According to "sources" (per ESPN Chicago), Matt Spaeth agreed to terms with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday. Spaeth joins the likes of Larry Foote and William Gay as players who have elected to return to Pittsburgh after some time away. He was released by the Bears a few days ago for financial reasons.

Drafted in the third round in 2007, Spaeth never made a huge impact in Pittsburgh aside from the odd touchdown catch once or twice in the first month of the season. In 2011, he walked as a free agent and no one in Pittsburgh really thought about him after that.

Given Heath Miller's recuperation from a knee injury in Week 17 last year, Spaeth is ostensibly going to start the season, or at least training camp, as the team's #1 tight end. Don't expect him to get too involved in the passing game, as the young/injury-prone starting tackles will be Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams. Spaeth (and David Johnson) will probably help with blocking duties more often than not.

So what did Spaeth learn in his time away from Pittsburgh? I got in touch with Brett Solesky of Midway Illustrated to give the rundown on the guy.

I would say he struggled as a blocker his first year in Chicago but had the best year of his career as a blocker last year.   He really improved in year two and became a stabilizing force wherever he was.  I think working with Mike Tice really helped him grow as a player.  Tice is known for his ability as an offensive line coach, but Tice played TE in the NFL and was a TE coach in Jacksonville so he worked on blocking with the  TEs in Chicago.  I don't know if I would call Spaeth a great blocker, but his improvement was obvious.  I think Profootballfocus rated him as the best run blocker amongst TEs this past season.  He could become a real nemesis for Terrell Suggs.  Decent in pass protection very good run blocker.

There you have it. Spaeth is what he is; a spare lineman who can catch a football now and then. This is the sort of depth signing the Steelers needed to make, given Heath Miller's status and the relatively untested offensive line.

 The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed veteran journeyman QB and Pittsburgh native Bruce Gradkowski to a three-year contract. This is an excellent move for a number of reasons. First, obviously, is the fact that Byron Leftwich is being held together with staples and chewing gum and simply can't be counted on to step in and perform anymore. With grandpa Batch as the only other backup, someone younger and healthier was just going to be a necessity. Gradkowski doesn't have any outstanding consistent health problems and he's only 30 years old. He's a fine quarterback when called upon, as Steeler fans would know from playing against him apparently every season.

I've been beating the drum recently to spend a mid-round pick on a quarterback in this year's draft, as the QB class isn't great in terms of franchise guys but a lot of them could turn out to be serviceable NFL players. That said, I've got no problem with having a veteran backup. Gradkowski's signing also frees up one of those mid-round picks to fill other holes on the team like safety or wide receiver.

I'm guessing there were two major factors that led to this signing: First, that the Steelers wanted to save their draft picks for depth at other positions instead of gambling on a project backup. Second, Gradkowski is from Pittsburgh and perhaps his financial considerations softened a bit for the chance to play in his hometown. Giving him a three year deal is no joke either. With Leftwich out the door and Batch on the very of retirement, Gradkowski becomes the primary backup while the Steelers likely get some youth on the depth chart in the next few years.

With Ben's general propensity to get injured throughout a football season, Gradkowski is going to get the opportunity to take plenty of snaps and start a handful of games. He's a trustworthy passer and has looked better than his career 6-14 records accounts for (having played on some bad teams). He won't light the league on fire but, hey, he's a backup.

Plus, he's been called "The Polish Rifle," which is awesome.

The Miami Dolphins have reportedly signed WR Mike Wallace to a mammoth 5-year, $65 million contract. The deal includes $30 million guaranteed. Mike Wallace makes more money than Ben Roethlisberger now. Let that sink in.

Is he worth that money? No, no he is not. With the exception of last year, Mike Wallace was a dependable pass-catcher anywhere on the field, but changed the game with his blinding speed. Mike Wallace's trademark play was to blow past everyone and catch a cruise missile in the end zone for six points. Even if he were one-dimensional, that's a really good dimension to pick. Last year, he kept the blinding speed and sort of forgot about the "catching footballs" portion of his job from time to time, but whether than was an anomaly or the new norm will be the Miami Dolphins' problem now.

