Steelers Daily Links: Predicting Bud Dupree Return, NFL Collusion after Lamar Tag?

Ben Roethlisberger AFC North Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Steelers
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) walks off the field before an NFL football game against the New York Giants Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) walks off the field before an NFL football game against the New York Giants Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

It seems that nobody wants Lamar Jackson after he became officially available on Tuesday and a former teammate predicted that Bud Dupree will return to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

? Lamar Jackson will be able to negotiate with any other NFL team, after being tagged with a non-exclusive franchise tag by the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, but the reception from around the NFL seems to be “thanks, but no thanks.”

After the Ravens announced the move, which guarantees them the right of first refusal or two first-round draft picks in compensation if Jackson signs elsewhere, reports came flying in from all angles that quarterback-needy teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders are not interested in Jackson, sparking cries of collusion from around NFL circles.

? 93.7 The Fan: Former Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats predicted that Bud Dupree will return to the team after being released by the Tennessee Titans.

? Jackson was one of six NFL players to be tagged on Tuesday, along with Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne.

? Among those notably untagged was Cincinnati Bengals safety Jesse Bates III, who played under the tag in 2022. The Bengals have plenty of cap space, but fellow safety Von Bell, cornerbacks Eli Apple and Tre Flowers, linebacker Germaine Pratt and tight end Hayden Hurst are all set to hit the open market.

? NFL Network: The Kansas City Chiefs are planning to bring pending free agent wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster back, among other things.

? The Ravens hired former Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson for the same position in Baltimore.

? Tom Brady threw cold water on the idea of him returning to the NFL, saying that he’s too busy after adopting a kitten.

? Happy 47th birthday to former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, born on this date in Seoul, South Korea in 1976. Ward was the team’s third-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and spent 14 seasons in the NFL, all with Pittsburgh. He won two Super Bowls, including an MVP performance in Super Bowl XL and was a four-time Pro Bowler.

? On this date in 1990, the Steelers rescinded an offer to Pittsburgh native Denny Creehan to be the team’s next linebackers coach. The reason? Creehan had already agreed to a contract to be the head coach at San Francisco State before the Steelers had offered him the job, and he hadn’t told either team he had been talking with the other. A Bethel Park native and Duquesne alum, Creehan had been coaching linebackers at Cal before the dual job offers hit his desk.

“This was an unfortunate situation,” head coach Chuck Noll said in a statement. “But we felt that the right thing to do was to honor the school’s contract.”

Creehan coached just one year at San Francisco State when he went 4-7. He later found more success as the head coach at South Dakota, West Virginia Wesleyan and Alderson-Broaddus. Creehan and never made it to the NFL, though he did coach professionally in the CFL and the AAF, where he finished his coaching career in 2019.

To replace Dave Brazil, who had been promoted to defensive coordinator, the Steelers eventually settled on hiring Pitt defensive coordinator Bob Valesente.

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