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Feb 25, 2016: Why the Steelers should take a look at CB Antonio Cramartie:

Earlier this week, the New York Jets released veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie. He, like his former teammate and Aliquippa native Darrelle Revis, made a return to the Jets for the 2015 season, which ended with the Jets losing to the Buffalo Bills and a missing playoff spot.

Cromartie had signed a four-year deal worth $32 million dollars, but counted $8 million dollars against the cap with no dead money. Since he was released outright, the Jets will not receive a compensatory pick for Cromartie in the 2017 NFL Draft.


However, this is a Pittsburgh Steelers article and the question is this: Should the Steelers go after Cromartie in free agency? Chances are, Cromartie won’t be coveted as heavily as say, Josh Normanof the Carolina Panthers, Sean Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs, or Prince Amukamara of theNew York Giants. Heck, even Brandon Boykin at age 26 when the 2016 season begins, will likely be more coveted than Cromartie.

Cromartie will be 32 when the 2016 campaign begins and he is coming off a season where he didn't record an interception for the first time since his rookie season in 2006. But as most of us know, the cornerback position is one the Steelers need to address this offseason and while rookies like Kendall Fuller, Eli Apple, or Mackensie Alexander all sound appealing, chances are none of them will be better than Cromartie in 2016.

It is more than likely that Cortez Allen, and his $24.6 million dollar contract, will be out before training camp (given his salary cap hit), mostly likely by a post-June 1 cut. Currently, the only cornerbacks on the roster are a capable backup (Ross Cockrell), an unproven rookie (Senquez Golson), and a guy who might get more looks at safety than cornerback (Doran Grant). Sure,William Gay at age 31 as a free agent should be well within the Steelers’ price range, and if he comes back only as a backup and special teamer, Antwon Blake will be worth a short-term deal as well. But what about having a cornerback who can start now? Cromartie could be a solid short-term bridge for the Steelers in 2016. Not only that, but picking up Cromartie would lessen the pressure on the Steelers to reach for a cornerback in the early rounds, which is the biggest fear that all of Steelers Nation should have.

The Steelers were a Fitzgerald Toussaint fumble away from playing in the AFC championshipgame. The offense with a healthy Ben Roethlisberger was flat out awesome and the defensive line and inside linebacker play under defensive coordinator Keith Butler provided more than mere glimpses into what the Steelers can accomplish in the near future. However, the secondary play during 2015 was inconsistent at best and downright awful at worst.

The Steelers go into the 2016 season as one of the biggest favorites to get to the Super Bowl. While a rookie cornerback like Fuller, Apple, or Alexander would eventually develop into a good player, the Steelers should consider betting on a short-term deal for Cromartie to give themselves an even better opportunity to get to the Super Bowl in Houston. Perhaps a one or two-year deal with a lot of incentives laden would entice Cromartie to the Steel City, not to mention a chance to play for a winner. At the very least, the Steelers should give a call to Cromartie’s agent before the week is out.

 

If could get at a good rate then why not .The Steelers should be calling any CB'S agent that is available .I like Robinson a bit more and think he could be cheaper, but your point is very valid we should be checking out each and every CB that we can anywhere we can..

 

PWP said: "1 true #1 CB and a true Safety is a must."

" The bottom line to me is we need to clear up some space and some money and at least get some #1 CB talent in the building whether it be by the draft or FA .."

Yeah! It has nothing to do with the players that are already here. They are fine players just not enough. Heck! Even Blake has value as a red zone DB. Most of the fine plays he made were in that situation. [I had to throw that in there he sure does take a lot of heatl] Possibly why this D gave up as few points as they did. But a top tier guy is a must to at least minimize all those situations.

What is wrong with dealing from strength. They pick up those players and then there is a real battle with numerous players to finalize the group. Plenty of time then to see how all the IF's fit in to the group.
btw: I mentioned a comment I read about instead of just renegotiating Timmon's to make some room just let him go and save a bushel. Why not? Someone did post that was crazy talk but frankly IDTS.

 

No they shouldn't be interested in Cromartie, he's past his prime and he gets too many penalties.

