Re-signing Moats was a key part of the offseason plan. Moats was a solid contributor last season. Over the course of the 337 snaps he saw on defense, he had 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. While he contributed on both sides at outside linebacker, he was also a productive special teamer. While the Steelers still need to lock down the OLB position, this takes takes some of the pressure off.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed legendary outside linebacker James Harrison this morning. The veteran pass rusher shared the news via his Instagram account.
With Jarvis Jones being placed IR with the designation to return, the signing made perfect sense. Behind Jones, the only backup on the active roster at outside linebacker is Arthur Moats. The details of the deal haven’t been released, but expect it to be a one year contract. The team is currently sitting with a little over $4 Mil in salary cap space.
When he was hired back in February, there was some debate about how much of an impact Joey Porter could have on the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. After how much fire he’s brought to training camp, and the special attention he’s given to the outside linebackers, I think that debate has been put to rest.
Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats was on Buffalo sports radio’s The John Murphy Show last night talking about playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. During the interview, Moats was asked what it was like to work with Joey Porter.
“Oh man, Joey Porter…he’s a great guy to be around and the thing is, with me being on the outside he’s there everyday with me, and ultimately, the same intensity you would see him play with, that’s the same intensity he brings to the meeting room, the same intensity he brings to the practice field, and ultimately any time you get a guy with that type of mentality around you, it’s contagious. So not only does he have that mentality, but now all of the guys in the locker room and in the outside linebacker room get that same mentality, and that’s why I think we’re going to have a lot of success this year.”
Moats also said that his excitement to work with Dick LeBeau helped seal his coming to Pittsburgh. “Anytime you think about Coach Dick LeBeau I mean, he’s a legendary guy…and everyone knows the success that he’s had coaching defenses and even as a player.
“So, anytime you’re coming out and you have the opportunity to play for somebody like that and a legendary defense, I mean, you’re kind of jumping at the opportunity,” said Moats. “After meeting with Coach LeBeau and being able to sit down with him, and share some of the ideas he has and things like that, you definitely get excited about it.”
The former Bills 6th round pick went on to share what it’s like to play for Coach LeBeau. “Man it’s a great feeling to play with a guy like him and the thing is this- he’s seen so much as far as, you know, different schemes and different things that happen on the field from a player’s perspective and from a coach’s perspective, so nothing catches him off guard, so he’s always able to talk to you and basically just help you to understand what you need to be looking for, and he’s very attention to detail type guy and that’s what makes him very [inaudible] and have such success at this level.”
Moats also talked about Ryan Shazier, his role in Pittsburgh, among other topics. You can listen to the full interview below.
The contract details for the Arthur Moats signing are available. The deal is for one year, with a base salary of $730,000- the minimum for a 4 to 6 year veteran. The deal also includes a low qualifying signing bonus of $65,000.
Being that the deal is for one year, includes a signing bonus of no more than $65,000, and is for the minimum non-guaranteed base salary, it will qualify for the veteran minimum salary benefit. His $730,000 base salary will only count $570,000 against the 2014 salary cap, the same as a 2nd year veteran’s minimum salary would. Expanding on that even further, his signing will ultimately only move the cap needle $150,000 due to rule of 51 displacement.
Last year, the Steelers saved over $1,375 Mil towards the cap by structuring deals this way. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.
According to ProFootballTalk, the Steelers are signing linebacker Arthur Moats to a one year deal. According to Jerry Dulac, Moats met with Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin before they left for the league meetings in Florida.
This may already be out there but the Steelers are signing LB Arthur Moats to a one-year deal.
The addition of Moats comes as a low risk move to add depth at the inside/outside linebacker positions. Moats was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 6th round of the 2010 draft. While playing most of his snaps as a DE and Sam LB in their scheme, he transitioned to inside linebacker last season, and proved to be a solid run blocker.
Moats, 26, has position versatility and is a solid special teams contributor. He started 12 games for the Bills last year, and of the 301 snaps he saw, he totaled 54 tackles.
This signing doesn’t particularly bode well for those hoping to see James Harrison return to the Steelers anytime soon.
Moats was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 6th round of the 2010 draft. He played most of his snaps there at 4-3 defensive end and outside linebacker, but transitioned to ILB last year. The 6’2, 250 lb ILB is rated as the highest remaining free agent inside linebacker by Rotoworld.
Moats is stout against the run, and possesses great position flexibility. A bit of trivia- he is the linebacker who became famous for ending Brett Favre’s starting streak in 2010. His catchphrase is “Don’t Cross The Moats”, which he has tatooed on his back.
Being that most of Steelers brass will be in Florida early in the week for league meetings, it’s hard to say who the linebacker will be meeting with exactly. Presumably, he’ll be meeting with front office, medical, and members of the defensive coaching staff. No other teams are in hot pursuit of Moats, at least, none that have been made public.
