Tag: Stefen Wisniewski

Report: Chiefs were interested in Saints free agent Andrus Peat

The New Orleans Saints were in competition with the Kansas City Chiefs to re-sign free agent guard Andrus Peat, a two-time Pro Bowler.

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The New Orleans Saints made a maybe-controversial decision on Friday to re-sign left guard Andrus Peat to a five-year contract extension, keeping the two-time Pro Bowl alternate and 2015 first-round draft pick in the city where he’s played his entire NFL career. But retaining the versatile offensive lineman was hardly a sure thing for the Saints.

According to a report from Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star, the Super Bowl LIV champions were interested in Peat’s services. If they had landed Peat, he would have replaced Stefen Wisniewski, who agreed to a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Peat is just 26 years old and has a lot of football left ahead of him — he obviously would have appealed to teams looking for upgrades along the offensive line.

Instead, he’ll remain with the Saints. Peat is the best option to both start at left guard and shift over to left tackle should Terron Armstead miss time, but that says more about the underwhelming options on the Saints’ roster and those available in free agency. While Peat might turn in good game film, too often he ends up on the ground, twisted around, or in the trainer’s room. He’ll need to play at a more consistent level to justify his heightened salary, but at least we know now the Saints weren’t just bidding against themselves.

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What are the Steelers getting in OG Stefen Wisniewski?

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed guard Stefen Wisniewski on Thursday.

It’s not often a veteran gets to play for their hometown team. But Stefen Wisniewski will. The 10-year offensive lineman, who spent seasons with the Raiders, Jaguars, Eagles, and Chiefs, was signed to a two-year contract Thursday.

The Pittsburgh native played high school football at Central Catholic before attending Penn State, where he helped the Nittany Lions to runners-up in the Big Ten title as a junior. The next spring, Wisniewski switched from guard to center, and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Wisniewski was drafted with the 48th overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2011. He started all 61 games in four seasons at center for the Raiders.

After one season with the Jaguars in 2015, Wisniewski switched to left guard after signing with the Eagles. He became a Super Bowl-winning guard after Philadelphia beat New England in the 2018 Super Bowl.

After a successful three-year run with the Eagles, Wisniewski spent the past two seasons with the Chiefs, where he won his second-consecutive Super Bowl ring. The Chiefs starting LG, Wisniewski’s blocking helped score three unanswered touchdowns in the game’s final minutes of the 2019 Super Bowl. During his two-year Chiefs career, Wisniewski played in pass-blocking 131 snaps over eight games, which earned him an 80.5 grade from Pro Football Focus.

Wisniewski joins a top-ranked Steelers offensive line that is anchored by Pro Bowl center, Maurkice Pouncey, two-time All-Pro guard, David DeCastro; and two-time Pro Bowl left tackle, Alejandro Villanueva. Pittsburgh’s offensive line also includes starting tackle Matt Feiler, whom the team gave a second-round tender, and reserve tackle Zach Banner, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers Thursday.

Stefen Wisniewski announces on Twitter he’ll sign with Steelers

Another player from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl 54 team has left in free agency.

The Kansas City Chiefs have lost another starter from their Super Bowl LIV team in free agency.

On Thursday evening, offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski announced on Twitter that he would sign with his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to the Kansas City Star’s Herbie Teope, the contract with the Steelers will be for two years. That should at least bode well for the Chiefs earning another compensatory pick.

Wisniewski was a pivotal presence for Kansas City during the 2019 season, providing veteran leadership with a championship pedigree. He was added to the Chiefs’ roster nearly halfway through the 2019 season, joining the team just ahead of Week 6. He spent his first four weeks getting up to speed before getting his first significant snaps.

Wisniewski played 41 offensive snaps in Week 10, filling in for multiple injured players on the offensive line. Eventually, he’d take over at the left guard spot in place of the injured Andrew Wylie, starting the final two games of the regular season heading into the playoffs. Wisniewski was a key piece in the Chiefs’ postseason run, starting in all three games, including Super Bowl LIV. He provided a mauler in the run game and a savvy mindset in pass protection.

In the two of the past three seasons, Wisniewski has earned a Super Bowl ring, once with the Chiefs and once with the Eagles. Kansas City will have a hard time replacing his presence in the locker room and on the football field, but this is what happens when you have a championship team. Hopefully, Brett Veach will continue to work to retain others from the championship that remain available, such as Bashaud Breeland and Mike Pennel.

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Report: Steelers sign OG Stefen Wisniewski

The Steelers might have their replacement for Ramon Foster.

