First Call: Steelers’ Cam Heyward unhappy with ESPN poll; interesting odds after Baker Mayfield trade; Pirates trade chip emerges

In Thursday’s “First Call,” Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward is feeling a bit slighted by an ESPN poll. We’ve got a follow-up on a potential free agent acquisition for the Steelers. One Pirate is getting attention on the Major League Baseball trade market.

And we check on the adjusted odds for the Carolina Panthers after their acquisition of Baker Mayfield.

Or lack thereof.

Cam says it’s a sham

Cam Heyward did not get the same kind of love that T.J. Watt received on ESPN.com’s list of top 10 players at every position.

Based on a survey of more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players, Watt was voted the top edge player in the NFL on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler’s list had Heyward fifth among defensive tackles.

And maybe that‘s part of the problem. A lot of people still consider Heyward strictly a 3-4 end in the Steelers base defense, even though he lines up as an interior player in the sub-package most of the time.

Heyward’s highest ranking among the group was third. His lowest ranking was out of the top 10. Based on Heyward’s season last year, that’s impossible unless some voters just didn’t associate him with being an interior player.

After all, Heyward had 10 sacks and 89 tackles (a career high) en route to a spot on the All-Pro team and a fifth straight Pro Bowl. Plus, ESPN credited him with 16 passes deflected or batted down.

Yet he dropped from fourth in the rankings last year to fifth this year. Pitt product and Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald was first. He was followed by Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons, Kansas City’s Chris Jones and Indianapolis’ DeForest Buckner.

Heyward did not agree.

I respect my peers but this list ain’t right

— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) July 6, 2022

pic.twitter.com/TZPu6rf5v0

— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) July 6, 2022

I understand Donald being first. And I think those next three players are really good. But I don’t think any of them had a better year than Heyward did in 2022.

Betting on Baker?

So what did the Carolina Panthers’ decision to acquire Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns do to their gambling odds?

Very little. Almost nothing actually. At least according to DraftKings.

Carolina Panthers odds movement after acquiring Baker Mayfield:

Super Bowl: +13000 ➡️ +13000

NFC: +6000 ➡️ +6000

NFC South: +1200 ➡️ +1000 pic.twitter.com/zC0CelxJXz

— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) July 6, 2022

So for those of you in Pittsburgh looking at the Panthers and saying, “Why bother? Is Baker all that much better than Sam Darnold?”, apparently, DraftKings has the same question.

In fact, BetOnline.ag reset some lines wider for the Panthers after the decision to get him from the Browns. They went from 10/1 to 11/1 to win the NFC South. They went from 50/1 to 60/1 to win the NFC.

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Flying North with the Blue Jays?

If Jose Quintana hadn’t opened eyes during his first season with the Pirates prior to his win Tuesday over the New York Yankees, maybe he is doing so now.

The MLB Network’s Jon Morosi is of the opinion that Quintana will be highly sought after by other teams at the trade deadline. Perhaps one, in particular, north of the border.

#Pirates LHP José Quintana is among the most popular pitchers on the trade market right now, sources say, especially after last night’s win over the #Yankees. The #BlueJays are one possible landing spot due to Kikuchi’s struggles and Ryu’s injury. @MLBNetwork @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 6, 2022

The 33-year-old lefty has an ERA of 3.33 in 16 starts, despite being 2-4.

Quintana has 74 strikeouts over 81 innings, including seven Tuesday night against the Yankees while walking no one. He gave up just one earned run over 5 innings.

Let’s be honest. Sure, the Pirates acquired Quintana during the offseason with the hope he’d have a nice season and be a rare, veteran, stabilizing force in the rotation for 2022.

For the most part, that’s been the case. But they also signed him at $2 million for this purpose — to trade him at the deadline for prospects once they were out of the playoff mix.

Toronto (45-38) snapped a five-game losing streak Wednesday by beating the Oakland A’s 2-1. They are a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox for the top two wild-card slots in the American League. They are 3½ games in front of the Cleveland Guardians for the final spot.

The Pirates (33-48) are 9½ games out of a wild-card slot.

Ask and you might receive

Last week we suggested that the Steelers may want to consider some USFL talent to bolster their lack of outside linebacker depth — particularly Defensive Player of the Year Chris Odom. He had 12.5 sacks, 3.5 more than any player in the league.

The Houston Gamblers edge rusher also had four blocked kicks and six forced fumbles to lead the league. His eight tackles for loss ranked third.

Via ProFootballTalk.com, Odom’s agent is now saying he has three workouts scheduled with NFL teams. However, it’s unknown which teams he is referencing.

Based on the lack of depth the Steelers have behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, they should be one of those clubs.

Odom has previously been part of NFL organizations in Atlanta, Green Bay, Miami and Washington.