 

the two last year just goes to show that the draft is a crap shoot. i don't think we give up after 1 year on grant and cockrell. i think cockrell and grant can improve at least as number two corners. golson will be an unknown but he should be able to handle the slot. i'm just not sold that gay needs to be re-signed as a number one which is pretty much what we would be spending the money on. i'd spend that money on a younger #1 corner and draft 1 early and 1 later. we can also see what we might have in our futures guys too. i like willie but man, i'm gun shy on signing him to 3 years if he starts to decline.

golden and mitchell as the starters at safety. at least penciled in as such with re-signing golden. cut shark and draft two safeties. one early and possibly one later. some good safety play will help our corners. if we could get thompson and simmons we could be set for 10 years at safety with golden as the backup. mitchell will be ok for now while these guys learn.

we really only have mitchell and cockrell right now that have some upside.

 

If the Steelers stay pat with our current roster of Db's I will be highly disappointed,
changes need to happen to get us to the next level. Purge these players NOW W, Allen, S Thomas, Blake,
Cortez Allen. Now start with the rest of them and go from there. A SAFETY IS NEEDED BADLY IN THIS DRAFT.

 

I agree especially about the safety, this is a very very very deep class at S we need to grab one and there is a good one available I feel in each of the first 4 rounds. However I don't think we need one to start the season there let's fill that hole with a vet and ease our draft pick in. I feel the same way about CB.

 

i'd take darien thompson in the first without hesitation. unless darron lee fell into our laps then this would be timmons last season. shazier and lee at ILB would be sweet. better yet lee and thompson falling to us in the 2nd. that's what i'm talking about.

1. lee ILB OSU
2. thompson S Boise St.
3. trade for a 4th and 6th?
4. white CB GT
4. garnnett OL Stan.
6. simmons S BC
7. gotsis DL GT
7. suddfeld QB Ind.
7. williams CB/FS/KR/PR Purd.

this would be like ralphie in a Christmas Story when he turned in his essay. A ++++++++++++ lol

 

I think they're going to target a S in this draft somewhere some round.
Cortez is gone, Blake should be, they'll re-sign Gay for experience just to steady the ship.
Boykin's a keeper and Cockrell an investment.
Doran and Senquez? Have no idea what we have there. Do you?

The Allen project hurt us and sadly, the Steelers know it too. The data is in, a costly error with little to no positive yield. Ouch and noted.

 

The bungles are going to be releasing one of their two safties, maybe we go after one of them in free agency, it's a possibility:



. George Iloka - SS

Cincinnati Bengals
Bitter rivalries fall by the wayside when a player is looking for a payday and a team is looking for an impact player and a chance to rob their enemy. To the casual fan, George Iloka isn't a big name. But he is a big player both physically and metaphorically.
The 6'4" Iloka is one of the most complete safeties on the market due to his outstanding Defense of the run and the pass. Iloka's size causes him to match up well against the tight end. Something the Steelers struggled with greatly last season.
Cincinnati has two safeties hitting free agency, Iloka (age 25) and Reggie Nelson (age 32) and it's been said that they won't be able to keep both of them. Keeping the younger player seems like the logical choice and my bet is that Cincy will try to wrap Iloka up with more money than the Steelers can afford. But Iloka could be a great investment if Pittsburgh can swing it and they surely should try.

 

it would be awesome for our defense.

 

Thompson had a rough combine. Maybe he will last to us in the second? Idk.

1. Lee ILB (OSU)
2. Neal SS (FLA)
3. Calhoun CB (Miss St.)
4. Vannett TE (OSU)

I'd probably rather go with a pass rusher than an ILB in the first under this scenario, but I'd like to have Lee. We wouldn't be extending Timmons of that's the case tho.

 

Here's a few I am going to take a look at maybe later rd picks for a 2nd player pick. The rankings are from Great Blue North -gbnreport.com and CBS sports which uses the nfldraftscout.com rankings.

Davis, Sean Maryland 6010 201 31 3/8 9 1/2 4.48 4.41 1.50 4.46 21 37.5" 10'6" 6.64 3.97 11.53 ----gbn 6/90 cbs 3/89
89 Sean Davis FS 3 Maryland Sr 6-1 201 3

Burns, Artie Miami(FL) 5117 193 33 1/4 9 1/2 4.40 4.39 1.53 4.46 31.5" gbn 8/71 cbs 7/69
69 *Artie Burns CB 7 Miami (Fla.) Jr 6-0 193 2-3

Green, T.J. Clemson 6024 209 32 9 5/8 4.36 4.32 1.47 4.34 13 35.5" 10'9" Gbn.report rank FS 28 he is unranked in the top 165. Hard to believe
229 *T.J. Green FS 10 Clemson Jr 6-2 209 6-7 -- 10/229 Cbs rank also hard to believe.

