Steelers, Packers interested in Ahmad Bradshaw

[BigRob]

PFF has a good feature on the best remaining free agents available. This is who they have ranked for RB. If he is healthy, he's a serious upgrade from spindenhall.

Running Back: Ahmad Bradshaw (+14.2)

Bradshaw is arguably [URL="https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/02/11/ranking-the-2013-free-agents-running-backs/"]the most complete running back in the league[/URL], but chronic foot injuries make him a bigger risk than most other 27-year-old free agents. A reliable pass protector who’s allowed just three quarterback sacks since 2008, Bradshaw has ranked in the top 10 of our running back grades in each of the last three seasons. Honorable Mentions: Michael Turner, Cedric Benson

[url]https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/03/29/best-of-the-rest-the-all-remaining-free-agent-team/[/url]

[hawaiiansteel]

Back to the drawing board: running back Ahmad Bradshaw doesn’t pass physical, Steelers will continue search

Submitted by 60 Max Power O Staff on March 29, 2013



Running back Ahmad Bradshaw left Pittsburgh without a deal as the Steelers want to re-evaluate his foot in a few weeks.

Bradshaw’s chronic foot injuries are well noted and obviously haven’t healed full as of yet.

According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, the former Giant is still recovering from surgery on his foot which prevented the team from signing him. Bouchette writes:

‘Bradshaw, who is recovering from surgery on a broken right foot that has pestered him for the past two seasons, underwent a physical.

Despite his foot problem, Bradshaw, 27, rushed for 1,015 yards in 2012 with a 4.6-yard average per carry for the New York Giants.’

[URL]http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/back_to_the_drawing_board_running_back_ahmad_brads haw_doesnt_pass_physical_expected_to_return_in_a_f ew_weeks/13264591[/URL]

[hawaiiansteel]

Monday, April 01, 2013

No movement right now for Bradshaw

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw visited the Steelers last week to get checked out by team doctors now that he's out of his walking boot, which was required after the former Giants star had surgery in January to insert a screw into his foot to help heal a broken bone.

The Steelers liked what they saw of his health, but did not offer Bradshaw a contract.

That could, however, change at some point.

In fact, the Steelers are expected to meet with Bradshaw again in a couple of weeks to see how he's healing. That meeting is expected to come prior to the NFL draft.

If Bradshaw checks out OK at that time, the Steelers could make the move to sign him.

[URL]http://nflfromthesidelines.blogspot.com/2013/04/no-movement-right-now-for-bradshaw.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=fee d&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FpROmMH+%28NFL+fr om+the+sidelines%29[/URL]

[hawaiiansteel]

Ahmad Bradshaw might be on Denver Broncos' radar

By Marc Sessler
Around the League Writer
Published: April 5, 2013

The Denver Broncos aren't sitting still in the backfield.

Jeff Legwold of The Denver Post reported Friday that the Broncos will "not keep status quo" at running back with both Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee on the rebound from injuries.

The team took "long looks" at Ahmad Bradshaw and Shonn Greene, according to Legwold. Greene signed last month with the Tennessee Titans, but Bradshaw is in a holding pattern as suitors, led by the Pittsburgh Steelers, wait to see how his latest foot surgery pans out. The 27-year-old former New York Giants runner has undergone three known operations on his right foot, along with procedures on his left foot and both ankles.

Still, a healthy Bradshaw would give the Broncos a pounding, aggressive back to pair alongside Ronnie Hillman and whoever else sticks around. Moreno is coming off stem-cell treatment on his knee and the 32-year-old McGahee is healing from a season-ending knee injury. McGahee is scheduled to make $2.5 million this season and looms as a candidate for release.

One way or another, the Broncos "will almost certainly" grab another back in the draft, according to Legwold, while Bradshaw remains on the radar.

[URL]http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000157696/article/ahmad-bradshaw-reportedly-checked-out-by-broncos[/URL]

[thor75]

Ahmad Bradshaw might be on Denver Broncos' radar

By Marc Sessler
Around the League Writer
Published: April 5, 2013

The Denver Broncos aren't sitting still in the backfield.

Jeff Legwold of The Denver Post reported Friday that the Broncos will "not keep status quo" at running back with both Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee on the rebound from injuries.

The team took "long looks" at Ahmad Bradshaw and Shonn Greene, according to Legwold. Greene signed last month with the Tennessee Titans, but Bradshaw is in a holding pattern as suitors, led by the Pittsburgh Steelers, wait to see how his latest foot surgery pans out. The 27-year-old former New York Giants runner has undergone three known operations on his right foot, along with procedures on his left foot and both ankles.

Still, a healthy Bradshaw would give the Broncos a pounding, aggressive back to pair alongside Ronnie Hillman and whoever else sticks around. Moreno is coming off stem-cell treatment on his knee and the 32-year-old McGahee is healing from a season-ending knee injury. McGahee is scheduled to make $2.5 million this season and looms as a candidate for release.

