Steelers Place First Round Restricted Tender on Tackle Willie Colon

Last week we had a piece about Willie Colon and how his agent stated he doesn’t think the tackle will be with the Steelers in 2011. Wednesday that prediction may have taken a turn the other way.

The team has placed a first-round restricted tender on Colon on Tuesday, according to a league source and Jason LaCanfora at NFL.com.

Colon was set to be an unrestricted free agent pending new labor rules once the NFL and the players union agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. He didn’t play in 2010 after suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon early in training camp.

The five-year pro started every game from 2007 to 2009 for the Steelers, and he’s a player on the line that the Steelers had intended on bringing back. It’s still possible that Colon could be an unrestricted free agent once the new collective bargaining agreement is reached, but teams had to prepare in the event that it would take six years not five to become an unrestricted free agent.