5 things you need to know for Wednesday

Hey there football fans, here's five things you need to know from yesterday to start your day:

1. We have five more players in a make-or-break season this year, this time on the defensive side of the ball. PFF analyst John Breitenbach highlighted five defenders who have something to prove in the upcoming year. The list includes an edge rusher who didn't play his rookie season, an inside linebacker who was supplanted by a rookie last year, and a defensive back that had a nightmare 2016 after a good rookie year.
2. Donnel Pumphrey is working with the starting unit of the Eagles. Pumphrey had an excellent season in college in 2016, but went in the fourth round of the draft due to concerns about his transition to the professional level, mostly due to his size. Well, the young back has seemingly earned his way into practicing with the starting unit in his first offseason with Philly, and his ability to generate missed tackles and large runs will help him stick there.
3. Le'Veon Bell and the Steelers are not close to a deal. The star running back still has not signed his franchise tag and there is no news on an extension. After back-to-back seasons as PFF's top graded running back, Bell has shown that when he is on the field, he is among, if not simply the best back in the league, and he's a key part of Pittsburgh's offense.
4. DeMarco Murray compares his line to the one in Dallas. The Titans offensive line was one of our highest graded lines last year and with Murray's experience behind both lines, he'd be the one to know. The Titans were one of only two teams (Steelers) that had all five of their starting offensive linemen to have 80.0 grades or better last year.
5. How long has Frank Gore been a fantasy starter? Would the answer surprise you if it was, “longer than a decade“? Long time starter, long in the tooth, but somehow often forgotten, Gore has been churning out top-20 fantasy seasons for 11 years now. If that makes some of you feel old, I understand, me too.