Williams, Brandon Texas A&M 5113 197 32 1/2 8 5/8 4.43 4.38 1.54 4.37 18 30.5" 9'10" 6.85 4.19 11.27 ----can't find any ranking on him but now I see he is converting from RB like Marshall tried last year. I liked Marshall a lot but did not hear anything from him. But this player is probably worth looking at maybe as a Safety.

Miller, Harlan SE Louisiana State 5117 182 30 7/8 8 3/8 4.69 4.66 1.63 4.65 6 35.5" 9'10" 7.44 4.43 11.90----Not a very good showing. His slow 40's will drop him a lot. gbn 10/69 cbs 10/95
95 Harlan Miller CB 10 Southeastern Louisiana Sr 6-0 182 3

Brown, Anthony Purdue 5112 192 31 3/4 8 1/4 4.37 4.30 1.58 4.35 19 35" 9'7" 7.03 4.19 11.19 gbn 48/NR


To compare to 1-2 rd guys

Mac Alexander, K. Fuller and Vonn Bell did not participate.

Hargeaves III, Vernon Florida 5104 204 30 5/8 8 3/4 4.41 4.43 1.53 4.50 15 39" 10'10" 3.98-----A lot of peoples #1 and he did real well. gbn 3/7 cbs 2/14
14 *Vernon Hargreaves III CB 2 Florida Jr 5-10 204 1

Apple, Eli Ohio State 6005 199 31 3/8 9 3/8 4.44 4.37 1.47 4.40 13----Did not hurt himself for sure but ? gbn 4/28 cbs 3/32
32 *Eli Apple CB 3 Ohio State rSo 6-1 199 1-2

Jackson III, William Houston 6003 189 31 3/4 9 1/4 4.32 4.39 1.44 4.37 10 9'8"
A possible ---- 7-61 cbs 6/63
63 William Jackson III CB 6 Houston Sr 6-0 189 2

Williams, Brandon Texas A&M 5113 197 32 1/2 8 5/8 4.43 4.38 1.54 4.37 18 30.5" 9'10" 6.85 4.19 11.27----am looking for info on him

Should be able to find some players in that bunch. Without seeing any of them yet and going on what I have heard or read I like W Jackson III could be there rd 2? and Sean Smith maybe rd3. A very late rounder in TJ Green is also interesting. My guess is they will not draft a CB in rd 1. Well, I suppose if one of those guys projected top 5 or 10 falls ehhh forget it.

 

I hope Miller drops I like this kid a lot, small school guy is the thing that scares me. Watch some games on him this guy is a player.....

 

Wardismvp said:
↑
If the Steelers stay pat with our current roster of Db's I will be highly disappointed,
changes need to happen to get us to the next level. Purge these players NOW W, Allen, S Thomas, Blake,
Cortez Allen. Now start with the rest of them and go from there. A SAFETY IS NEEDED BADLY IN THIS DRAFT.

Just in case they don't get a solid S and CB in FA then as you said the S group is deep maybe they pick one up that helps. This is the top 10 according to CBS. Several of them are already mentioned. Their combine results are also there. It looks like a jumbled mess but these abbreviations added might help. OR- overall rank rd- round OT official 40 bp bench press usually followed by the vert leap and broad jump and the 3c. Those things should tell a lot about the player

OR3 *Jalen Ramsey FS 1 Florida State Jr 6-1 209 rd1
Ramsey, Jalen Florida State 6012 209 33 3/8 9 1/2 4.46
4.42 1.52 OT4.41 BP14 41.5" 11'3" 3C6.94 4.18 11.10 --no chance for this one

47 Darian Thompson FS 2 Boise State rSr 6-2 208 2
Thompson, Darian Boise State 6017 208 30 3/8 9 1/8 4.70 4.72 1.66 4.69 12 32.5" 9'10" 7.26 4.33 --2nd rd maybe

89 Sean Davis FS 3 Maryland Sr 6-1 201 3
Davis, Sean Maryland 6010 201 31 3/8 9 1/2 4.48 4.41 1.50 4.46 21 37.5" 10'6" 6.64 3.97 11.53 ---I would not draft this one

111 DeAndre Houston-Carson FS 4 William & Mary rSr 6-1 201 3-4
Houston-Carson, Deandre
William & Mary 6006 201 30 1/8 9 1/8 4.55 4.53 1.47 4.54 13 32.5" 9'7" 7.15 4.28 11.89 ---It's a big step from a small school sometimes --draft? No



138 *Keanu Neal FS 5 Florida Jr 6-0 211 4-5
Neal, Keanu Florida 6004 211 32 3/4 10 5/8 4.64 4.66 1.62 4.62 17 38" 11' 7.09 4.38 11.58 --- this was the one many fans really hyped. I agreed but now not so sure. Methinks if they think they need safety help better check out the FA's.

