When the Steelers traded a third-round draft choice to the Denver Broncos as part of the deal to move up in the first round to get Devin Bush, general manager Kevin Colbert said he was expecting to replace the third-round selection with a compensatory pick for the free-agent departure of Le’Veon Bell.
That may not happen now. And you can blame the Philadelphia Eagles.
When the Eagles released former Steelers linebacker L.J. Fort last week, it weakened the Steelers chances of getting a third-round compensatory pick because of the numbers system the NFL uses for free-agent signings and departures, according to a team source.
Here’s why:
In addition to Bell, the Steelers lost two other players in free agency — Fort, who signed a three-year, $5.5 million deal with the Eagles; and tight end Jesse James, who signed a four-year, $25 million deal with the Detroit Lions.
Conversely, the Steelers signed two players in free agency — cornerback Steve Nelson from the Kansas City Chiefs and receiver Donte Moncrief from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Inside linebacker Mark Barron does not count in this process because he had already been released by the Los Angeles Rams before the Steelers signed him in the offseason.
Because they lost one more player than they signed — and one of them was Bell, considered a top-tier free agent — the Steelers were in position to get a third-round compensatory pick in the 2020 draft. But that changed when the Eagles released Fort.
According to league guidelines, Fort had to be on the Eagles’ roster for at least 10 games to be considered a compensatory free agent. Because he wasn’t, that means the Steelers now have as many players lost as they had signed in free agency. And that means there is little chance of getting a compensatory pick that high, or even one at all.
But the Steelers still have an alternative to possibly get that third-round compensatory pick back: They can release Moncrief, who has fallen into disfavor with the coaching staff and had his playing time severely reduced.
If they did, they would have to do so before the 10th game — Nov. 14 against the Cleveland Browns. Moncrief’s release would put the Steelers back at minus-1 — two players lost, one signed — for the league’s free-agent accounting purposes.
The Steelers signed Moncrief to a two-year, $9 million contract that included a $3.5 million signing bonus and a base salary of $1.5 million in 2019. How much it would cost the Steelers to release him, if they would, depends on when they would cut him. In effect, the Steelers would be buying back a third-round pick if they decided to release Moncrief.
It is still possible the Steelers could receive a lower-round compensatory pick if they don’t cut Moncrief. And, keep in mind, the Steelers are not a franchise that typically cuts its free-agent signings or even draft choices in the middle of the season.
Then again, they’re typically not a team that trades away future No. 1 draft picks, either.
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac
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First Published: October 4, 2019, 1:44 p.m.
