So, Kevin Colbert, you're telling me there's a chance?
The Pittsburgh Steelers general manager spoke to local scribes Wednesday and suggested his team potentially might keep both outside linebackers LaMarr Woodley and Jason Worilds.
However, Colbert said Woodley's injuries over the past three seasons -- missing 14 games -- are a "concern" as "it would be for any player," according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette.
We discussed at length on the "Around The League Podcast" the difficult position the Steelers find themselves in trying to keep free agent Worilds -- their best linebacker down the stretch in 2013 -- and the higher-priced Woodley.
Gregg Rosenthal, in the Steelers' offseason forecast, suggested Worilds might be too expensive on the open market.
Cutting Woodley would leave the Steelers with more than $14 million in dead money, a tough pill to swallow for a team already projected to be more than $10 million over the cap. Colbert was mum on whether the outside linebacker's injury issues were enough to consider cutting him, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
However, Colbert's optimism that he can keep Worilds in the fold while dealing with Woodley's contract is a positive sign for a Steelers defense in desperate need of aid.
Here are a few other quick points from Colbert:
- He called the team's second consecutive 8-8 season "disappointing" but also said things were more "encouraging" after their play late in the season.
- Colbert said Troy Polamalu is a "perfect example of someone who changed his (training) regimen with positive results" in 2013, per Bouchette. That doesn't sound like a man ready to jettison an iconic player.
- The GM said he wanted more depth in his defensive backfield, but that would change depending on "who leaves or who stays." In other words, changes will be made (i.e. Ryan Clark).
- Finally, for any Steelers fans still worrying about Ben Roethlisberger's future: "Hopefully he stays healthy and we get the maximum number of years out of him. We have to make the most of those years we have left with our franchise quarterback," Colbert said.
On the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys talk Michael Sam, potential big-name cap casualties, and offseason forecasts for the Steelers and Jaguars.
