Joe Rutter stories

Unhappy that DJ Thomas-Jones didn’t get all-conference recognition on the top three teams last season, his former teammates at South Alabama gave him a nice consolation prize. The 6-foot-2, 256-pound fullback had returned to school after NFL Draft preparations and was working out in the weight room this spring when...

It remains to be seen whether Aaron Rodgers will be the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback when they face his former team, the Green Bay Packers, on Oct. 26. The NFL schedule makers didn’t hesitate to give that matchup the prime-time treatment even while the 41-year-old quarterback remains unsigned amid weighing the...

For the 10th time in the past 11 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers will open the regular season on the road. For the first time in 23 years, they will close it with a home game against the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL unveiled the 2025 schedule Wednesday night, and for the...

When Pittsburgh Steelers management set out to make the defense more physical this season, it probably wasn’t a coincidence that they targeted players from the Big Ten. The style of play associated with the Big Ten is of a gritty, hard-nosed variety. Contrast that to the glitz and glamour of...

Derrick Harmon hasn’t gotten around to taking the customary tour of Pittsburgh that the Steelers’ first-round draft pick typically enjoys. He hasn’t eaten at Primanti Bros., taken the incline to the top of Mt. Washington or received a close-up view of Acrisure Stadium. Harmon, the defensive tackle from Oregon, returned...

The NFL officially turned the page toward the 2025 season in March with the start of free agency, the tipping point of the league’s new calendar year. Teams followed suit in April, before the draft, with the start of voluntary conditioning workouts. Another marker takes place this weekend for the...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are done waiting for wide receiver George Pickens to correct his maturity issues. The Steelers traded Pickens, their mercurial fourth-year wide receiver, to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, completing a deal that had been discussed two weeks ago during the NFL Draft. The Steelers will receive the...

For much of the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ plan for adding a third quarterback was that they didn’t seem to have one. They didn’t select one on the first day, passing on Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart. Or the second when they again passed on Sanders. Tyler Shough was...

Donte Kent grew up in Harrisburg, but he didn’t grow up rooting for the team that selected him Saturday in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. Kent, a 5-foot-10, 189-pound cornerback from Central Michigan, not only didn’t cheer for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he wasn’t a fan of the Philadelphia...

CARSON BRUENER Seventh-round pick, No. 226 overall Linebacker, Washington 6-foot-1, 227 pounds Stats: Led the Huskies with 104 tackles and three interceptions as a senior. Hometown: Woodinville, Wash. ???? 12 TKL???? 2 INTCarson Bruener was everywhere in @UW_Football's win over USC ????#B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/29v6waIWzZ— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 3, 2024...

On the third day of the NFL Draft and in the sixth round, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally got their developmental quarterback. With the No. 185 overall selection, the Steelers took Ohio State’s Will Howard. It was the fifth consecutive player the Steelers selected from a Big Ten program and second...

Bypassing a quarterback again to start the third day of the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers addressed defense for the second time when they took Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer in the fourth round Saturday. Sawyer was the No. 123 overall pick. He was selected even with several quarterback...

What transpired this weekend at the NFL Draft provided further confirmation that the Pittsburgh Steelers were sick of being pushed around in the playoffs. After losing a sixth consecutive playoff game in January — and trailing by at least 21 first-half points in four of the past five postseason matchups...

Getting their running back to replace Najee Harris — and passing on a quarterback for the second day in a row — the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday night. Johnson, a bruising 6-foot-1, 220-pound junior, was the Big Ten...

Entering the second night of the NFL Draft, team president Art Rooney II said the Pittsburgh Steelers remain in the market for a quarterback prospect, and he is optimistic 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers is going to join the organization. Rodgers remains unsigned as he deals with personal issues. He visited with...

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance to take a highly rated quarterback in the NFL Draft when their turn came up Thursday night. They opted to fix a leaky defensive line instead. The Steelers stuck with conventional wisdom and selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon rather than take a chance...

In his first two drafts as Pittsburgh Steelers general manager, Omar Khan went to great lengths to fortify the offensive line. Expect him to begin a reconstruction of the defensive line this year. Cameron Heyward was the last defensive lineman taken by the Steelers in the first round, and he’s...

In 2001, Mike Tomlin was in his first season as an NFL assistant coach, hired by Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay to coach defensive backs. Omar Khan was new to the Pittsburgh Steelers, hired by second-year director of football operations Kevin Colbert to handle business operations and negotiate contracts. That...

As they consider adding a running back from a deep draft class, the Pittsburgh Steelers secured a veteran to a contract for the 2025 season. Jaylen Warren, who is entering his fourth season, signed his restricted free-agent tender Tuesday, guaranteeing his $5.35 million salary. The Steelers tendered Warren at the...

If the top of the NFL Draft unfolds the way most experts predict, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be facing the Heisman Trophy winner — and an unprecedented two-way talent — two times a season. The AFC North rival Cleveland Browns are projected to take Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter with...

Minkah Fitzpatrick encountered a third partner at safety in as many seasons when the Pittsburgh Steelers signed free agent DeShon Elliott last offseason. The Steelers thought enough of the pairing — they used Terrell Edmunds in 2022 and Keanu Neal in 2023 — that they apparently will maintain the status...

Carson Bruener wanted to play college football. Just like his father. Check. He wanted to attend Washington. Just like his father. Check. He wanted to be a tight end. Just like his father. Um, not so fast. Bruener, a draft-eligible inside linebacker and son of former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick...

Feeling he needed a change of scenery, Derrick Harmon left the comforts of home, flew across the country and spent a season on the West Coast. All to prove he had the potential to be a high NFL draft pick. If some draft experts are correct, Harmon’s future will involve...

Daniel Jeremiah misinterpreted the question. The NFL Network draft analyst was asked in February about the Pittsburgh Steelers restocking an aging defensive line in the first round of the NFL Draft. Jeremiah thought the question was about edge rushers and listed a few possibilities for the team. Two months later,...