Steelers/NFL category, Page 319
Kevin Dotson, Alex Highsmith prepare for starting roles in 2nd year with SteelersVideo
Mike Tomlin believes the biggest ascension in an NFL player’s career comes in his second season. Kevin Dotson and Alex Highsmith would like to justify the faith their Pittsburgh Steelers coach is showing them at that pivotal stage of their careers. After making contributions as rookies and combining to start...
First Call: Are Browns a fit for Steven Nelson?; NFL clears a hurdle for Steelers’ return to Saint Vincent; ex-Penguin shines
Wednesday’s “First Call” has some positive signs when it comes to the prospect of the Pittsburgh Steelers getting back out to Saint Vincent College for training camp. The Browns could be a fringe landing spot for former Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson. At least one Ravens player appears to be stepping...
Cameron Heyward tired of ‘badmouthing’ he hears about Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
Cameron Heyward has heard the criticism lobbied at Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during the offseason. He is tired of it. Heyward defended his teammate and fellow captain Monday after the first day of organized team activities. Roethlisberger and Heyward, the two longest-tenured players on the team, both participated in...
1st-round draft pick Najee Harris, 2nd-rounder Pat Freiermuth sign contracts with Steelers
On the first day of organized team activities, the Pittsburgh Steelers got their top two draft picks under contract when they signed running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth to four-year deals. According to the NFL’s slotting system for draft picks, Harris got a $13.047 million deal that...
Steelers get large turnout for 1st day of voluntary organized team activitiesVideo
So much for Pittsburgh Steelers players staying united with the NFL Players’ Association and skipping organized team activities. On the first day of voluntary OTAs, the Steelers had about three-fourths of the 90-man offseason roster on hand for a morning workout at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. The 90-minute session, conducted...
First Call: Free-agent prediction for Steelers; Cassius Marsh makes his pitch; Najee Harris gets Penguins fan baptism
Tuesday’s “First Call” features another national outlet pairing the Steelers with Russell Okung. Cassius Marsh is making his pitch to be part of the Steelers fabric on defense. And a pair of Steelers rookies are already integrating into the Pittsburgh sports scene. Doubling down The fascination continues with the national...
First Call: Why JuJu Smith-Schuster is motivated for 2021; will Ravens or Patriots get Julio Jones?; odd praise for Aaron Donald
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is channeling the criticism he got last year. Will the New England Patriots or Baltimore Ravens land Julio Jones? Odd praise for Aaron Donald. And a big night for ex-Pittsburghers in the NHL playoffs. Better luck this year JuJu Smith-Schuster says he’s using last...
Rookie Quincy Roche brings strong college numbers to Steelers defense
Even with two college destinations in his rear-view mirror, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie pass rusher Quincy Roche keeps getting caught up in a numbers game. In his third season at Temple, Roche was given a single-digit uniform number, an honor bestowed upon the team’s toughest players. After transferring to Miami (Fla.)...
Wisconsin coach thinks Isaiahh Loudermilk can scale new heights on Steelers defensive line
Before Isaiahh Loudermilk reported to rookie minicamp with the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend, one of his college coaches made an apt observation. “He’ll be blocking out the sun there,” Wisconsin defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej said. Of the 34 players who attended rookie minicamp, Loudermilk was the second tallest, standing...
First Call: Early hype for young Steelers; Derek Shelton on run of no-hitters; another Penguins classic moment
Friday’s “First Call” gives us some praise for a pair of young Pittsburgh Steelers skill-position players. Pirates manager Derek Shelton wonders why we are seeing so many no-hitters this year in Major League Baseball. We have another reason why Friday is special in Penguins history. And Bruce Arians said he...
First Call: Injury preventing Antonio Brown from finalizing Tampa contract; trio of dominance from ex-Pirates pitchers
Thursday’s “First Call” features a snag in Antonio Brown’s contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We celebrate a happy anniversary with Evgeni Malkin. You can already bet on who may be next year’s Trevor Lawrence in the NFL Draft. And a trio of former Pirates dusted their competition. A.B.’s knee...
U mad, bro?: Fans take swings at JuJu Smith-Schuster, Devin Bush, Barry Trotz, Penguins goalies and … this column
Steelers. Penguins. Players. Coaches. Sportswriters. None of us are spared from angry readers in the latest blood-thirsty edition of “U mad, bro?” Wait. Did someone even take a shot at … David Byrne? Wow! We are “burning down the house” this week. Kevin starts by taking a swat at Islanders...
