David DeCastro Reportedly Agrees to New Contract with Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers and starting right guard David DeCastro reportedly have reached a contract extension ahead of the 2016 regular season. 

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported DeCastro and the Steelers agreed to a six-year extension on Thursday. Dan Graziano of ESPN reported the contract is a five-year, $50 million deal.

Graziano initially reported DeCastro and the Steelers were "close" to an extension on Wednesday.

Graziano also noted that a deal for DeCastro is fitting for his agent, Tom Condon, who represented Eli Manning, Luke Kuechly and Anthony Castonzo when they agreed to long-term extensions with their respective teams in the weeks leading up to the 2015 regular season. 

A first-round pick in 2012, DeCastro is entering the final season of his rookie contract and is scheduled to make just over $8 million, per Spotrac. 

After suffering a severe knee injury during the preseason that limited him to just four games in his rookie season, DeCastro has been a staple on the Steelers offensive line for the last three years. He has missed just one game since 2013. 

Even though it's the preseason, Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus noted that DeCastro and left guard Ramon Foster didn't allow a single quarterback pressure in 58 plays together. 

The Steelers need that kind of elite protection up front for Ben Roethlisberger to play up to his high standards. This has been a rough offseason in Pittsburgh, with Martavis Bryant suspended for the season and Le'Veon Bell suspended for the first three games. 

Re-signing DeCastro gives the Steelers something positive to build on as they seek a third straight trip to the postseason.