I'm not at all upset about losing Wallace, especially if he was going to demand the GDP of a small nation. The Steelers needs depth at WR, sure, but Antonio Brown is the #1, Emmanuel Sanders, when healthy, just makes tough catches, and Plaxico Burress and Jerricho Cotchery round out the bottom of the lineup. Another #2 or #3 receiver would be very nice, and that's the kind of player you can find in the draft. I expect that the Steelers will do that. Santonio Holmes was fairly easily replaced (by Mike Wallace) and perhaps Wallace will be just as easily replaced by a new guy this year. Unlike the situation at outside linebacker in James Harrison's absence, depth receivers are not critical to the success of their unit.

As for what the Steelers are doing with today's free agency frenzy, here is Kevin Colbert's office, circa 4:00 PM: 

Yeah, the Steelers haven't signed anybody new. I'm not holding my breath.

The Steelers cut James Harrison. His accolades are well-documented. 2008 Defensive Player of the Year. Perennial All-Pro selection. Author of one of the biggest plays in Superbowl history. Bane of Roger Goodell. The quintessential Steeler linebacker.

Harrison's release is 100% salary-motivated. Harrison was making a lot of money. Kevin Colbert wanted him to make less. Harrison refused to comply with that, and now he's on the open market. This is exactly what happened to Joey Porter in 2007. With Porter, it was hard to lose the heart of the defense with no certain replacement in waiting. Of course, that's how James Harrison made himself a household name. We weren't expecting it, but Harrison totally justified a controversial move by the front office.

Now, there are a few major differences. For one thing, Harrison was not the heart and soul of the defense. It's hard to pinpoint the player who is. Maybe it's Brett Keisel, maybe it's Troy Polamalu. But James Harrison didn't have the same vocal presence that Joey Porter did. In a likely related observation, this move doesn't come with all that much controversy for fans.

Fans far and wide seem to have acknowledged this as the right thing to do for the organization. It gets the team comfortably under the salary cap with several free agents left to sign and likely some outside help to be brought in on offense.

The problem is that Harrison's departure leaves a void that may not be so easy to fill. Granted, we thought the same thing when Porter was released and Harrison took over. As of right now, the ROLB spot in the Steelers' defense is Jason Worilds' to lose. The means that either Worilds is the next James Harrison, or that the Steelers are going to have to put some teeth back into this defense, and soon. Worilds has battled injuries in his career to date, but he did see substantial time on the field in 2012. If you don't remember that, it's because he wasn't a very disruptive force. That's not acceptable for a 3-4 OLB; your name should be called every few plays for one reason or another. If Worilds can put his injuries behind him and manages to ascend to another level of play, everything will be fine. I'm not putting my money on that happening, though.

Free agency is always an option. Paul Kruger is a UFA out of Baltimore, where they play a similar defense and put a similar emphasis on that position. Shaun Phillips is a consistently underrated player from the San Diego Chargers. Of course, even if the cash-strapped Steelers managed to lure a free agent to Pittsburgh, we all know that isn't how Kevin Colbert runs things. It's an exciting thought, but exciting thoughts don't build championship football teams. Kevin Colbert does, so we should give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Losing Harrison is a blow to this team and there isn't a player in the NFL (save for maybe Demarcus Ware or Terrell Suggs) who could possibly replace his presence. The Steelers are not working from a position of strength right now; they are going to be depending on LaMarr Woodley to come into camp in shape and ready to play. They are going to depend on Jason Worilds to stay healthy and step up his game. They're going to hope that Chris Carter takes enough of a step forward to qualify as "depth." And you can bet they're going to look at some DE/LBs in the NFL Draft next month.

It's a good thing that football doesn't start for several months yet. The Steelers are going to need that time to figure out what they have at the defense's most important position.

So what is Hines Ward up to these days, aside from being vaguely bitter about not playing another year in the NFL? He's training for a triathlon and drinking chocolate milk. Seriously.

Being a triathlete is no joke. Only the most fit, athletic human beings can get to that level. Ward is definitely athletic, and it's great to see a retired football player staying active and staying in shape. How does chocolate milk factor in to staying in elite shape? Check out "Become One" because apparently it does! Who knew!