172 *Tyvis Powell FS 6 Ohio State rJr 6-3 211 5
184 Kavon Frazier FS 7 Central Michigan Sr 6-0 217 5-6
204 Clayton Fejedelem FS 8 Illinois Sr 6-0 200 6

212 Justin Simmons FS 9 Boston College Sr 6-2 202 6
Simmons, Justin Boston College 6023 202 32 5/8 9 5/8 4.64 4.62 1.61 4.61 16 40" 10'6" 6.58 3.85 10.84 --don't think he helps here

229 *T.J. Green FS 10 Clemson Jr 6-2 209 6-7
Green, T.J. Clemson 6024 209 32 9 5/8 4.36 4.32 1.47 4.34 13 35.5" 10'9" --nothing to lose on this one draft? why not!

Not so sure this safety group is as good as advertised. Even Keanu Neal the one a lot of fans thought was good to draft looked average vs Michigan.

 

Chainmover1, WOW Have you watched any of these guys or are you going by combine numbers? Davis has done nothing but impress in both the Shine game and senior bowl, Not to mention you don't even have Killebrew, Joseph, Kearse and Cash on here. Simmons had a good Shrine game and his film is not to bad either. Watch some of these guy and see if you opinion changes.......

http://draftbreakdown.com/players/?draft_class=2016&position=S

 

I know. This scout said the same thing.

• Written by Joe Marino on February 29, 2016
• 
  
• Maryland DB Sean Davis is very intriguing. He is athletic and has a well-built frame. After flashing today and at the Senior Bowl, I am excited to evaluate his game tape.

His combine was fine. But I watched the clip from the WVU and Iowa games 2014. His vid vs Michigan would not download. Anyway he did not impress in those games. But that was 1 year ago and plenty can change. I will watch the Michigan video and reevaluate Davis.

Are you not a bit surprised at the not so good combine efforts of some of these highly ranked players?

When was the last time the Steelers had a safety that could actually get over to the sideline and help the freaking CB and make the play getting there on time to dislodge the freaking ball? That was what I was looking for in Simmons. He was however a solid tackler.

It's early and those players you mentioned were just not in cbs/nflds top ten FS. Yeah, there they are 2-5 in the SS group.

48 *Vonn Bell SS 1 Ohio State Jr 5-11 199 2
54 Jeremy Cash SS 2 Duke rSr 6-0 212 2
80 Miles Killebrew SS 3 Southern Utah Sr 6-2 217 2-3
112 Karl Joseph SS 4 West Virginia Sr 5-10 205 3-4
152 *Jayron Kearse SS 5 Clemson Jr 6-4 216 4-5
169 KJ Dillon SS 6 West Virginia Sr 6-0 210 5
191 Kevin Byard SS 7 Middle Tennessee rSr 5-11 216 5-6

That's probably what they need anyhow. I do not really understand all this talk about switching Mitchell to SS. Do you think this is necessary? I don't.

And no, I really only think the numbers are 50% if that, but there is bound to be some disagreement on players. In the end though usually some do stand out.

btw: what do you think of my very late rd pick TJ Green? He looks good on the film too.

Hopefully, one of those 4 you mentioned is the answer because Mitchell is fine right where he is at.

 

Heres a CB that helped himself immensely at the combine:

William Jackson, CB, Houston

Jackson gambled on his athleticism by declining a Senior Bowl invitation and it paid off. Jackson ran a blistering 4.37-second 40-yard dash and was one of the more fluid in position drills. Jackson can get overlooked because of where he played, but he could ultimately be a top-50 pick in the draft.

 

and he isn't a 5 ft'er

 

Well I like Davis but the guy that stands out is Killebrew. They showed him on tv and said every hit the player went backwards....I think that is a nice fit for us. When it comes to safety I am probably the last guy to ask cause last year I was Holliman's biggest fan and look how that worked out, lol.