Troy Polamalu chooses former Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau to present him at Hall of Fame
Troy Polamalu will be presented to the Pro Football Hall of Fame by the man who coached him for virtually his entire Pittsburgh Steelers career. Dick LeBeau, the long-time Steelers defensive coordinator, will present Polamalu when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 7 at Tom Benson...
First Call: Steelers’ Cameron Heyward says Ben Roethlisberger can still get it done; Tom Brady getting a reality show?
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” Steelers captain Cameron Heyward is throwing his support behind quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Rick Tocchet may go to work for a former teammate. A rival quarterback will be back against the Steelers early in the 2021 season. We’ve got an update on former Pirate Jameson Taillon. And...
Steelers sign 2 more draft picks; 3 remain unsigned
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced they signed two more draft picks Tuesday in offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. and linebacker Buddy Johnson. They were teammates at Texas A&M. The Steelers selected Moore Jr. (6-6, 311) in the fourth round (128th overall). He started 37 games at Texas A&M, including 10 last...
First Call: Eagles nab free agent rusher Steelers may have wanted; big salary projections for T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick
Tuesday’s “First Call” tells us about a potential Steelers free-agent signee that went down the turnpike instead. Also, some eye-popping projections for what T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick may command on their next contracts. Former Pirate Gerrit Cole has a mixed night. And former Penguin Jordan Staal comes up clutch...
Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth can help quickly on offense; how other Steelers will see snap counts impacted
Sure, it’s great that the Steelers got Ben Roethlisberger some new toys by spending their first two draft choices on Alabama running back Najee Harris and Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth. Unfortunately for Big Ben and new offensive coordinator Matt Canada, NFL rules still dictate that there can only...
First Call: Free agent idea for Steelers; John Harbaugh praises Al Villanueva; Marc-Andre Fleury, McCutchen flash in defeat
Monday’s “First Call” has an idea for the Pittsburgh Steelers to investigate when it comes to bolstering its offensive line. The Ravens are excited about adding a former Steeler. Marc-Andre Fleury and Andrew McCutchen flash in defeat. OK with Okung? Free-agent tackle Russell Okung is still without an NFL team....
Steelers sign 4 rookie draft picks to contracts
Four down, five to go. The Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday signed the first four members of their nine-player draft class, coming to contracts with defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk, outside linebacker Quincy Roche, defensive back Tre Norwood and punter Pressley Harvin III. Those players were the final four taken by the...
Najee Harris boosts his profile during first taste of NFL life at Steelers rookie minicampVideo
The black shorts and white uniform jersey should have been the giveaway to Najee Harris that he’s not in college anymore. Harris spent the past two days of rookie minicamp wearing the practice threads of his new employer, the Pittsburgh Steelers, a sharp departure from the crimson and white he...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Where Aaron Rodgers plays could impact Steelers’ playoff fate
The NFL’s big schedule “reveal” this past Wednesday gave clichéd sports media a chance to break down the Steelers’ slate game-by-game in detailed fashion. That approach ignores that A) We knew who the Steelers were playing (and where) months ago, and B) The season is still three months away. But...
Punter Pressley Harvin III stands out from the crowd at Steelers rookie minicamp
No matter what is written on paper, the first thing that stands out about Pressley Harvin III is his size. Harvin was listed as being 5-foot-11 and weighing 263 pounds on his NFL.com profile. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ bio adds another inch but deducts eight pounds from his frame. Either way,...
NFL families seek to end ‘race-norming’ in $1B settlement
Thousands of retired Black professional football players, their families and supporters are demanding an end to the controversial use of “race-norming” to determine which players are eligible for payouts in the NFL’s $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims, a system experts say is discriminatory. Ken Jenkins, 60, and his...
Kendrick Green eager to take Maurkice Pouncey’s ‘53’ as he strives to replace him for SteelersVideo
Kendrick Green knows the task is tough. The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie seems to understand the comparisons inevitably will come. He isn’t backing down from them. The Steelers’ third-round pick, Green requested and was granted the same number he wore as an all-Big Ten interior offensive lineman at Illinois: No. 53....
Don’t call him ‘Baby Gronk’ – Steelers rookie TE Pat Freiermuth ‘hates it’Video
Would “Baby Heath” work for Pat Freiermuth? Because the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie tight end isn’t a fan of being called “Baby Gronk.” “I hate it,” said Pat Freiermuth of the “Baby Gronk” moniker so many called him while he was an All-Big Ten performer at Penn State. “I think it’s...
