Jets Sign Former Steelers NT Steve McLendon

Jets Sign Former Steelers NT Steve McLendon

By Jeremy J. Jackson 3 on Mar 15, 2016



The Jets have a Snacks replacement, as they signed former Steeler Steve McLendon. The deal is said to be 3 years with a maximum value of $12 million dollars. How to get to $12 mil, we don't know at this time.

McLendon started 9 games last year and played in all 16. He recorded 14 tackles and a sack. However, the true value of a nose tackle isn't in his stats but how well he clogs the middle, and by all accounts he's very good at doing that.

to read rest of article:

http://www.ganggreennation.com/2016/3/15/11242000/jets-sign-former-steelers-nt-steve-mclendon

Well, that doesn't help our already paper thin D-Line depth at all. I hope McCullers is ready to step up his game, and D-Line will be a position of need in the draft.

Billings or Butler round 1 perhaps?

Don't need a Dlineman in rd 1...remember the Ziggy Hood era...we have one of the beest Dline coaches in the business.... run stuffers can be had in later rounds

KeepHarrisonTilHes92 wrote:

Billings or Butler round 1 perhaps?

Yeah Safety and NT are huge needs. CB would be 3rd behind those if you ask me.

Not boding well for our pass defense.....

In my opinion they are now far more likely to sign OL and DL in the first....2nd round safeties and 3rd round corners aren't going to help us out that much this year......so we are left praying that somehow golden and golson turn around our abysmal pass defense.

They don't use a NT enough to take one in round 1. (albeit, I like Billings, and think he can give both Heyward and Tuitt a breather.)

Wonder how confident they are with Big Dan?

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

KeepHarrisonTilHes92 wrote:

Billings or Butler round 1 perhaps?

Yeah Safety and NT are huge needs. CB would be 3rd behind those if you ask me.

Not with this Sieve of a secondary in todays pass first NFL 1-CB/2-S/3-DL...You can always get a NT and have Mitch coach him up...

KeepHarrisonTilHes92 wrote:

Billings or Butler round 1 perhaps?

I like this idea.

BlackAndGold wrote:

They don't use a NT enough to take one in round 1. (albeit, I like Billings, and think he can give both Heyward and Tuitt a breather.)

Wonder how confident they are with Big Dan?

If they're that confident with Big Dan, they would play him a lot more last season.

A typical NT in Steelers system may not worth a 1st round pick. But Billings and Butler are not typical NT who could just stop the run. They're also pass rushers who could play some DE and keep Tuitt and Heyward fresh.

We are using 4 men down with the nickel far more often then the base 3-4 from the stats last year. NT is not a necessary pick anymore it would seem. For some reason people are having a hard time letting that 3-4 go...

I'm starting to hate the jets

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

Well, that doesn't help our already paper thin D-Line depth at all. I hope McCullers is ready to step up his game, and D-Line will be a position of need in the draft.

James C Wexell
‏@jimwexell

Yes. It's McCullers' time. Be fine for the third of snaps their NT plays.

https://twitter.com/jimwexell/status/709889822089842688

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

We are using 4 men down with the nickel far more often then the base 3-4 from the stats last year. NT is not a necessary pick anymore it would seem. For some reason people are having a hard time letting that 3-4 go...

I think people are having a hard time wanting a NT in the first round because they still think that NT is just for stopping the run and the Steelers are using more sub-package. But it goes both way. Keith Butler is using a more aggressive pressure driven scheme and as long as the player could rush the passer, the player would stay on the field more. If McLendon could sack the QB more, he would get more snaps. If you don't have those NT who are great at creating pressure to the QB, sure you will use more sub-package to strengthen the pass defense in passing situation.

Is it a necessary pick? It depends how you define it. You can also say CB is not a necessary pick because they already have Gay, Cockrell and Golson. And knowing the Steelers, it's not a guarantee that a 1st round drafted CB would get the starting job either.

kan_t wrote:

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

We are using 4 men down with the nickel far more often then the base 3-4 from the stats last year. NT is not a necessary pick anymore it would seem. For some reason people are having a hard time letting that 3-4 go...

I think people are having a hard time wanting a NT in the first round because they still think that NT is just for stopping the run and the Steelers are using more sub-package. But it goes both way. Keith Butler is using a more aggressive pressure driven scheme and as long as the player could rush the passer, the player would stay on the field more. If McLendon could sack the QB more, he would get more snaps. If you don't have those NT who are great at creating pressure to the QB, sure you will use more sub-package to strengthen the pass defense in passing situation.

Is it a necessary pick? It depends how you define it. You can also say CB is not a necessary pick because they already have Gay, Cockrell and Golson. And knowing the Steelers, it's not a guarantee that a 1st round drafted CB would get the starting job either.

Perfectly said. The system isn't changing with the NFL. The system is changing with the players in place. It's not like the first year after Casey Hampton left it suddenly became a pass happy league whereas before it was different. If we had another Casey Hampton then the base 3-4 would be used more. And looking for that kind of NT is no sin, even looking high.

Sometimes we lose some players like Polamalu and Hampton and Woodson and all of sudden its like "Won't have another one of those again." The Steelers have more greats to draft and more greats to make and I don't think NT is falling off because we don't need it, its falling off because we dont have THAT guy yet.

