Emmanuel Sanders was ticketed to be a starting wideout for the Steelers this season, replacing Mike Wallace across from Antonio Brown. But after signing with New England as a restricted free agent, he's just as likely to be starting for the Patriots instead.
Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks the Steelers should take the third-round pick and let Sanders go. "The Patriots did the Steelers one big favor," he writes, "and they should not hesitate to seal the deal and take the kind offer."
The deal is reportedly for just one year and $2.5 million; Pittsburgh, though tight against the salary cap, can certainly match it if they wish. New England has to be figuring they'd rather have the third-round pick, which begs the question of why New England wouldn't. Sure, their own wide receiver selections in recent years have been terrible, but it's a little surprising they value Sanders so highly.
Bouchette's opinion doesn't say much for Sanders, since his absence would leave Pittsburgh with a receiving depth chart of Jerricho Cotchery and Plaxico Burress behind Brown. The other noteworthy receiving threat in the offense, Heath Miller, is coming off a torn ACL. You'd think a team in that shape wouldn't want to let Sanders get away, but Bouchette thinks it should, and the Patriots seem to think they will. Odd.
If the Steelers do let Sanders go, expect them to use an early pick on a wideout, and maybe they'll show some interest in ex-Patriot Brandon Lloyd. They can't seriously be counting on Cotchery or Burress to start.
--Andy Richardson