Wideout Jerricho Cotchery reversed his field and has signed a multi-year agreement with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cotchery, released by the New York Jets last week, visited the Steelers Sunday at Saint Vincent College and left without a contract. He also visited Baltimore, too, to see if he could get a better deal.
Cotchery spent the first seven seasons of his NFL career with the Jets and had a number of productive years, including a 1,130-yard performance in 2007. However, he was hampered by a herniated disc in 2010 and tallied 41 catches for 433 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games.
It was the lowest total since he became a starter in 2006. Cotchery also had offseason back surgery in February and started training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. The Jets released him last Thursday, a few days after signing Plaxico Burress.
In 103 regular-season games with the Jets, Cotchery caught 358 passes for 4,514 yards and 18 TDs. He also played in nine post-season contests, including the AFC title game against the Steelers last year, tallying 30 receptions for 440 yards and two scores. He had five catches for 33 yards and a four-yard score in that game against the Steelers.
The Steelers have been in the market for a bigger receiver. The team failed to sign Plaxico Burress, who ended up with the Jets. The 6-foot-1 Cotchery will be the tallest proven wideout on the team when he joins the Steelers in training camp on Sunday. He will battle veteran Hines Ward, third-year pro Mike Wallace and second-year players Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.
Brown has been the only Steelers top-four wideout who hasn’t missed practice for injuries during camp. Cotchery won’t play in the preseason opener against the Washington Redskins tonight at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. He could replace Baron Batch on the roster after the rookie running back is placed on injury reserve due to his knee injury Wednesday.
