Ladarius Green signed 4 years 20 mil

[tapeANaspirin2it]

It was pretty clear the steelers would sign a veteran TE. They needed a guy who can play immediately. I was thinking they would sign either Green or Scott Chandler. Green is more receiver and Chandler more blocker.

To me this says they feel good about Jesse James as a blocker. If James keeps developing then Green and James are a good combo. They can still draft a stud TE maybe next year if they have a top talent fall to them because nobody at the TE position is making big money.

Green is only 26 and has starting experience. He could be a steal. He's a bargain when you look at the deals given to Fleener (5yr $36) and Dwayne Allen (4yr $29.4).

Green could have a big impact because he's athletic and with all the attention that the Steeler WRs command, Green can really be effective.

 

[Lloyds legend]

As far as I'm concerned he's a way better sign than Fleener.

 

[keslerclan]

I like the signings (including this one so far...surprised to find myself saying it though)

Not that it is with any "special knowledge" or anything but I think Green COULD be both a TE and/or a WR. His combine numbers are similar enough to be a potential "back-up plan" IF Bryant fails another test. He is a better blocker than ANY of our WRs and presently better than James at TE in both receiving and blocking. Spaeth is still the best blocking TE we have as far as RUN only blocking is concerned BUT I think Green is a better blocker "in space" based on the SDSU film (Bowl game on Draft Breakdown).

He was used quite a bit in college as a split end in space and ran TE "seam" and WR "slot patterns. He can do both at times and we may see him used more like NE uses Gronk as well.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Spaeth and James in running situations and Green in passing/run situations.

I a metrics guy and looking at Green vs Gronk vs Bryant what I see is a guy who is faster and rangier than Gronk with longer arms at 34 1/2" and better speed as well as a guy who has comparable speed to Bryant with almost 2" longer arms, 27#, 2" taller, with 10 1/8" hands compared to 9 1/2" hands.

In other words, he won't be able to power through contact like Gronk, but he is much faster and probably as good a blocker if not better BUT he will be able to jump for contested balls better than Bryant with longer arms, height, weight and hands.

We might be onto something with this kid if we use him in the middle of the field like so many TEs are used against us with success. JMO

BTW, Tomlin referred to him as an "oversized WR". Food for thought?

 

[tjack]

I'm sorry, I'm sitting here blinking at this, can't believe my eyes...

Green is 6'6" and 240 pounds. He ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and shows excellent fluidity and quickness on the field.

That's simply amazing to me, a guy that big being able to move so fast.

Sounds like the same description someone gives after they've ran into Bigfoot on one of those TV shows. Welcome to the Team Mr. Green.

 

[PTY Steeler]

Absolutely stoked about this signing! Wow, this guy can help us immediately and still has a huge upside. Surely they will work on his blocking but regardless this gives us an excellent weapon for our arsenal. Man, can we just fast forward to July??

 

[Steelz]

Edit: Wont let me post the video so here's a link to some highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vADoNptYpU8

 

[slashsteel]

yes yes yessssssss


these are the kind of moves needed to solidify the roster

yes


now they can turn their attention to D (provided they get Beachum on that 1 year contract)

 

[steelpastor]

Edit: Wont let me post the video so here's a link to some highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vADoNptYpU8

LOVE it! Serious separation. Redzone here we come!

Now, I really dig the pickup... any highlights of his blocking?

.

 

[TDX27]

$5 million a year is a lot for a guy who has never been a starter. I would have thought we could get him for less. I hope he can stay on the field. At that price, he might be our last FA signing.

 

[nitsuj1225]

$5 million a year is a lot for a guy who has never been a starter. I would have thought we could get him for less. I hope he can stay on the field. At that price, he might be our last FA signing.

Did you see Fleener's contract though? 5yr $36m with $14.5m guaranteed. This is a steal compared to that and Green has much more upside IMO.

 

[21STEELERS21]

The Steelers have made these moves without doing their normal contract gimmickry.
That means they could still create a lot of cap space in 2016 if they want to.

