Brett Keisel close to a deal to return to Steelers, sources say
By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201408190208
Brett Keisel took a jet Tuesday to Arizona to apparently sign with the Arizona Cardinals, but after landing at the airport in Phoenix, he was informed the Steelers wanted him for one more season.
The 12-year veteran defensive end hopped back on a plane to Pittsburgh and will sign a contract to play his 13th NFL season with the Steelers, who drafted him in 2002.
“I am very excited to finish what I started in 2002 with the Steelers,’’ Keisel wrote on Twitter. “Time to get to work.’’
Keisel, who turns 36 next month, became an unrestricted free agent in March and the Steelers made him no offers until now. He will rejoin a defense that has undergone a youth movement but one that has not quite gained the coaches’ confidence in the defensive line. They signed veteran Cam Thomas from San Diego in free agency as a nose tackle/end and drafted end Stephon Tuitt in the second round.
How they use Keisel is the next question. Cam Heyward moved into Keisel’s spot at right defensive end, where he started the past eight seasons. Thomas had been starting at left end with Tuitt pushing him for that job. It’s possible that Heyward would move to the left side and Keisel would reclaim his job on the right.
Eric Metz, a Monroeville native who is Keisel’s agent, declared in the spring that his client was not interested in playing for minimum wage, which for him would be slightly more than $1 million. The Steelers and Metz were still working on financial details of the contract last night.
Keisel started 12 games last season and 110 over the course of his career. Drafted in the seventh round from BYU in 2002, he cut his teeth as a good special teams player and waited four years before he became a starting defensive end in 2006.
He was an every-down player for most of his career, although that likely will not continue in 2014.
Brett Keisel to Steelers: Latest Details, Analysis and Reaction
By Tyler Conway , Featured Columnist Aug 19, 2014
The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their flurry of mid-August activity Tuesday, coming to terms with defensive end Brett Keisel on a contract. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the news, though it's yet to be confirmed by the team:
The Steelers previously announced a long-term contract extension for offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert on Tuesday afternoon.
Keisel, 35, has spent each of his 12 NFL seasons in Pittsburgh. A seventh-round pick in 2002, he's become a mainstay for the organization and resides in Pennsylvania. Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reported the Cardinals attempted to have Keisel in for a workout following Darnell Dockett's injury but he declined.
Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
The Steelers, who'd mostly shown tepid interest in having Keisel return since he hit free agency, scooped him up within hours of Arizona's interest leaking.
“We haven’t eliminated anybody from consideration because we don’t know what’s going to happen before the season," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert told reporters last month. "Even into the season there’s been times when we’ve brought back veteran players due to injury."
Pittsburgh is yet to suffer any major injuries on the defensive line, but the Cardinals' interest likely expedited the push to sign Keisel. As Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk notes, the timing might ultimately be beneficial for Keisel's aging body: "The move is a win-win, as Keisel lends some stability to a defensive line that lost some parts this offseason, and the timing kept him from having to go to training camp."
A starter each of the last eight seasons, Keisel will have some competition for playing time in 2014. The Steelers signed former Charger Cam Thomas to start on the right end and are expecting big things from Cameron Heyward, their 2011 first-round pick. Pittsburgh also drafted Stephon Tuitt in the second round this offseason with designs on developing him on the end.
In addition to providing depth, the Steelers are likely signing Keisel hoping his work ethic and knowledge of the system will rub off on the likes of Tuitt. The former Notre Dame star was a second-team All-American in 2012 but saw his draft stock drop after an injury-riddled and less effective junior season.
Keisel, a defensive captain, has long been one of the most respected voices in the Steelers locker room. Even if his performance isn't on par with his peak, he'll be fine in a more limited capacity and could return to the starting lineup if Heyward struggles to excel in an expanded role.
Keisel made 29 combined tackles, a low since becoming a full-time starter, and four sacks in 12 games last season. Among the 24 3-4 defensive ends who received 50 percent or more of their team's defensive snaps, Keisel ranked 21st in run stop percentage, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Keisel remains an above-average pass-rusher for his position, typically picking up three or four sacks per season and applying steady pressure.
Still, his age has to be a concern for a team that looked to be on the downside in 2013. The Steelers were ranked 19th in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA metric, the first time in Keisel's career they've ranked in the bottom half of the NFL. The struggles continued a slow decline of an aging unit in desperate need of its young guys to step up.
Signing Keisel is an indicator that perhaps Mike Tomlin isn't comfortable handing the keys over to the young bucks just yet.
