First Call: Steelers scouting under-the-radar QB prospect; Browns holding on Baker Mayfield; Ravens extend coach, not QB

Wednesday’s “First Call” introduces us to an off-the-radar quarterback that may be of interest to the Steelers. We’ve got updates from Baltimore and Cleveland on their QB situations. Eastern Conference chaos wasn’t restricted to the Penguins and Rangers Tuesday.

And a familiar football name is coming back to Pittsburgh to help coach the Duquesne Dukes.

Digging deep

The Steelers’ interest in draftable signal callers may extend beyond familiar big name prospects such as Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral and Sam Howell.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network, the team also has met with South Dakota State QB Chris Oladokun.

Arizona Cardinals worked out South Dakota State quarterback Chris Oladokun privately today in Tampa, Fla, per a league source. Regarded as a fast-rising draft prospect, he has already met previously with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears #Cardinals #NFLDraft

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 29, 2022

Steelers Depot dug up a shot of team representatives at Oladokun’s pro day on March 23.

Oladokun has been around. He was at South Florida and Samford before heading to South Dakota State. Last year, he threw for 3,164 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

He is 6-foot-1, 207 pounds and ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash. But, uh oh, he also has Pickett-esque small hands that measure a mere 8 ⅞ inches.

Oladokun wasn’t invited to the scouting combine and may be a fringe third-day draft pick. He could simply be on the Steelers board as a fourth arm if the club doesn’t draft a quarterback on the first two days. Perhaps a guy to remember down the road, as well.

Nothing new

A recurring storyline in Baltimore is quarterback Lamar Jackson’s seeming lack of interest in signing a long-term contract extension with the Ravens.

Based on the comments of team owner Steve Bisciotti on Tuesday, that continues to be the case. Via the Baltimore Sun, it’s Bisciotti’s stance that general manager Eric DeCosta “can’t keep calling him and say, ‘Hey, Lamar, you really need to get in here and get this thing done.’ That’s not a GM’s job.”

Jackson is about to play on the fifth and final year of his rookie contract if no extension is created. Bisciotti added that Jackson may be attempting to go the Kirk Cousins route and play on two franchise tags before hitting free agency.

Meanwhile, the Ravens did extend the contract of head coach John Harbaugh. He’s now signed through 2025.

Harbaugh, who was once an assistant at Pitt, has been with the Ravens as their head coach since 2008.

Meanwhile, Mayfield?

As for the Baker Mayfield situation in Cleveland, Browns general manager Andrew Berry isn’t in a hurry to resolve it.

It’s been widely assumed that the Browns will trade or release the quarterback ever since the franchise acquired Deshaun Watson and Jacoby Brissett. But Berry is playing it cool.

“I wouldn’t say we have a specific timetable for the (quarterback) room,” Berry said via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson. “Baker is a professional. He’s under contract, and we have the [salary cap] flexibility whether he’s on the roster or not. So we don’t really feel pressed to rush into anything that’s suboptimal.”

Head coach Kevin Stefanski may consider having an unhappy Mayfield around the team as “suboptimal.” This week he expressed a desire to have “some closure at some point.”

The dance continues

As the Penguins were losing 3-2 against the New York Rangers Tuesday, plenty of other results impacted their standing in the Eastern Conference.

The Carolina Hurricanes dropped a 4-3 overtime decision in Florida against the Tampa Bay Lightning. So even though the Canes lost they picked up a point. They now have 96 points atop the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers are in second with 91. The Pens are in third with 90.

In the Atlantic Division, the Florida Panthers outgunned the Montreal Canadiens 7-4 while the Boston Bruins lost at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4. So that means Florida is in first place with 96 points. The Lightning have climbed back into second place with 90 points. Then it’s Toronto in third with 89, and Boston is fourth with 87.

All seven of those teams hold Eastern Conference playoff spots. The Washington Capitals are safely tucked away in the eighth and final spot with 84 points. That’s 15 points clear of the ninth-place Columbus Blue Jackets.

Duquesne homecoming

A former NFL player and WPIAL standout is coming back to Pittsburgh to coach. Reggie Wells has been hired by Duquesne to coach the Dukes’ defensive line.

A state champion while he was at South Park, Wells then went to Clarion before spending a decade in the NFL as an offensive lineman. Wells started over 90 games between 2003-12.

Taken in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, Wells started every game for the club, without missing a snap, from 2006-09.

A native of Library, Pa., Wells started at left guard and was a team captain for Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII against the Steelers.

Following his time in Arizona, Wells appeared in eight games with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 before joining the Carolina Panthers in 2011. He closed his NFL career the next season after splitting time with the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers.

The Dukes also hired Mike Craig to be the club’s defensive coordinator. Craig, who just completed his sixth season as defensive coordinator at Cal U, served on head coach Jerry Schmitt’s staff from 2010-13, where he coached linebackers for three years and defensive backs for one season. He also served as special teams coordinator during his first stint with the team.