First Call: Star is returning to future Steelers opponent, while another stays away; Ravens finally lose in preseason
Tuesday’s “First Call” eyes up some opponents on the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule.
The Baltimore Ravens saw an end to their record-setting preseason win streak. Nick Bosa may be in jeopardy of missing the season opener at Acrisure Stadium for the San Francisco 49ers. The Las Vegas Raiders should be getting a star back soon. The Cleveland Browns are working the salary cap by adjusting Myles Garrett’s contract.
And the Pirates are trying to play the role of spoiler for a long-time nemesis.
Nothing to say
Nick Bosa’s holdout is now entering its fifth week. And it’s starting to become a concern for the San Francisco 49ers as they prepare for the Steelers in the regular-season opener on Sept. 10.
Bosa is under contract for the 2023 season. It’s the final year of his rookie contract. But so far this training camp, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has been withholding his services in search of a new contract that would likely surpass T.J. Watt’s four-year, $112 million agreement with the Steelers (which also included $80 million in guarantees).
Watt inked that deal in 2021 before winning Defensive Player of the Year later that season.
San Francisco defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said Monday that he has no updates on the status of Bosa.
“Not in my pay grade, so I don’t bring it up,” Wilks said via the Associated Press.
General manager John Lynch
Related:
• Matt Canada on carries for Steelers RBs: 'Najee (Harris) is our 1. There's no doubt about that'
• Madden Monday: Not buying into the calls for Jaylen Warren to replace Najee Harris as Steelers' 1st-team RB
• Tim Benz: Even with fast start, Steelers coaches have plenty to examine during preseason finale vs. Falcons
Meanwhile…
Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is now expected to end his holdout and report to the club in advance of the team’s Week 1 opener on Sept. 10 in Denver. That’s according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Jacobs has been absent from the Raiders during the offseason and training camp. The former NFL rushing champion couldn’t come to an agreement on a long-term contract with the Silver and Black. Should he eventually sign with the Raiders, it’ll be on the terms of a $10.1 million RB franchise tag “or a modified one-season salary,” according to the Review-Journal.
Now, much like Bosa, the question becomes whether Jacobs will be in top physical condition by the time he plays the Steelers. The franchises square off in Vegas on Sept. 24.
Ravens record
The Baltimore Ravens’ record preseason win streak ended Monday after 24 straight wins. They lost to the Washington Commanders 29-28.
Joey Slye ended Baltimore’s reign of preseason terror with a late field goal.
JOEY SLYE'S KICK IS GOOD.@Commanders end the Ravens preseason win streak! #NFLPreseason #BALvsWAS pic.twitter.com/hGfBTGnWN6
— NFL (@NFL) August 22, 2023
A lot went right for Baltimore in their run game. They totaled 149 yards on 27 carries for an average of 5.5 yards.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t play. Josh Johnson was 10 of 12 with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. That was good for 145 yards. Anthony Brown was 6 of 10 for 40 yards. He also had an interceptions and two touchdowns.
Rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers found the end zone on a pass from Johnson.
That's Zay Flowers for ya ð¥ @ZayFlowers
ðº: #BALvsWAS on ESPN
ð±: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/L9mPiySUki pic.twitter.com/7xV6hBcrY2— NFL (@NFL) August 22, 2023
“There’s no one reason it happens, but it says a lot about a lot of people, a lot of people’s effort, a lot of good practice, a lot of good meeting time, a lot of young players working hard to be as good as they can be, a lot of coaches developing those players, scouts finding those players, all those things come into play,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said of the streak via ProFootballTalk.com.
Baltimore looks to start a new streak in Tampa Saturday.
Myles’ money
Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension in July 2020. Now the franchise has restructured that deal for $12.868 million in 2023 salary cap relief, according to Field Yates of ESPN reports.
The club now has more than $35 million in salary cap room. That is the most in the NFL. Garrett’s previous cap number was slated to be $29.176 million.
Left guard Joel Bitonio also had a recent contract restructure. Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot says those moves were were made for cap management purposes, and not any specific signing of a potential free agent.
Cabot added that the Browns also converted some of Garrett’s future base salaries to option bonuses to help keep the cap in check.
Two more wins for Wainwright?
Three-time All-Star Adam Wainwright is sitting on 198 wins for his career. If the St. Louis All-Star wants to win 200 career games, he better hurry.
This is Wainwright’s final
Keep in mind the Cards are a National League Central-worst 55-71. That’s after they lost to the Pirates 11-1 at PNC Park Monday. Thus far, in 2023, he is 3-8 with an ERA of 8.42.
But the good news for Wainwright is that he is on schedule to face the Pirates twice over the next few weeks. He’s supposed to throw at PNC Park Tuesday and again against them in early September, probably Saturday, Sept. 2.
The 41-year-old has 23 wins against the Buccos in his 18 seasons, the most of any opponent he has ever faced. Since 2019, Wainwright is 10-1 against Pittsburgh with 20 runs allowed in 82.2 innings pitched.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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