One way or another, the Broncos "will almost certainly" grab another back in the draft, according to Legwold, while Bradshaw remains on the radar.

[URL]http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000157696/article/ahmad-bradshaw-reportedly-checked-out-by-broncos[/URL]

Heard on Denver radio, the medical staff was less than pleased with their assessment of Bradshaw's feet. Could be negative publicity to frighten other teams or could be true, who knows?? He does have a lot of metal in there.

[Rara]

Ahmad Bradshaw might be on Denver Broncos' radar

By Marc Sessler
Around the League Writer
Published: April 5, 2013

The Denver Broncos aren't sitting still in the backfield.

Jeff Legwold of The Denver Post reported Friday that the Broncos will "not keep status quo" at running back with both Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee on the rebound from injuries.

The team took "long looks" at Ahmad Bradshaw and Shonn Greene, according to Legwold. Greene signed last month with the Tennessee Titans, but Bradshaw is in a holding pattern as suitors, led by the Pittsburgh Steelers, wait to see how his latest foot surgery pans out. The 27-year-old former New York Giants runner has undergone three known operations on his right foot, along with procedures on his left foot and both ankles.

Still, a healthy Bradshaw would give the Broncos a pounding, aggressive back to pair alongside Ronnie Hillman and whoever else sticks around. Moreno is coming off stem-cell treatment on his knee and the 32-year-old McGahee is healing from a season-ending knee injury. McGahee is scheduled to make $2.5 million this season and looms as a candidate for release.

One way or another, the Broncos "will almost certainly" grab another back in the draft, according to Legwold, while Bradshaw remains on the radar.

[URL]http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000157696/article/ahmad-bradshaw-reportedly-checked-out-by-broncos[/URL]

Damn it...I really want Ahmad Bradshaw running for the next couple of years as a Steeler.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers insider: No need for Steelers to rush to draft RB

By Tribune-Review
Published: Sunday, April 7, 2013

The Steelers' draft-day need for a reliable, consistent and hard-to-tackle running back might be greater than at any time in the past 20 years, yet the nation's very first NFL draftnik thinks the worst thing they could do would be to target a runner on the first day of the draft April 25.

To Mel Kiper Jr., who launched a cottage industry in the late 1970s with his NFL Draft analysis handbook and, later, his ESPN on-air work, the Steelers shouldn't rush to acquire a running back even as they come off their second-worst rushing season in 40 years.

“I'd say every year — I've been saying it for 35 years — you can find running backs at any point in the draft,” Kiper said. “I would never draft a running back in the first round. … It's one position where you can be just as good as a rookie as you'll ever be at any point down the road in your career, even if you come out as a junior.”

To validate his philosophy, Kiper reeled off the names of a half-dozen current NFL backs who were low-round or no-round draft choices, including Alfred Morris, a sixth-round Redskins pick who ran for 1,613 yards as a rookie last season.

Kiper believes there are a number of backs who will be available in the lower rounds who could reinvigorate the Steelers' running game, mentioning Christine Michael, the Texas A&M runner who visited the Steelers last week; Kerwynn Williams of Utah State; Mike James of Miami (Fla.); Cierre Wood of Notre Dame and George Winn of Cincinnati.

“I think there's a ton of backs that you could say could fall into that category of being that sixth-round steal,” he said.

The Steelers generally follow the same path espoused by Kiper; the only running back they've drafted in the first round since 1989 was Rashard Mendenhall in 2008. He wasn't exactly a bust despite his poor final season for them; he was twice a 1,000-yard back and helped run them into the Super Bowl during the 2010 season.

The Steelers twice successfully reinvented themselves by picking up a running back on the first day of the day: in 1972 by drafting Franco Harris and in 1996 by trading for Jerome Bettis. Not coincidentally, Harris and Bettis are the Nos. 1 and 2 rushers, respectively, in franchise history.

And when they've relied upon the strategy of picking up a serviceable running back in a later round, it hasn't worked well. Many of the 17 running backs (including fullbacks) the Steelers drafted from 1992 (the start of the Bill Cowher era) to 2012 were washouts, and every one was acquired from the third round on.

Those 17 backs totaled 6,007 yards rushing — an average of 353 yards per season. The most prolific was Amos Zereoue, a third-rounder in 1999 who rushed for 1,698 yards in five seasons, even if it can be argued that Bettis would have picked up most of those yards or even more had he been left on the field.

The only runner who came in and made anything resembling an impact was Bam Morris, a third-rounder in 1994 who started 10 games and ran for 1,395 yards in two seasons before running into off-field issues. None of the other 17 ran for even 800 yards during his Steelers career, although Jonathan Dwyer (774 yards in three seasons) could soon achieve that.

