First Call: Aaron Donald not at OTAs yet; NFL free agents at positions of need for Steelers; ex-Penguin stays hot in playoffs

Tuesday’s “First Call” updates the Aaron Donald situation in Los Angeles. We check in on potential free agents the Pittsburgh Steelers may want to investigate. A rematch of an ex-Pirate pitching duel takes a turn.

And a former Penguin stays hot in the postseason.

A.D.’s day

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald turned 31 on Monday. He appears to have celebrated by not going to organized team activities.

The former Pitt standout is looking for a new contract, and he did not participate in Monday’s practices for the Super Bowl champions.

According to the NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano, though, the Penn Hills native was in touch with Rams coach Sean McVay, and the “dialogue is good.”

Sean McVay says he spoke to Aaron Donald this morning.

“Dialogue’s good.”

Donald is not here for day 1 of OTAs. Also, it’s Donald’s birthday.

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) May 23, 2022

Last month, Rams general manager Les Snead said via Kevin Modesti of the Los Angeles Daily News, “We definitely have chatted with Aaron, his representation, and we’re trying to come up with a win-win solution to reward Aaron but still definitely be able to continue trying to compete as a team at the highest level. So, we’re in progress there.”

Donald first publicly flirted with retirement during the Super Bowl pregame and postgame interviews. Since then, the Rams have done whatever they could to make such a conversion moot from a contractual point of view.

Who is on the list?

As OTAs begin across the NFL, some quality veteran players remain unsigned. A few of them could be helpful to the Steelers.

NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal recently published a list of best remaining free agents.

Aikeem Hicks is a name that has often been linked to the Steelers, since he plays defensive line and the team needs depth there. Plus, Mike Tomlin spoke highly of him going into and coming out of the team’s win against the Chicago Bears last year. Injuries have been a problem, and he may not be a scheme fit. But if Stephon Tuitt doesn’t return, that’s an idea that could work.

Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson are both available on the defensive line too.

The Steelers seem to think they are good at offensive tackle with Dan Moore Jr. and Chuks Okorafor. I don’t. If they want a veteran backup that could start and should be better than Joe Haeg, Eric Fisher and Riley Reiff are still on the open market.

Before the Steelers signed Melvin Ingram last year, there had been some belief they may nab Justin Houston as a pass rusher. Instead, he went to Baltimore and got 4½ sacks. Maybe he’s an option this year, even if he isn’t viewed to be as good against the run as Ingram was.

And if the team wants to throw yet another body onto the cornerback depth chart, Green Bay’s Kevin King still needs a gig (Joe Haden, too).

The Steelers always seem to sign (or trade for) a guy like these. I expect this year to be no different.

Same actors, different script

A pair of ex-Pirates squared off on the mound in Baltimore last Wednesday night. They both pitched pretty well.

Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees beat Jordan Lyles and the Baltimore Orioles 3-2. Both pitchers completed seven innings. Both only allowed two earned runs. Neither pitcher walked a batter. Cole had five strikeouts. Lyles had eight. Cole picked up the win to improve to 4-0 with an ERA of 2.89.

With the teams matching up again Monday night, Cole and Lyles found themselves opposing one another once more. This game wasn’t friendly to the pitchers.

The Orioles won 6-4. Cole stayed in for eight innings despite allowing five earned runs. He totaled 11 strikeouts without a walk but left with the loss. It was his first defeat, and his earned run average jumped to 3.31.

Lyles hit the showers after 6⅔, giving up three earned runs, striking out eight and walking two. He improved to 3-4 with the win.

Perron power

Ex-Penguin David Perron continued his hot play in the NHL postseason.

The St. Louis Blues winger scored twice Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche.

The @StLouisBlues strike first with this David Perron (@DP_57) tally. ???? #StanleyCup

????????: @NHL_On_TNT ➡️ https://t.co/wLTlfMjh9s
????????: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/7WUUURoSIA pic.twitter.com/2bWbujJNry

— NHL (@NHL) May 24, 2022

David Perron. Power-play specialist. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/XyrtG00pKB

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 24, 2022

Perron now has nine playoff goals. He has four multi-goal games this postseason. Only Evander Kane of Edmonton (10) has more goals in the NHL playoffs this year so far.

But it wasn’t enough as the Blues lost to the the Avs 6-3. That means Colorado has a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven second-round series. The Avalanche can advance to the Western Conference Final with a win Wednesday in Game 5.

The Tampa Bay Lightning moved on to the Eastern Conference Final by completing a sweep of the Florida Panthers on Monday night thanks to a 2-0 victory on home ice.