Pittsburgh
Steelers

News: Holmes has bulked up in the offseason in hopes of adding strength to counter physical defensive backs, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Impact: "I'm going to face a lot more bigger corners this year...I've got to get off those jams and separate myself from those guys," he was quoted. He weighed in at 201 pounds Monday, but expects to play around 195 for the season. Holmes knows he will be the primary receiving option this year and as long as he doesn't lose any speed, it's a smart move to improve his strength and conditioning.

News: Urbik, the first of the Pittsburgh Steelers' three third-round draft picks, has signed a three-year contract.
Impact: The 6-foot-5, 328-pound Urbik played both right guard and right tackle at Wisconsin, making 50 starts. He is expected to play right guard for Pittsburgh, competing with starter Darnell Stapleton and backup Trai Essex.

News: Urbik signed a three-year contract with the Steelers on Monday, according to the team's web site.
Impact: Urbik marks the eighth draft pick from the 2009 draft the Steelers have signed. Only first-round pick Ziggy Hood remains without a contract.

News: Bryant, a cornerback and former first-round draft pick who played 10 NFL seasons with the Jaguars, Lions and Steelers, is retiring.
Impact: Bryant started 109 of the 112 NFL games he played, making seven interceptions and recovering nine fumbles. Bryant, from Alabama, was the No. 26 overall pick by Jacksonville in 1999 and played five seasons with the Jaguars before signing with the Lions as a free agent in 2004. The 32-year-old Bryant was cut by the Patriots in training camp last year but signed with Pittsburgh on Nov. 11, playing in two regular season games.

News: Starks has signed a four-year contract that keeps him with the Pittsburgh Steelers through the 2012 season and frees up several million dollars in salary cap room for the team.
Impact: Starks, the starting left tackle, was designated as the Steelers' franchise player on Feb. 20 - less than three weeks after they won the Super Bowl - and he initially accepted a 2009 salary of $8.45 million. Instead, the new contract is expected to pay him a signing bonus of slightly more than that amount but reduce his annual salary, creating additional salary cap room for a team that was up against the cap most of last season.

News: Bryant has retired from the NFL, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Bryant's 10-year career ended on a high note, with the Steelers winning Super Bowl XLIII in his last season. He played in just two regular season games last year and would have likely struggled to see the field in 2009.

News: Starks re-signed with the Steelers to a four-year deal on Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: The deal removes the franchise tag designation that had been placed on Starks in February.

News: Wallace signed a three-year contract with the Steelers Thursday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Wallace will have some work to do in training camp to break into the Steelers' receiving corps, but he has the ability to stretch the field for Pittsburgh. He'll also be in contention for kick and punt return duties.

News: Hood has impressed Coach Mike Tomlin with his ability to get to the football, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Impact: Tomlin was quoted: "He covers a lot of ground for a big man. It's unique for his position." Hood may may have a chance to make more of an impression when camp starts if Casey Hampton's conditioning is not where it should be. The team may try Hood at both end and tackle to see how well he performs.

News: There is a chance conditioning may again be a concern for Hampton when camp starts, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Impact: Coach Mike Tomlin stressed conditioning to the team when the spring practices ended and when asked about Hampton, he said "I'm always in a wait-and-see position." Hampton was held out the first week of camp last year when he could not finish a conditioning run and Tomlin does not appear confident this year will be any better. Hampton would be wise to not have a repeat performance since he is in the last year of his contract.

News: Coach Mike Tomlin does not appear to have a predetermined plan as to how many touches Mendenhall will have in 2009, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Impact: "I'm just simply asking him to have the savvy and awareness of a second-year player. How he plays will determine his role," Tomlin said. Mendenhall needs to have a strong impact in 2009 to prove he can be a starter in this league. He didn't get much of a chance last season since a shoulder injury ended his season after Week 4, but he has a great opportunity to eat up some of Willie Parker's workload this year.

News: Parker is working on regaining his rushing form from prior seasons. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports he put in extra work during the spring practices and will continue to push himself until camp starts.
Impact: He is already seeing results as he said "I'm getting that speed back like I had two or three years ago. I'm faster than I've been." Parker has good reason to push himself since he averaged under 4.0 yards per carry for the first time in his career in 2008, is in the final year of his contract, and has Rashard Mendenhall waiting in the wings. He wants to prove to the organization he is capable of handling the lion's share of carries in 2009 (and beyond) and is showing the commitment now.

News: The Steelers signed Summers on Friday.
Impact: The running back from UNLV, who was the 169th overall pick in this year's draft (fifth round), rushed for 740 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He had 928 yards and six touchdowns in 2007, and had 36 receptions for 402 yards and six touchdowns over his two seasons with the Runnin' Rebels.

