LATROBE, Pa. – The Steelers have entered preliminary contract talks with left tackle Kelvin Beachum. It’s possible Beachum will have deal before camp ends.
Beachum, a two-year starter who has outplayed his seventh-round billing, enters the last year of his deal and appears next in line for a contract after the franchise took care of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, defensive end Cam Heyward, head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert.
Pro Football Focus labeled Beachum the 67th-best performer in the NFL last season, allowing 24 quarterback disruptions all year.
“I’m here to play football. Let the business people take care of the business stuff,” Beachum said Saturday.
Heyward signed his six-year, $59 million extension two weeks ago. The Steelers' approach after signing a key player is to survey the roster, see where things stand, decide priorities. I'm hearing Beachum is one of those priorities, but it's fairly early in the process.