Seven of the 17 never carried the ball a single time for the Steelers — remember Frank “The Tank” Sanders? Carlos King? Cedric Humes?

Willie Parker was the steal of a lifetime, but he wasn't drafted at all. The Steelers signed him in 2004 as a non-drafted free agent, and he went on to rush for 5,378 yards in six seasons.

So while the recent track record of NFL teams shows there are plenty of yards waiting to be drafted outside of the first round, the Steelers might want to remember that sometimes there's safety in numbers.

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/3763252-74/steelers-running-yards#ixzz2Pn4InTlD[/URL]

[thor75]

I would say Barry Foster made an impact, although it was only one year for the most part. 1690 yds is still the single season record if I'm not mistaken. Drafted in the third by Noll in 1990.

[hawaiiansteel]

Bengals express interest in Bradshaw

Posted by Mike Florio on April 10, 2013



The Pittsburgh Steelers have been taking a wait-and-see approach with running back Ahmad Bradshaw. If they wait much longer, there may be nothing left to see.

Per a league source, the Bengals recently has expressed interest in Bradshaw. A visit within the next week or two is possible.

Bradshaw visited the Steelers last month, but he left without a contract. The Steelers plan to bring him in for further evaluation of his surgically-repaired foot.

The Packers and Broncos also have expressed interest in Bradshaw, a seventh-round pick in 2007 who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season. The Giants cut him in February.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/10/bengals-express-interest-in-bradshaw/[/URL]

[Rara]

Ahmad Bradshaw will have second Steelers meeting
1


By Dan Hanzus
Around the League Writer
Published: April 10, 2013 at 07:48 p.m. Updated: April 10, 2013 at 07:53 p.m.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' extended dance with Ahmad Bradshaw continues.

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that the Steelers plan to bring the free-agent running back in for a second visit prior to the NFL draft.

The Steelers want to check in on the status of Bradshaw's surgically repaired right foot, according to a source informed of the team's plans. If everything checks out, the team will make an attempt to sign the running back.

And so it continues. Bradshaw met with the Steelers two weeks ago, taking a physical but exiting the building without a contract offer. Pittsburgh remained interested, however, proven by the team's decision to set up a second visit.

ProFootballTalk.com reported Wednesday that the Cincinnati Bengals have also expressed interest in Bradshaw. A visit could happen in the next two weeks.

Bradshaw would be a nice fit with both teams. His health looms over everything for the time being.

Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.

[hawaiiansteel]

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Steelers match offer for Sanders. What does it mean

The Steelers on Sunday matched New England's offer sheet for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

The move holds several meanings for the Steelers over the coming weeks.

First, wide receiver becomes less of a pressing need for the team heading into the draft later this month - at least in the short term.

The guess here is that now that Pittsburgh has kept Sanders, it will attempt to sign him to a long-term deal that will keep him past the 2013 season.

They dealt with Mike Wallace as a lame duck starter in 2012 at wideout and likely won't want to put themselves in a similar situation with Sanders. The two sides will have to come to an agreement that will pay Sanders starter money - not star money - but I look for that deal to get done.

Sanders' new contract also eats up an additional $1.2 million of salary cap space, leaving the Steelers just over $700,000 under the cap.

They will clear an additional $5.5 million once guard Willie Colon's release hits the books on June 1, but with so little cap space now, the Steelers appear to be out of the market for free agent running back Ahmad Bradshaw - unless he goes into the summer unsigned.

[URL]http://nflfromthesidelines.blogspot.com/2013/04/steelers-match-offer-for-sanders-what.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&ut m_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FpROmMH+%28NFL+from+t he+sidelines%29[/URL]

[Rara]

Son of a bitch! NO!!!!!!!

[hawaiiansteel]

Draft dries up Bradshaw’s current options

Posted by Mike Florio on April 27, 2013



On Friday, free-agent running back Ahmad Bradshaw received full clearance to resume football activities.

On Friday and Saturday, all teams that had interest in Bradshaw filled their needs via draft picks.

The interested teams were the Steelers, Packers, Broncos, and Bengals. And those four teams added a total of seven running backs in the last two days.

The Steelers selected Le’Veon Bell in round two. The Packers picked Eddie Lacy in round two and Johnathan Franklin in round four. The Broncos picked Montee Ball in round two. And the Bengals added Giovani Bernard in the second round, and Rex Burkhead in the sixth round.

The Steelers also signed former Cardinals running back La’Rod Stephens-Howling as a free agent on Friday.

So, basically, Bradshaw will likely have to wait for options to arise elsewhere. The good news is that injuries are inevitable, and eventually someone will need to give Bradshaw a call.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/27/draft-dries-up-bradshaws-current-options/[/URL]