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With two losses along the interior offensive line in the first three days of the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers knew there was no time to wait to find a replacement. According to NFL reporter Tom Pelissero, the Steelers have signed former Kansas City Chiefs guard Stefen Wisniewski to a two-year contract.

Wisniewski is entering his tenth NFL season with 103 career starts under his belt. He’s got experience in bigtime games proven by his playing time in the Super Bowl. He also has starting experience at both center and guard with certainly appealed to the Steelers.

Looking ahead, you have to assume the left guard spot is Wisniewski’s and unless either Zach Banner or Chuks Okorafor step up big time, there will be no reason to move Matt Feiler inside at all.

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12 under-the-radar free agents for the Bills to target on offense

The NFL’s free agency period is slated to open on March 18 and the Buffalo Bills could be in business. The Bills signed cornerback Josh Norman last week, getting a head start on things.

The NFL’s free agency period is slated to open on March 18 and the Buffalo Bills could be in business. The Bills signed cornerback Josh Norman last week, getting a head start on things.

But despite that signing, the Bills moved from just the fourth-most to fifth-most salary cap space in the league, near $77.4 million, according to Spotrac. That’s a lot of room for more moves, and of course, room for big-named additions.

But in recent years, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have had a thing for finding diamonds in the rough. Could the 2020 offseason have more of the same?

With that, here are 12 under-the-radar free agents on offense the Bills could consider adding:

Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

WR Demarcus Robinson

The Bills have John Brown and Cole Beasley who are solid, but the talent that Demarcus Robinson was behind with the Chiefs has kept his opportunities very limited. At receiver, there’s Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman, then there’s tight end Travis Kelce, who’s basically a No. 1 wideout.

But when Robinson did get some chances when Hill was out, he showed some skill. He caught 32 passes for 449 yards and four touchdowns last season. What could make him further appealing is his 14 yards-per-catch average last season. Over the past two seasons, he’s had eight total scores.

What many peg for the Bills is adding a wideout with size, though. Robinson isn’t overly big at 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, but stretching the field is a plus with quarterback Josh Allen’s arm strength.

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PFF lists guard Stefen Wisniewski and the Vikings as a perfect free agent match

Would you want the Vikings to sign Chiefs offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski in free agency?

Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey thinks the Vikings could use an upgrade at the guard position, and one candidate in free agency is a good fit.

The Vikings were named a perfect match for Chiefs interior lineman Stefen Wisniewski. Wisniewski could add depth to the interior, and while I personally think Pat Elflein was decent for the Vikings in 2019-20, he has his share of critics, and Wisniewski is definitely the better pass blocker.

Here is some of what Pro Football Focus said about the match:

“There are also positions such as left guard that need an upgrade. Pat Elflein was one of the worst guards in the NFL in pass protection last season, picking up a pass-blocking grade of just 46.8. That was a similar story to his performance in 2018. Wisniewski could be a value option for the Vikings, as he has picked up pass-blocking grades of 70.0 or higher in seven of his nine NFL seasons.”

Elflein was rated a 62.7 overall on Pro Football Focus this season. It seemed like he improved in an offense that emphasized the run and play-action passing more than the season before. Also a factor: Kirk Cousins was getting rid of the ball quicker and making better reads, taking some pressure off the offensive line in pass protection. That said, Wisniewski is definitely an upgrade and Elflein’s ability to play guard or center makes him a good candidate to have as a platoon lineman.

7 players in the Super Bowl the Bills could target in free agency

7 players from the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV that Buffalo Bills could target in free agency.

Super Bowl LIV could be the crowning achievement for the careers of many players on the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.

But it also could be the final game some players suit up for their respective teams. In the modern day NFL with free agency spending going up and up, players move often.

Could any of them make their way to the Bills during free agency?

Here are seven pending free agents suiting up in Super Bowl LIV that the Bills could have interest in:

Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

CB Bashaud Breeland

Bashaud Breeland has had an interesting NFL career. He had a strong first four seasons with the Redskins and inked a three-year contract with the Panthers in free agency. However, he cut his foot during a trip to the Dominican Republic, causing his contract with Carolina to be voided.

With that in mind, the Bills run a similar defense to Carolina’s from that year with Sean McDermott having come from there. So could Breeland be a fit in Buffalo? He did have two interceptions and eight passes defended last year, but his Pro Football Focus marks… aren’t grade. The football analytics outlet graded him the 99th best cornerback in the NFL this past season.

In addition, he’s a vet, and the Bills have had a thing for signing vets (EJ Gaines, Kevin Johnson, Vontae Davis) to suit up in their No.2 corner role.

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