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First Call: Jets may have nabbed Steelers' draft pick; another veteran WR hits free agency; 18-game NFL season looming | TribLIVE.com
Steelers/NFL

First Call: Jets may have nabbed Steelers' draft pick; another veteran WR hits free agency; 18-game NFL season looming

Tim Benz
Tim Benz
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AP
Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson reacts Oct. 21, 2023, after scoring against Michigan State in a game in East Lansing, Mich.

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” another wide receiver is available for the Pittsburgh Steelers to sign if they want him. The NFL may get an 18-game season sooner than you think. It turns out that the Steelers are very fortunate Roman Wilson was still on the board when they selected him in the third round.

A star player will not be playing at PNC Park next week. And a couple of other players in Indianapolis stood out during Paul Skenes’ latest start.

Hey, Zay!

You’ve heard about many of the wide receivers tied to the Steelers in trade rumors. Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Cortland Sutton, Michael Thomas, D.J. Chark, Brandin Cooks and even DK Metcalf have been dangled as potential acquisitions.

Here’s another name for the list: Zay Jones. He was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday. That move saves the Jags $4.49 million.

The Jaguars drafted LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd overall pick Thursday. So that made Jones expendable.

The eighth-year veteran was limited to just nine games last year because of a troublesome knee injury. He totaled 34 catches, 321 yards and two touchdowns. The previous year, Jones had 82 catches for 823 yards and five scores.

Jones also had some legal issues in November. He was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery after an argument with the mother of his child. However, charges were not pursued, and the case was dropped.

Sooner than later

Not only is an 18-game season likely to happen for the NFL, it may occur before the end of the current collective bargaining agreement. The CBA expires in 2030.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post writes that NFL owners largely support NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s preference for an 18th game and might push to make it happen before the CBA expires six years from now.

“The league and owners have not initiated a new set of formal discussions with the NFL Players Association,” Maske wrote. “But some owners and league leaders have been contemplating such an effort for months.”

Maske says the NFL Players Association is readying itself for the conversation.

“I strongly believe they will bring something to (the NFLPA) in the next 12 to 18 months,” Maske said, citing a representative on the players’ side.

During a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” in front of a crowd at the draft, Goodell said. “I’m not a fan of the preseason, and I don’t think these (fans) like it either. I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day. That’s just picking quality. If we get to 18 (regular season) and two (preseason), that’s not an unreasonable thing.”

Maybe not. We’ll see if the NFLPA agrees. What it will require, though, is likely a second bye week and a season that won’t end until Presidents’ Day weekend.

Goodell spun that as a positive because that would put Super Bowl Sunday on the night of a three-day weekend — for anyone who gets that day off anymore, I suppose.

Do you? I don’t. I haven’t for years.

Moving for Malachi

Many Steelers fans are happy about landing receiver Roman Wilson in the third round of the NFL Draft. The New York Jets released footage Tuesday of how close they came to taking him instead.

The video shows Jets general manager Joe Douglas working hard to trade up for Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley. That’s another receiver the Steelers brought in for a pre-draft visit.

During the various exchanges of attempted trades, as the Jets are trying to move up from pick No. 72, Douglas says, “I think we can get Malachi or Roman at (pick) 53.”

Fortunately for the Steelers, the Jets were able to trade up to pick No. 65 (the first pick in Round 3) to select Corley before anyone else could. If that trade didn’t happen, New York stayed at 72, and Corley was gone, it appears the Jets would’ve taken Wilson before the Steelers had a chance to do so at pick No. 84.

More sports

• Tim Benz: Assume huge gap between what Steelers are saying about WR search and what's really going on
• Pirates prospect Paul Skenes works 6 scoreless innings for Triple-A Indianapolis
• 5 on Fautanu: Steelers 'got a steal' in their 1st-round pick

Trout is out

When the Los Angeles Angels play the Pirates at PNC Park next week, they’ll be doing so without one of their superstars.

No, I don’t mean Shohei Ohtani. We know he’s a Los Angeles Dodger now.

I mean Mike Trout.

The 11-time All-Star center fielder has a torn meniscus in his left knee. It will require surgery. The team made that announcement Tuesday.

The club did not announce a timetable for Trout’s recovery. But ESPN.com — citing “sources familiar with the situation” — said a best-case scenario could be four to six weeks. The Angels are in Pittsburgh May 6-8.

Trout was emotional when he addressed the media about the injury.

Back, calf and hamate bone injuries have limited the former MVP to just 237 of a potential 486 games since the end of the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season.

Trout is hitting just .220. But his 10 homers are tied for the lead in Major League Baseball with Gunnar Henderson.

Nick GONEzales

While all of Pittsburgh was paying attention to Paul Skenes’ latest start in Indianapolis, another former No. 1 draft choice continued to shine.

Nick Gonzales homered en route to a 4-3 Indians win over Buffalo. It was a bomb, 422 feet.

That was Gonzales’ third homer of the year. He is now hitting .379 on the season with an OPS of 1.044. He also scored the game-winning run on a walk-off hit from Yasmani Grandal in the 11th inning.

But Skenes was the main story once more, striking out seven Bison over six innings and allowing no runs on four hits.

Skenes’ ERA in Indy is just 0.39 over six starts.

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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Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL | Breakfast With Benz | Tim Benz Columns
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