The Steelers have acquired 30-year old QB Byron Leftwich from the Buccaneers for a 7th round pick in this weekend’s NFL Draft.  Leftwich played in 5 games for the Steelers back in 2008 so he will likely have no problem remembering the playbook.  Leftwich played in 3 games for the Buccaneers last season in which he completed 58 of 107 passes (54.2%) for 594 yards with 4 TD passes and 3 INTs (71.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 6 times for 6 yards (1.0 ypc) last season.  He has now played in 57 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 900 of 1,545 passes (58.3%) for 10,218 yards with 58 TD passes and 41 INTs (79.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 136 times for 384 yards (2.8 ypc) with 9 TD runs in his NFL career.  This was a good move for whatever reason the Steelers had for making it.  With Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension being announced tomorrow, Leftwich’s acquistion could signal that it’s a long suspension.  The Steelers could also be considering moving Roethlisberger in a trade this weekend.

The Steelers have sent 26-year old former Super Bowl MVP WR Santonio Holmes to the Jets for a 5th round pick in 2010 (#151 overall).  Holmes played in all 16 games for the Steelers last season in which he caught 79 passes for 1,248 yards (15.8 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 6 yards (2.0 ypc) last season.  Holmes played in 60 games in his 4 years with the Steelers catching 235 passes for 3,835 yards (16.3 avg) with 20 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards (4.1 ypc).  Holmes also returned 62 punts for 496 yards (8.0 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 18 kickoffs for 436 yards (24.2 avg) for the Steelers.  I commend the Steelers’ front office and management team for getting rid of a talented head case, but, they should have gotten much more than they did for a player of his caliber.

The Steelers have re-signed 35-year old QB Charlie Batch to a 2-year deal.  Batch played in 1 game for the Steelers last season and he completed 1 of 2 passes (50%) for 17 yards (79.2 QB Rating).  He has now played in 24 games in his career with the Steelers in which he has completed 76 of 135 passes (56.3%) for 1,034 yards with 8 TD passes and 4 INTs (88.3 QB Rating).  Batch has also carried the ball 37 times for 49 yards (1.5 ypc) with 1 TD run for the Steelers.  It’s likely that Batch will be the #3 QB for the Steelers in 2010 but he will fight for the #2 job with Dennis Dixon during the summer.

The Steelers have re-signed 30-year old safety Ryan Clark to a 4-year, $17 million dollar deal.  Clark played in 15 games for the Steelers last season and he made 89 tackles, defensed 8 passes and he had 3 interceptions.  He has played in 48 games in his four years with the Steelers in which he has made 270 tackles, defensed 20 passes, has 1 sack, forced 1 fumble and he has 5 interceptions.  This was a smart move for the Steelers as Clark has really been a solid player for them the last few years.

The Steelers have signed 30-year old WR Antwan Randle El to a 3-year deal.  Randle El played in all 16 games for the Redskins last season and he caught 50 passes for 530 yards (10.6 avg).  He also returned 17 punts for 102 yards (6.0 avg) last year.  Randle El has now played in 127 games in his NFL career and he has caught 348 passes for 4,214 yards (12.1 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 78 times for 436 yards (5.6 ypc) in his NFL career.  Randle El has also completed 20 of 25 passes (80%) for 281 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs (153.1 QB Rating) in his NFL career.  That’s not all either as Randle El has returned 297 punts for 2,501 yards (8.4 avg) with 5 TD returns and he has returned 79 kickoffs for 1,759 yards (22.3 avg) with 1 TD return.  I like this signing for the Steelers as Randle El can fill a lot of roles for them in 2010 and beyond.