 

[MTC]

Looks promising. I think he's gonna be Ben's favorite target soon

 

[Litos]

Did you see Fleener's contract though? 5yr $36m with $14.5m guaranteed. This is a steal compared to that and Green has much more upside IMO.

look at the other young FA TE:

Dwayne AllenTE
Age: 26 Height: 6′ 3″ Weight: 265
College: Clemson Accrued Seasons: 4
League Entry: 2012 NFL Draft, Round 3, Pick 64 (Colts)
Dwayne Allen signed a four year, $29.4 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts on March 8, 2016. Allen received a $4 million signing bonus and $1.5 million in full guarantees. His 2017 salary is also guaranteed for injury and becomes guaranteed on the 5th day of the league year. In each season there are $500,000 in per game active roster bonuses.

(from overthecap.com)

and here are his stats:

2015: 12 games started, 12 Rec, 109 Yds, 2 TDs
2014: 13GS, 29 Rec, 395 Yds, 8 TDs

so he was a TD machine the previous seaason but his stats declined a lot, he was asked to block more than Fleener and it affected his numbers but still, way more expensive, with lesser size and speed. I think we got the more rounded player and with the higher ceiling, never thought we had a chance to bring such a talented player, was thinking more of an old vet that would cost 3 to 4M for a one year contract

 

[FordFairLane]

The Green signing reminds me a lot of the Mitchell signing. A guy who has been in the league a few years and started coming on and the Steelers decided to give them a decent contract hoping the progression will continue on. Mitchell was hampered by injury and not understanding Troy's rover safety position and play. But last year Mitchell was very solid. I hope Green is just coming into his own. He was a project coming out of College and the Bolts spent the time to develop him so lets hope we enjoy the fruits of their labor. But he's 6-6, 245lbs, runs a sub 4.5, has 34 1/2 inch arms and 10 1/8 inch hands. If we can use him properly he could be a red zone nightmare for opposing defenses and could really open things up for AB. And Ben could have another stellar pro bowl season.

I like the signing and feel the risk is worth the reward.

 

[Hines57]

As long as the guy is healthy he should be a positive for us. The post-HEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHH era has begun.

 

[GarrettG]

Walter Football says...

Steelers sign TE Ladarius Green (5 years, $20 million): A- Grade
The Steelers usually don't make much of a splash in free agency, but when they sign someone, it's usually a quality move. That's definitely the case here, as the front office found a new play-maker for Ben Roethlisberger.

Green is very talented, but never got much of a chance in San Diego because he was playing behind Antonio Gates. He'll be a starter now, as the Steelers needed someone to replace the retired Heath Miller. Even better, this is a great bargain, especially when considering that other tight ends were paid more, despite the fact that Green was the top player at his position in free agency. It's laughable that Green is set to earn $20 million over four years, while Coby Fleener is getting $36 million over five seasons. This is a great transaction by Pittsburgh.


Can't help but agree...

 

[steelpastor]

$5 million a year is a lot for a guy who has never been a starter. I would have thought we could get him for less. I hope he can stay on the field. At that price, he might be our last FA signing.

He has played in 47 games... 26 as a starter. It can make it seem that you are not a starter when the other TE is Antonio Gates.

Green has the chops.

.

 

[Tibs]

Ladarius Green Discusses Playing Weight, Ankle Injury
http://www.Invalid Link - Check SN ...-green-discusses-playing-weight-ankle-injury/

Ladarius Green has made his first official appearance in Pittsburgh, and chatting with the media for the first time. As Dave Bryan just wrote, Green will wear #80 for the Steelers.

The newly signed tight end says he currently weighs 250 pounds but might add another five, according to a tweet sent out by DVE’s Mike Prisuta. It also includes the first picture of Green in Steelers’ attire.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">New Steelers TE Ladarius Green showed up on the South Side weighing 250, said he might bulk up to 255. <a href="https://t.co/orGgwtMPNq">pic.twitter.com/orGgwtMPNq</a></p>— Mike Prisuta (@DVEMike) <a href="https://twitter.com/DVEMike/status/708022233373892608">March 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Going into the 2012 Combine, he weighed 238 pounds, but has predictably added since coming into the league. That extra weight will be important for a player who is likely to play with his hand down more than he did in San Diego, roughly 37% of the time, so he can handle the rigors of playing in the trenches as a full, 16 game starter.

