OT Ross leaves Steelers for 5-year deal
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 5, 2005 12:00 AM
The Cardinals bolstered their offensive line Friday, signing Pittsburgh tackle Oliver Ross to a 5-year, $17.5 million contract.
Ross will make $6.3 million in the first year in signing bonus and salary. He's the Cardinals' first signing in free agency, and he fills a critical need.
Ross will play right tackle, a position that was problematic last season. Oliver played in every game over the past four years with the Steelers, and has experience at guard and tackle. He played right tackle last season for the Steelers.
The 6-foot-5, 322-pound Olivervisited the team Thursday and said he was eager to sign with a team. He had no qualms about leaving the Steelers, one of the league's most successful franchises, for the Cardinals, one of the worst.
"I think there are going to be trials and tribulations anywhere," he said. "In Pittsburgh, the year before we were 6-10, but the year before that we played in the (AFC) championship."
Ross, 30, played at Iowa State and was drafted by the Cowboys in the fifth round in 1998.
Mixed signal calling
Kurt Warner, possibly the team's next starting quarterback, has something in common with Josh McCown, who currently holds the job: the same agency.
That prompts speculation that Priority Sports might not be so eager to have one client, Warner, replace another, McCown.
Not so, said Mark Bartelstein, who represents Warner. Bartelstein's colleague, Mike McCartney, represents McCown.
"It's something you think about, but that's the nature of the business," Bartelstein said. "We think Josh will be a really good quarterback in this league. And Josh's feeling is if the Cardinals are going to bring in a veteran guy, he would just as soon it be Kurt. There's no one better in the league to learn from."
The Cardinals also are interested in Brad Johnson..
Return trip
Defensive end Chike Okeafor will be traveling familiar ground today when he visits the Cardinals. He made a similar free-agent visit two years ago before signing with Seattle.
Back then, Cardinals doctors had concerns about his neck condition, and the team passed on signing him.
In two years in Seattle, Okeafor didn't miss a game and had 16 1/2 sacks. He visited Denver earlier this week.
"We're holding off on further trips to see where Denver and Arizona come in," said his agent, Andrew Simms.
Baltimore middle linebacker Edgerton Hartwell also is visiting today. His leverage increased a bit the past few days with the deals signed by other middle linebackers.
Safety first
Two safeties, Steve Gleason and Robert Griffith, visited Friday.
Gleason, who played the past four years in New Orleans, has been working out at Athletes' Performance in Tempe. He's a special-teams standout who doesn't play much on defense.
"They called my agent. He said, 'Well, it's a cheap trip for you guys. He's got his own transportation,' " Gleason said.
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