I am not sure what the Steelers plan to do with Mitchell I am fine with him where he is and draft a SS, however I think we could use a draft pick at both FS and SS. I feel there is a lot of talent here and if we double dip that's fine with me.

I have not yet watched Green, I will have to check him out, is that the guy you like? Have you watched much on these guys or just going by the numbers? I think if you check out a few of the draft sites like walterfootball.com you might get a little more info on these guys and see this class is pretty deep. Who's your guy and are you looking FS or SS?

 

Cash, Jeremy Duke 6003 212 32 3/8 10 1/2

Houston-Carson, Deandre
William & Mary 6006 201 30 1/8 9 1/8 4.55 4.53 1.47 4.54 13 32.5" 9'7" 7.15 4.28 11.89

Davis, Sean Maryland 6010 201 31 3/8 9 1/2 4.48 4.41 1.50 4.46 21 37.5" 10'6" 6.64 3.97 11.53

Howard, Xavien Baylor 6001 201 31 1/4 9 1/8 4.60 4.55 1.50 4.58 11 33" 10'2" 7.18 4.16

Joseph, Karl West Virginia 5095 205 32 1/8 9 3/4

Kearse, Jayron Clemson 6040 216 34 1/4 9 5/8 4.64 4.67 1.63 4.62 16 31.5" 10'4" 7.06

Killebrew, Miles Southern Utah 6017 217 32 1/8 9 1/2 4.67 4.71 1.66 4.65 22 38" 10'7" 6.93 4.18 11.02

Murray, Eric Minnesota 5105 199 31 3/4 9 4.50 4.61 1.54 4.49 15 39.5" 10'4" 7.08 4.05 11.19

Thompson, Darian Boise State 6017 208 30 3/8 9 1/8 4.70 4.72 1.66 4.69 12 32.5" 9'10" 7.26 4.33

Ramsey, Jalen Florida State 6012 209 33 3/8 9 1/2 4.46 4.42 1.52 4.41 14 41.5" 11'3" 6.94 4.1

I watched some clips on the above before I copied their combine numbers. All of them looked real good. Killibrew is of course from a smaller school but there have been plenty of great Steelers from them. He sure plays a lot faster than his #'s and no one can catch him on his INT's? Those combine #'s are puzzling. Same with Thompson. Maybe there is a legit reason for the lukewarm efforts there. Of course, the ideal situation is the #'s backup the clips as someone already stated.

Again for some reason a Clemson entry caught my eye. Jayron Kearse so I watched a Q of the BC vs Clemson game to see Kearse, Green and also Simmons from BC. Simmons was everywhere and kept BC in the game early with the INT which was a fine play.

As of now I am in agreement with many fans and have been for sometime that Jackson would be the pick here. But the latest I have seen him go is #39 on draftek. More than likely he will also move up. Eli Apple is still getting a lot of support and considering the amazing success with Ohio St players that is no surprise.

You know the draft is still 8 full weeks away and FA stuff starts next week or so. It is understandable the focus now on the secondary but the options for TS [the Steelers] are really wide open. There are plenty of mocks that have TS taking a TE, DL, OL, even another OLB. After all the BPA always rules here. Then again, the BPA could also be a DB. We will find out according to draftcountdown.com in 56 days 1 hour 14 minutes and 58 seconds.

 

I watched the Kearse vs Bama and wasn't impressed, but that was just one game. I feel there are so many options for us at S so I would be happy with a number of players. I agree with the BC kid he looked good, and as far and Killebrew goes I don't care if it is big or small school players he hits like a truck, lol!

I think FA will play a part as to what position we address early as I feel the S, CB and DT classes are pretty good in this draft and if we sign a CB in FA we may not be targeting one in the 1st round. Check this kid out, small school but I like him:

http://draftbreakdown.com/players/harlan-miller/

 

Free agency? Us using free agency in a for real serious manner like that? I'll wait to see that! LOL.

 

I am not holding my breath either.

What I have done a couple of times though is reply in those threads sarcastically. I said Didn't I read this exact same thread last year and the year before. Dammit! I should have printed them it would have saved a lot of time.

What's sad about it all is the players targeted were very good and frankly reasonable not the impossible types. Meanwhile, NE and DEN continue to strengthen. Not a good situation.