It looks like a serviceable defender from the 2009 championship is making his return to Pittsburgh. You guessed it: Mark Eaton is back.

Not to mention the Steelers are bringing CB William Gay back from Arizona in a bizarro, opposite-day type move. Gay left last year as a free agent and was released by Arizona one season later. Kevin Colbert saw a guy he's familiar with and inked him to a three-year contract. There are a few things you could piece together if you read between the lines here.

First and foremost, management doesn't feel good about the depth on the team at CB. Neither do you or I. Gay is a reasonably-accomplished player; hardly a superstar but a serviceable defender. You know what you're getting, and what you're getting is someone who will sometimes give up a big play, sometimes make a huge game-ending interception. He'll do fine as a #2-3 CB.

Ideally, you slot Gay in as the nickelback next year with Taylor and Lewis as the "starters." But if you want to read into this signing a little more, perhaps the team is preparing for Lewis to chase a big payday that the Steelers won't be able to match. Colbert would still love to have Keenan Lewis on the team, make no mistake. But Gay might be something of an insurance policy in case he walks.

Supporting that theory is the fact that it's a three-year contract. That probably means the team has plans for him, and you don't usually plan too far ahead for a veteran who's only going to play special teams. On the other hand, perhaps it's a back-loaded contract so they can cut him and save money in a couple years.

In any case, I feel a bit better about the defense now than I did a week ago. Even if Lewis leaves, that leave Taylor and Gay as your starters and Cortez Allen or Curtis Brown (there are some really boring last names among our DBs) as the nickel and dime backs. Having seen those two improve their play last season, I think we can all feel a little more confident in the pass defense. And if Keenan Lewis stays in Pittsburgh, we get to look forward to some actual depth at the position.

Everyone and their dog is picking up on this idea that the Steelers' locker room was "divided" at the end of last season. You know what? Good. They should have been uncomfortable. They should have been pissed off at each other.

Because the Steelers underachieved last year and had no one to blame but themselves.

Hines Ward is the most recent person to criticize the team's locker room dynamics, saying that it isn't the "Steeler way." But Hines Ward isn't part of the Steelers' locker room anymore. It isn't his team. It's Ben's team, and Antonio Brown's team, and Brett Keisel's team. If Ward is talking about how all that leadership left and then everything fell apart, that sounds to me like Ward is putting himself and Aaron Smith over while devaluing guys like Keisel and Ben. As that Trib article goes on to describe how Ward wishes he could have played one more season with the Steelers, doesn't it kind of just sound like he's bitter about being let go? And doesn't this seem like something Jerome Bettis would say?

If I had to hand-pick my locker room controversy, players would be mad at Mike Wallace for demanding the GDP of a small country and then dropping passes like they were covered in butter. I'd have players who think Maurkice Pouncey is as much of a jerk as I do.

That's probably not what players are divided on, and I honestly don't care what problems they have with each other. They are going to have to work together and be professional, and if there are players who can't do that, they will have to leave. You aren't to find a group of 50+ people who get along all the time and it would be creepy if you did.

The point to all of this is that a story is being made out of nothing. It's a slow time for football news, I know. The scouting combine is going on, but that doesn't do much for someone without NFL Network or several hours to spend watching 22-year-olds run around traffic cones. But I've seen enough stories in the various papers and websites about the perceived fractures in the Steelers' locker room. I'm looking forward to this not being a story anymore, because it isn't important. If players are attacking each other in training camp next summer, then we have a problem. Until then, we should all just wait for the Steelers to sign Steve Breaston and pray that they don't draft Manti Te'o.

Last week some discussion popped up about whether or not Heinz Field should host a Super Bowl, perhaps even one as big as the 50th, coming up in a few short years. Writers gave opinions, other writers gave similar opinions, and oh my were feathers ruffled over the whole ordeal. But amid the resulting border skirmishes between Pittsburgh media types, the question at hand was lost. Should Heinz Field host Super Bowl L?

No. No it should not.