Of course, given his skillset as an athletic tight end, a mold the Steelers have never really shown interest in before, you can expect him to play standing up much more than Heath Miller ever did.

Green also noted that he underwent recent surgery on his ankle but expects to be ready for July’s training camp, according to Ray Fittipaldo.

Aside from his blocking, one of the biggest knocks on him was an injury history. Last year, he suffered two concussions over a two week span. He missed one game because of it. He also battled an ankle injury, presumably that led to the offseason surgery, in November against the Baltimore Ravens. Green sat out the next week but returned to play in Week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

After the injury, Green caught just 10 passes the rest of the season and held out of the end zone. Prior to it, he hauled in 27 passes and four touchdowns, so the ankle could be a great explanation for the dip in production. But given the fact he gritted it out for the rest of the season, there should be no reason to be concerned about it as a long-term issue.

 

[Tibs]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Green said he met with Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert yesterday in Pensacola, Fla., and that Tomlin got Ben Roethlisberger on the phone.</p>— Mike Prisuta (@DVEMike) <a href="https://twitter.com/DVEMike/status/708023370172923904">March 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Green will be replacing Heath Miller with the Steelers but he won't be "following in his footsteps. Those were some pretty big feet."</p>— Mike Prisuta (@DVEMike) <a href="https://twitter.com/DVEMike/status/708024327657029632">March 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Green assessed the Steelers offense as having "some big-time names, some big-time players. I'm ready to get in line with them."</p>— Mike Prisuta (@DVEMike) <a href="https://twitter.com/DVEMike/status/708024703189790720">March 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Green thinks there will be enough footballs to go around with Steelers. "Even if there's not, you just want to be part of something great."</p>— Mike Prisuta (@DVEMike) <a href="https://twitter.com/DVEMike/status/708025257802620928">March 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[bermudasteel]

yes yes yessssssss


these are the kind of moves needed to solidify the roster

yes


now they can turn their attention to D (provided they get Beachum on that 1 year contract)

Franchise tag him

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

I'm thinking James will be the "starting" TE because he plays the TE-Y which is the traditional on the line TE and is a blocker. Green will likely be the TE-Y which is kind of an H back, a hybrid TE/WR/FB. I doubt he will do much lead blocking but we may see him run routes out of the backfield to create matchups .

I also expect to see him split out most of the time. He will be blocking for AB on those bubble screens.

Most defenses will use their base defense against a 2 TE set because it is mostly a run formation. If the Steelers see that, they will throw and have a huge advantage against 4 DBs. The safeties have to stay deep to guard against Martavis. You have to play up close to AB or he'll just kill you all day with those quick screens. Green and Le'Veon will have lots of room to work the middle.

If they go nickel, now the Steelers can run the ball and have the blocking advantage. Or they can still pass because Martavis and AB still need double coverage so somebody is open.

You also have Coates and Wheaton. If one of them steps up then you can take James out and essentially have 5 WRs out there with Green and Bell able to run receiver routes.

This offense can be unstoppable this year. Only thing that can slow them down is injury.

 

[swal75]

I wouldn't mind another veteran signing/late pick at TE to compete with James/Spaeth for a roster spot. But I suspect such a player will be signed when we get to the middle of the summer.

 

[POP]

$5 million a year is a lot for a guy who has never been a starter. I would have thought we could get him for less. I hope he can stay on the field. At that price, he might be our last FA signing.

He only wasn't the starter because for most of his career he had the best pass catching TE in the league (Gates) on the roster.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/14904/ladarius-green

When Gates went down, Green did well. And he is just now entering his prime, which is my fav. kind of FA to sign. At 6-6, with speed, Ben is gonna love him. Just imagine trying to defend AB, Bryant, Wheaton, Coates, Bell and now Green. Good luck.

 

[slashsteel]

plus the Chargers have been strong on drafting

not so much on coaching

Being behind Gates somewhat limited him...

that won't be the case moving forward...

 

[SteelerFan448]

Looks promising. I think he's gonna be Ben's favorite target soon

I believe Antonio Brown will have something to say about that.