Mark Madden: Steelers were smart to tag Bud Dupree, wait on long-term deal

If you had any doubt the NFL is God’s chosen league, consider it’s the only one of America’s big-time sports loops to not have its timeline significantly impacted by covid-19. (Yet.)

But, as Liverpool FC supporters know, this is not a just and fair God.

So, let me present refreshing football notes. Get ‘em while they’re hot (they’re always hot)…and while you can.

• Franchising Bud Dupree was the obvious move for the Steelers. Top-level pass rushers rarely get on the market, and Dupree is one of those…well, was, for one season out of five anyway, which is why not signing him long-term is wise. Will Dupree play hard to earn big money beyond 2020, or will he have the boo-boo face because he was tagged?

• Losing nose tackle Javon Hargrave will hurt, but how much is the base defense on the field? If Stephon Tuitt stays healthy, he fills the gap beyond using the base.

• The Steelers have to finagle with their salary cap to get under by Wednesday. Outside ‘backer Anthony Chickillo and inside linebacker Mark Barron got released. Cutting Barron means Devin Bush must find the consistency he lacked as a rookie, or Vince Williams plays a lot more snaps. But decent backup inside ‘backers are easy to find. Vance McDonald seems at risk, but ditching him would mean the Steelers must take a tight end with their first pick (second round, No. 49 overall) and be certain he can play. That’s a dicey proposition. Ramon Foster retired. That likely saved him the indignity of being cut. Foster played 11 years and started nine. Not bad for an undrafted free agent. But it’s time.

• Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might not want the Steelers to cut McDonald or wide receiver Ryan Switzer. But after two non-playoff seasons, Roethlisberger’s duties should be limited to QB and de facto offensive coordinator, not assistant GM. Roethlisberger’s comeback from elbow surgery puts enough on his plate.

• Baltimore traded a 2020 fifth-round pick to Jacksonville for Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell. In October, the Ravens traded a 2020 fifth-round pick and a backup linebacker to the Los Angeles Rams for Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters. The Steelers dealt a 2020 fifth-round pick as part of the Minkah Fitzpatrick acquisition. It seems a lot of talent is going to be available in this year’s fifth round.

The bad news is, the Ravens will be better, not worse.

• A few NFL pundits want to place free-agent quarterback Jameis Winston with the Steelers because it would jump-start Winston’s flagging career. But would it be good for the Steelers? Would Winston play for a pittance? (He made $20 million last season at Tampa Bay.) Would he back up Roethlisberger until opportunity presents? It might make sense to Winston’s fans in the media, but the Steelers’ cap won’t allow.

• I just heard a TV talking head say the Steelers are the best fit for free-agent receiver Amari Cooper. Do these nimrods even look at cap figures?

• Tom Brady’s options dwindled when San Francisco realized replacing Jimmy Garoppolo with a 43-year-old would be nuts, and when Tennessee gave Ryan Tannehill a four-year contract that guarantees $42 million over the first two. Brady was always likely to go back to New England, but now he would do so with his tail between his legs.

• Even Las Vegas is mostly shutting down, so the NFL will go old-school when it drafts on April 23-25: Draft events in Vegas have been canceled, and commissioner Roger Goodell won’t hug anyone by way of social distancing. It will be refreshing. All you really need are a few phones, a Sharpie and a legal pad. The draft wasn’t televised until 1980, and was held on weekdays until 1988.

• The new NFL CBA passed by a margin of just 60 votes. That makes for some spirited locker-room discussion moving forward. Twenty percent of the NFL Players Association did not vote.

The players who voted yes are marks. They settled for far too little, far too early. The notion of looking out for future generations of players was ignored. There was minimal negotiation. Guaranteed contracts and true free agency were never discussed. The short-timers outvoted the stars. That’s understandable. The lack of effort and backbone isn’t.

• Covid-19 is causing construction delays with the new stadium in Las Vegas, so the Raiders might be forced to play another season in Oakland. The fans in Oakland would still show up, because they mostly go to watch themselves.