First Call: Former Pitt QB joins Bills before practices against Steelers; Martavis Bryant gets another workout
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Tuesday’s “First Call” has news of a former Pitt Panther suiting up with the Buffalo Bills in advance of their joint practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday.
An NFC team is taking a second look at former Steeler Martavis Bryant. There is some health news surrounding Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
And the Steelers are looking to bolster the depth at edge rusher.
Ben is back with the Bills
Former Pitt quarterback Ben DiNucci is coming back to Acrisure Stadium. The Pine-Richland product is signing with the Buffalo Bills.
Congratulations to client @B_DiNucci6 signing with the @BuffaloBills #GoBills
— JL Sports (@JLSports3) August 12, 2024
The Steelers and Bills are hosting a joint practice on the North Shore on Thursday before squaring off for a game Saturday. Buffalo’s Shane Buechele hurt his neck in Saturday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears, so they needed a replacement and picked up DiNucci. Josh Allen and former Steeler Mitch Trubisky are ahead of him on the depth chart.
The Steelers worked out DiNucci just before training camp started.
A 2016 graduate of Pine-Richland High School, DiNucci spent the next three seasons as a Panther 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 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.
More Martavis?
An NFC team is giving former Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant a second look.
Bryant is set to work out for the Washington Commanders for a second time Tuesday. That’s according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The 32-year-old also had a workout in D.C. back in May.
Sources: Free agent WR Martavis Bryant is working out for the #Commanders Tuesday.
This will be his second visit in recent months with Washington. pic.twitter.com/oS92cdDKOk
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 12, 2024
There is a connection between Bryant and the Commanders. Ex-Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is now the head coach in Washington. Bryant spent the 2023 season on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad.
He spent the four previous years waiting for reinstatement after an indefinite suspension by commissioner Roger Goodell. That was the result of several failed drug tests for marijuana. It’s been since 2018 that we have seen Bryant in an NFL uniform. The 2014 draft pick out of Clemson was in Pittsburgh for his first three seasons, racking up 126 receptions for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Steelers traded Bryant to Oakland prior to the 2018 season, but he played in just eight games before getting suspended.
From that point, Bryant has been all over the football landscape. He was in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Elks. He played this spring with the Vegas Vipers of the XFL. The Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League gave him a shot in 2021. He even played with the FCF Beasts of the Fan Controlled Football League.
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Filling the void
Given the retirement of outside linebacker Markus Golden, the Steelers are looking for some help on the edge.
According to KPRC-2’s Aaron Wilson in Houston, the franchise worked out three pass rushers Monday. They were Nathan Latu, Aaron Patrick and Taylor Upshaw.
#Steelers worked out Taylor Upshaw, Aaron Patrick, Nathan Latu
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 12, 2024
Patrick has 17 games of NFL experience with the Denver Broncos from 2021-22, racking up 11 tackles. In Week 6 of the 2022 season, Patrick suffered a torn ACL as he was forced out of bounds and collided with a league official while stepping on a mat used to cover television cables.
Latu is a former member of the New Orleans Saints. He signed there as a 2024 undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State. While in Stillwater, he totaled 46 tackles, seven sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 31 games.
Upshaw is the son of former NFL defensive lineman Regan Upshaw. He spent five seasons at Michigan before playing the 2023 season at Arizona, where he recorded 8.5 sacks. He finished his career with 67 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks.
The Steelers are also without Alex Highsmith and DeMarvin Leal in the front seven. Both are dealing with injuries.
Health check
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is going to play in the team’s preseason finale Aug. 24 against the Seattle Seahawks. That’s according to head coach Kevin Stefanski. Watson last played during a Nov. 12 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Following that game, Watson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery.
This news comes a day after Stefanski said that Watson would be held back from the second preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings but that his shoulder has been medically cleared for contact.
Via ESPN.com, Watson will get the “vast majority” of reps when the Browns are hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday and Thursday for joint practices.
Also from Cleveland, Browns linebacker Jordan Hicks is being labeled “week-to-week” with an undisclosed injury. He signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Browns this season.
Prior to his arrival in Ohio, Hicks was a member of the Vikings, Eagles and Cardinals.