Levi Brown, former Nittany Lion second team All-America offensive tackle, is coming back to Pennsylvania. The former Arizona Cardinal has been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are desperately in need of protection for Big Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers offensive line flat-out sucks this year, suffering a major blow when All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey was lost for the season due to a Game One injury. Both the running and passing games have tanked because of the O-line’s ineptitude.
Behind a porous offensive line, Big Ben has been a juicy target for opposing pass rushers.
Brown brings with him an expiring contract with $3.6 million due to him; however, the Steelers are only $1.9 million under the NFL salary cap. Some creative restructuring will be necessary.
Levi has been with the Cardinals for seven years, but according to head coach Bruce Arians, he has underperformed. That he has fallen out of favor in Arizona is obvious, as the Steelers had to give up only a conditional late-round draft pick. That means the Cards were anxious to dump the big contract and move on. That puts Brown one step from the NFL bone yard.
I think a better move would have been to trade Todd Haley for Bruce Arians. Just sayin’.
