run plays until these last couple years…Farrior was a god at sniffing out run plays and i think Keisel was spoiled w/a healthy Troy, Ryan, Ike and later Timmons back there to cover his consistent collapsing of the pocket and batting down throws while failing to cover the run..
And we definitely need to find his replacement. May he come quietly and unheralded in the 6th round as a lanky kid who was waaaay too big to always be the fastest guy on ST’s 🙂
I really, really, really wish that MT’s staff would draft an occasional white kid. I’m happy for all the young black kids who succeed to the highest level, but some of the Steelers’ best value players have been unknown low-draft and UFA white guys like Keisel and Jerry Olslavsky. Then there was that “useless” OLB Cowher cut- some kid named..uh..Vrabel? And a recent Pro-Bowl OG named Urbik who couldn’t cut it in Steelers training camp despite our desperate need for an o-line and him being a 3rd rd. pick…etc etc…
I won’t argue the Sean Lee vs. Jason Worilds b/c there is a chance that plays out in our favor in time…
Keisel was not released, his contract ended. Both camps are waiting to see how free agency unfolds.
Well this is no time for camping!
Brett Keisel needs to be kept in the rotation and on the team. Especially since we’ve lost Al Woods (although we do still have Arnfelt, who we really need to keep imho).
It’s easy for me to say, but surely Brett’s worth a million-ish to keep available isn’t he?
Mediocre is mediocre ! If you’re letting a guy walk because of it, it’s probably a better business decision to find a GOOD player instead! Using your logic, they might as well have signed a mediocre homeless guy and save even more.
I’ll
KEEP THE DIESEL!!