The Steelers have been having their trademark silent free agency, and a few days into it they finally sign a few tiny names for depth/special teams. Arnaz Battle was signed from the 49ers to be a #5 WR, pretty much, and Will Allen was brought in from Tampa Bay as someone Tomlin is familiar with who will pretty much play special teams and be a backup DB. But that’s not the big signing of the day for the Steelers. Ladies and gentlemen… and old friend.
This isn’t a move we see from the Steelers very often, to let a player go and then bring him back. But Antwaan Randle El didn’t pan out in Washington (and let’s be honest, who does?) so the Steelers are giving him another shot.
- We don’t really know how well he serves as a slot receiver anymore since any performance in Washington would have been diminished, but if he beats Mike Wallace for the third spot, we can probably expect a few gadget plays for good old El in 2010.
- Limas Sweed is almost toast.
- Realistically, El was brought in to return punts. It’s what he did well as a Steeler the first time around, and it’ll probably be what he does again. And thank goodness, because the Steelers still need help there.
Tell your mom to dust off her old Randle El jersey, because it’s back in style.
UPDATE: Adam Schefter reports that Ryan Clark accepts a 4-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Schefter is usually right, so I’m going with him on this one. This is great news. Not only did the Steelers bring in a few small-time depth guys, but they have also managed to re-sign Jeff Reed, Casey Hampton, and Ryan Clark (Parker whatev). I’d say Kevin Colbert’s 2010 free agency moves can be considered a success. With the draft yet to come, I think we should all feel pretty good about where the team is.
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