First Call: Was Steelers' top draft choice in town?; another WR trade option could be emerging

Wednesday’s “First Call” takes a look at another potential trade candidate for the Pittsburgh Steelers at the wide receiver position. The Steelers’ top prize in the draft may have been in their building Monday.

We get an update on Brian Flores’ coaching situation, and we find out why Penn State’s Micah Parsons isn’t working out with the Dallas Cowboys right now.

Perhaps court Courtland?

Steelers fans have been keeping tabs on news surrounding Tee Higgins in Cincinnati and Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco lately. Neither wide receiver is happy with their current contract situation. Meanwhile, the Steelers are desperate for help at the receiver position.

If nothing happens on either of those fronts, could Courtland Sutton be a trade option instead? According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Sutton did not report for voluntary workouts in Denver.

#Broncos WR Courtland Sutton did not report Monday for voluntary workouts as he seeks a new contract, per source.

Sutton is going on his 10th starting QB in seven seasons and has only $2 million guaranteed left on his deal. He had 10 TDs in 2023 while ranking 56th in targets. pic.twitter.com/93rA35XdM4

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 16, 2024

Along with the $2 million in guarantees that Pelissero mentioned, Sutton’s base salary for 2024 is $13 million. His total cap number in Denver currently is $17.39 million according to OverTheCap.com. The Steelers have roughly $11 million in cap space. So they’d have to manipulate the money somehow.

But that’s not out of the realm of possibility, especially since Sutton is also under contract for 2025 at a $17.8 million cap hit and a $13 million salary. These are the last two years of a four-year contract extension Sutton worked out in 2021.

With Russell Wilson as his quarterback the past two years in Denver, Sutton had 123 receptions for 1,601 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is a 2018 second-round draft choice out of SMU and made the Pro Bowl in 2019. Sutton is 28 and stands 6-foot-4, weighing 216 pounds.

Going with Graham?

The Steelers may have just had their preferred first-round draft option at their facility Monday. Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton was in town for an official “top 30” visit, along with North Carolina State inside linebacker Payton Wilson.

Long-time NFL Draft analyst Tony Pauline says that he has been told that the Steelers would like to make Barton their pick.

“Speculation from people in the league familiar with the organization is that Graham Barton of Duke will likely be the pick,” Pauline wrote Monday for Sportskeeda. “The reasoning is simple: Barton was an accomplished offensive tackle at Duke and projects to be a center in the NFL. The Steelers need help at both positions, and Barton’s ability to line up at either makes him attractive.”

ESPN.com has Barton listed as the top center available in the draft and the No. 23 overall prospect. The Steelers are drafting 20th in the first round.

As for Wilson, he is rated as the top off-the-ball linebacker in the draft and an early second-round pick.

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Dallas decisions

Former Penn State star Micah Parsons is not taking part in the Dallas Cowboys’ voluntary workouts. The linebacker is “focused on a personalized training program outside the facility.” That’s according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Parsons has an individual training routine in Austin that he relies on this time of year. He did the same thing last year, eventually arriving in Dallas for the start of organized team activities. Those begin May 21 in Dallas.

Wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb is also absent from team workouts right now. But his issue is contract related.

Lamb wants an extension and does not want to play on the fifth-year option tag of $17.99 million. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News has previously reported that Lamb’s agent and the organization have had “no substantial talks” so far.

Nothing new

Former Steelers assistant Brian Flores got no interviews for head coaching jobs this past offseason. That’s according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com.

Some have speculated that is because of his pending class-action lawsuit against the NFL and the Dolphins, Giants, Broncos and Texans. Flores filed that lawsuit on the grounds of racial discrimination in the wake of his dismissal by the Dolphins after the 2021 season and his ensuing job search.

But Flores recently told Seifert he is uncertain if the lawsuit is the biggest reason for the lack of interest in hiring him as a head coach.

Flores on if his lawsuit is an impediment to getting a HC job: "There's no way to know. It's not really something I'm spending a lot of time thinking about. I try to be where my feet are, and that's here with the Vikings. I try not to worry about things I have no control over."

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) April 16, 2024

Flores coached the 2022 season in Pittsburgh after getting fired by the Miami Dolphins as their head coach. He then became the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator in 2023, improving that unit from 31st in total defense (388 yards per game allowed) to 16th (332 yards per game allowed).