Vernon Butler btw. I know Keith wants that pick. He's got to if hes soak up anything from LeBeau because his motor and pass rush abilities and his ability to play the ball is a great value if hes sitting at 25.

BKAnthem wrote:

Don't need a Dlineman in rd 1...remember the Ziggy Hood era...we have one of the beest Dline coaches in the business.... run stuffers can be had in later rounds

Agree. I just watched the D-lineman workouts at the Combine on tape and there are so many good D linemen around 6'4", 300Lbs that the Steelers can find a guy in the 2nd or 3rd round for sure.

That being said, there are guys of that stature who push the pocket in the run game and can be impactful rotating in with Tuitt and Heyward who may be BPA at 25. I just think the guys they target wont be in the 1st.

Round 1 if he is there: Su'a Cravens.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMdAkq2voTU

Round 2 best interior DL available.

BKAnthem wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

KeepHarrisonTilHes92 wrote:

Billings or Butler round 1 perhaps?

Yeah Safety and NT are huge needs. CB would be 3rd behind those if you ask me.

Not with this Sieve of a secondary in todays pass first NFL 1-CB/2-S/3-DL...You can always get a NT and have Mitch coach him up...

Our pass rush and defensive line play helped our leaky secondary last season. Take away a decent player like McClendon and that really disrupts the little bit of depth we did have. They really need to address the defensive line depth so that Heyward and Tuitt aren't out on the field for 99% of the snaps getting winded and beat up all season long. We need fresh legs. Now they're going to have to address the position through the draft. DE depth was a need, and now we need guys that can clog the running lanes in the middle, McClendon was good at that, he wasn't a statistical monster, but he occupied space. I'd say S, DL, and CB are out Top 3 needs. I think we need to go safety early on, we need someone young that can cover the field, and has the speed to make plays. We're getting Golson back from injury, so that should help us out at CB. That's why I have DT/NT as a bigger positional need for us.

Fire Arians wrote:

I'm starting to hate the jets

What took you so long?

J-E-T-S! SUCK SUCK SUCK!

The jets choked and gave us a playoff berth last season. Lets just say thanks and move on to drafting a NT in round 4 or later.

Besides, there should be a FA vet after the dust clears if needed. I'm still looking for LT Walton to come back 10 Lbs heavier, stronger and earn some snaps on the D-line to replace Cam Thomas.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

The jets choked and gave us a playoff berth last season.  Lets just say thanks and move on to drafting a NT in round 4 or later.

Besides, there should be a FA vet after the dust clears if needed.  I'm still looking for LT Walton to come back 10 Lbs heavier, stronger and earn some snaps on the D-line to replace Cam Thomas.

Is Cam Thomas still signed? I thought last season was it.

kirklandrules wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

The jets choked and gave us a playoff berth last season.  Lets just say thanks and move on to drafting a NT in round 4 or later.

Besides, there should be a FA vet after the dust clears if needed.  I'm still looking for LT Walton to come back 10 Lbs heavier, stronger and earn some snaps on the D-line to replace Cam Thomas.

Is Cam Thomas still signed? I thought last season was it.

Thomas was not offered a contract and is unsigned from what I can recall.

Again, LT Walton looked good at the Shrine game last season, is 6'5" 315 Lbs. He didn't look muscular, but maybe just has narrow shoulders, or his waist is so big it makes his upper body look smaller. He benched 25 times at the combine, so has strength. He was a one gap 3-technique at Central Michigan, who plays with a big motor. I think after a year in the weight room and with Coach Mitchell, he should earn some reps as a 5 technique with the Steelers.



Considering that McLendon and Thomas are gone, the Steelers still need to get another lineman or 2. I think definitely one on the draft and a veteran for some depth.

Tomlin, Colbert and Joe Green are at Baylor's pro day to see Billings(of course others like WR, Cory Coleman and CB, Xavien Howard)

Billings is listed a 6-0 1/4. 311lb and had timed at 4.93.

If they believe he's more than just a NT, I bet they'd pull the trigger if he's there at #25.

Edit:
Charean Williams ‏@NFLCharean 2h2 hours ago Waco, TX
Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin are talking with Andrew Billings' parents.

https://twitter.com/NFLCharean/status/710157347964858368

Jets sign NT Steve McLendon (3 years, $12 million): C+ Grade

The Jets had a huge hole in the middle of their defensive line when Damon "Snacks" Harrison departed via free agency and signed with the Giants. Harrison, after all, was one of the primary reasons they were one of the best teams in terms of stuffing the run. Their replacement for Harrison will be former Steeler Steve McLendon.

McLendon is an obvious downgrade. There's no doubt about that. While Harrison was one of the top nose tackles in the NFL, McLendon has been just a mediocre player at his position. The Steelers didn't even want him anymore, and they have some glaring defensive issues of their own.

With that in mind, this is an overpay, but I won't grade the Jets too harshly though because their options were limited. In the wake of B.J. Raji's retirement, the only other legitimate nose tackle out there was Terrance Knighton. The draft is a possibility, but if the Jets want to go quarterback at No. 20 - as I have happening in my 2016 NFL Mock Draft - there's no telling who would've been available in Round 2 and beyond.

http://walterfootball.com/freeagentsigninggrades.php#DHpUOAHuBkp23OwH.99