First Call: Steelers work out ex-Pitt, Pine-Richland QB Ben DiNucci, multiple WRs; 18-game NFL season talks building

Wednesday’s “First Call” has news about the Steelers working out a quarterback with local ties. The team is checking out a few wide receivers as well. The Cleveland Browns have reworked the contract of their top pass-catcher.

And the NFL is barreling toward an 18-game regular season.

Steelers bringing in Ben at QB?

No. Not Big Ben. But another Ben that Pittsburghers might recognize.

The franchise worked out free-agent quarterback Ben DiNucci on Tuesday, according to ProFootballTalk.com. A 2016 graduate of Pine-Richland High School, DiNucci spent the next three seasons as a member of the Pitt Panthers after initially committing to Penn. He appeared in 12 games and started six.

Eventually, DiNucci transferred to James Madison. There he started 29 games and got the Dukes to the FCS title game as a senior in 2019. He was then selected by the Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2020 draft. In Dallas, DiNucci played three games, starting one.

Most recently, the 27-year-old was with the practice squad of the Denver Broncos, working behind new Steelers starting QB Russell Wilson. He was waived in May. Before that, he led the XFL in passing yards (2,671) and completions (272) with the Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023.

Kyle Allen and John Rhys Plumlee are currently the two quarterbacks on the roster behind Wilson and Justin Fields.

Not done there

The Steelers also took the time to work out a few wide receivers. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the franchise took a look at Tarik Black, Slade Bolden and Greg Ward Jr.

#Steelers worked out Tarik Black, Slade Bolden, Ben DiNucci and Greg Ward Jr.

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) July 23, 2024

Of the bunch, Ward is the most experienced. A seven-year veteran, Ward has 40 games and 13 starts under his belt, all with the Philadelphia Eagles. In his career, the Houston Cougars product has 88 receptions for 768 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2020, Ward (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) posted 53 catches for 419 yards and six touchdowns.

Bolden (5-11, 189) has a bit of a past with new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. He was on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad last year when Smith was the head coach there. Bolden, an Alabama alum, has yet to play in an NFL game.

As for Black, he was a free agent signed by the Indianapolis Colts after the 2021 draft. Since then, he has spent time with the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens. With the Jets, Black appeared in his lone game and made his only catch against the Buffalo Bills in the 2021 finale. He is 6-3, 217 pounds and played at both Texas and Michigan.

Related

• Cardinals score in 9th to beat Pirates, hand rookie Paul Skenes his 1st loss
• 5 storylines to follow when Steelers open training camp at Saint Vincent
• New Penguins forward Kevin Hayes wants to show 'I can still play and produce'

The scoop on Coop

As the Steelers search for pass-catching help, the Cleveland Browns have worked out a deal with their top wide receiver.

Amari Cooper — who caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards in 2023 — restructured his contract with the franchise Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

The 30-year-old is getting a $5 million raise, and Cleveland is guaranteeing Cooper the $20 million currently left on the final year of his contract, a source told Schefter.

The framework of Cooper’s contract was with the Dallas Cowboys. It was a five-year, $100 million agreement inked in 2020. The Browns are giving Cooper half of the $20 million guarantee in the form of a signing bonus, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024 season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide alum skipped mandatory minicamp in June while many wide receivers signed huge contracts during the offseason. One of them was new teammate Jerry Jeudy. Cleveland picked him up via a trade with Denver in March and eventually wrote up a three-year extension worth $58 million for him.

On the horizon

Momentum keeps building toward an 18-game NFL season. Long rumored as a possibility, commissioner Roger Goodell really got the ball rolling on that front when he brought up the prospect of expanding the season by a game during Super Bowl Week in February.

Via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the NFL Players Association has “engaged in high-level discussions with the NFL about the potential implementation of an 18-game regular season.”

That’s according to the NFLPA’s executive director Lloyd Howell.

“We have talked at a very, very, very high level superficially, with a recognition … about, ‘Yeah, this is something that we should be talking about. And we should really kick the tires and understand what else goes into that decision-making process,’” Howell told the Post. “Where does the 18th game come from? I think the foregone conclusion is well, you just grab it, like, in what would otherwise be (preseason games) in August. You play it forward. But these are details that really need to be fleshed out. But, again, there are other economic, health and safety matters that also need to be clear to our members before there’s ever an agreement about an 18th game.”

Maske added that the union and the league have not gotten to the point that the talks should be labeled formal negotiations, but the two sides are least discussing the idea.

Back in June, Steelers defensive backs Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott were among those in an ESPN.com story that panned the idea of expanding the regular season.