News: The Steelers signed Burnett on Friday.
Impact: Burnett, a cornerback and kick/punt returner from Central Florida, was the 168th overall pick (fifth round) in this year's draft. He had 16 interceptions over four seasons, and led Conference USA in kick return average (28.7 yards) and punt return average (14.5).

News: The team released Johnson, who signed May 1 after punter Daniel Sepulveda underwent knee surgery for the second time within a year.
Impact: Johnson will be an excellent pickup by teams looking for insurance at the punting position.

News: The Steelers signed Lewis, one of their three third-round draft choices, on Friday. He had seven interceptions over the last two years at Oregon State.
Impact: Lewis is considered by the Steelers to be a physical cornerback who should complement starter Ike Taylor. Also signed were cornerback Joe Burnett of Central Florida and running back Frank Summers of UNLV, the Steelers' fifth-round selections.

News: The Steelers released Johnson on Friday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Pittsburgh signed Johnson last month as a practice punter while Daniel Sepulveda recovered from ACL surgery.

News: Roethlisberger (knee) did not participate in the final spring practice Thursday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: He will still be golfing at the Golf Digest Challenge Friday, so there is no cause for alarm here.

News: The Steelers are expecting the development of Timmons to take another step forward in 2009, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. He will be starting at inside linebacker.
Impact: Coach Mike Tomlin was quoted: "He played quite a bit last year and made critical plays at critical times. We expect that to increase and continue." Timmons added weight in the offseason but did not appear to lose any quickness, and he should gain confidence as he gets more comfortable with the playbook. He is in line to see an increase in the 65 tackles he racked up in 2008.

News: Batch is not a lock to be the backup to Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Batch is the likely favorite since he's been with the club for five years. However, he missed all of 2008 due to a broken collarbone, giving Dennis Dixon a bit of hope to be in the mix for the second-string QB spot as well.

News: Coach Mike Tomlin feels Dixon has a chance to become the second-string quarterback, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Impact: Charlie Batch would likely have the inside track on the job, but he did miss the 2008 season (collarbone), so Dixon is still in the mix. "What he is capable of doing above the neck is going to ultimately determine that," Tomlin was quoted.

News: Clark (shoulder) is expected to be ready for training camp, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Clark did not take part in the spring practices as he was recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but it looks like he will be good to go for when camp opens July 31.

News: Ward (shoulder) is expected to be ready for training camp, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Ward, who underwent shoulder surgery in February, did not take part in the spring practices since the team did not want to risk any unnecessary damage. It appears he will be fine, though, for when camp opens July 31.

News: McDonald is still in competition for the number three receiver job in Pittsburgh.
Impact: The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that head coach Mike Tomlin said only Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes have their spots locked up, letting McDonald know he is still in the mix with Limas Sweed. The former Detroit Lion is a year removed from his career-best season of 2007, but he struggled in 2008 and was held under 40 yards receiving in nine out of 12 games. We'll have to wait and see which McDonald shows up when camp resumes July 31.

News: Coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that the number three receiver slot is an open competition, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Impact: Tomlin said only Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes have their receiver spots locked up. Sweed showed improvement in the spring practices but Tomlin's words should give the second-year receiver notice that he is not guaranteed to takeover Nate Washington's role.

News: Gay is not worried about the pressure of starting at cornerback, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: With Bryant McFadden leaving for Arizona in the offseason, the door was opened for Gay to become starting left corner. Keep in mind that he did make a few starts in 2008 when McFadden went down with an arm injury, so the transition should hopefully be smooth. Gay totalled 41 tackles (33 solo) and one interception last season.

News: Sweed says he has a better understanding of the offense as he works to take over the role as the third wide receiver, the Steelers' web site reports.
Impact: Sweed has been working on his own with the receivers coach and it has paid off so far. "I can look at my routes from the first OTA until now and they have improved," he was quoted. The second-year receiver knows the spot is not his (Shaun MacDonald and Mike Wallace are vying for the role as well), but it's a positive sign that he did not take the offseason lightly.

News: Pittsburgh prosecutors have dropped a misdemeanor drug charge against Holmes. Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Rachel Newman announced the decision at a court hearing Wednesday.
Impact: Pittsburgh police say they found three marijuana-filled cigars - or blunts - in Holmes' car when he was pulled over on Oct. 23. They pulled Holmes over because they were looking for a car similar to the one he was driving. Holmes alerted police to the drugs. Holmes' attorney argued the traffic stop violated the football star's rights because the search warrant wasn't specific enough. Prosecutors agreed. Asked if he was happy with the outcome, Holmes said: I'm all right.

News: Marijuana possession charges against Holmes stemming from an October 23 incident have been dropped, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: It was ruled that there was not probable cause for the traffic stop that led to the charges. With this issue past him, Holmes can now turn his focus to preparing for the upcoming season.