First Call: Could Tom Brady return to New England? Aaron Donald out; Phil Kessel back to face Pens
Share this post:
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming opponent got some bad news. Aaron Donald is injured. Phil Kessel is slumping. Joey Porter’s son is going pro.
And could Tom Brady really go back to New England?
All that and more in Thursday’s “First Call.”
Donald down
Former Pitt Panther Aaron Donald is going to miss the first game of his NFL career Sunday because of injury.
The defensive lineman has a high ankle sprain. His Los Angeles Rams host Seattle on Sunday.
Donald sprained his ankle in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs last week. Los Angeles coach Sean McVay ruled him out Wednesday.
The Penn Hills grad has missed only two games in his nine-year NFL career, both in 2017. He sat out the Rams’ season opener on the day after ending his contract holdout, and he sat out the finale to rest for the playoffs.
Donald has five sacks in 11 games this year.
Phil is chilled
A visit to PPG Paints Arena from the Vegas Golden Knights means a return to Pittsburgh for Phil Kessel.
The former Penguins winger has had a quiet season, aside from setting the NHL’s consecutive games record. He has just four goals and four assists on the year. Kessel has only one point in his last eight contests, a goal against the Seattle Kraken on Friday.
Meanwhile, Jack Eichel is thriving in his first season in the desert. The former Buffalo Sabre has 11 goals and 26 points to lead the club.
Vegas has 35 points to lead the Pacific Division. That’s the best point total in the Western Conference. Only the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils have more with 38 points each.
More sports
• U mad, bro: Despite Steelers win, fans still taking shots at Diontae Johnson, Matt Canada, Najee Harris
• Tim Benz: Kenny Pickett identifies significant rookie season challenge — and how he’s handling it
• Penguins defenseman Kris Letang suffers 2nd stroke, out indefinitely
This is the ‘Pitts’
One of the Atlanta Falcons most talented offensive players is down for the rest of the year. Kyle Pitts had MCL surgery Tuesday.
The tight end probably wasn’t going to be healthy enough to play against the Steelers anyway. But now we know he’s going to be done for the rest of the season.
Pitts had 68 catches for 1,026 yards last season. He only had 28 catches for 356 yards and two touchdowns this year.
MyCole Pruitt, who caught a touchdown last weekend, will likely be the Falcons’ top target at tight end Sunday against the Steelers.
Colts tight end Jelani Woods had eight catches for 98 yards against the Steelers defense last week.
Reunited?
Tom Brady is going to be a free agent after the season. And “The Athletic’s” Jeff Howe outlined four potential destinations for the quarterback, should he decide to leave Tampa Bay.
One of them was … wait for it … the New England Patriots.
After a very public dissolution of his relationship with the team that he guided to six Super Bowls, Brady left coach Bill Belichick and Foxborough for Tampa Bay after the 2019 season.
But Howe insists a reunion shouldn’t be out of the question.
“Brady and Bill Belichick still have an abundance of respect for one another,” Howe said. “They’ve made points to say it publicly on multiple occasions since the QB departed for Tampa. They also spent 23 minutes together in the visiting locker room at Gillette Stadium following Brady’s return in 2021 — an appointment they set up prior to the game.
The Patriots are slated to have more than $50 million in cap space in 2023, so they can again address their flaws, this time on the heels of a couple impressive draft classes.”
The other teams Howe suggested were Brady’s hometown San Francisco 49ers, the Las Vegas Raiders (coached by former Pats assistant Josh McDaniel) and the Tennessee Titans (coached by former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel).
Porter’s plan
For a while, many people have wondered if the Steelers might consider drafting Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. whenever he decided to leave State College for the draft.
Well, Porter has declared that he’s going to the pro ranks. Now.
The son of the former Steelers linebacker has declared his intention to enter the NFL draft and forgo the team’s upcoming bowl game. A North Allegheny graduate, Porter Jr. was named first-team All-Big Ten on Tuesday.
“I sincerely appreciate my teammates, coaches, family and every member of the Penn State community who have made the last four years so memorable. My time at Penn State has been nothing short of a blessing,” Porter wrote in a statement.
Porter is a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Jim Thorpe Awards this year. He had 11 pass breakups. Porter started 31 games at Happy Valley. At 6-foot-2, 194 pounds, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently projected Porter to land with the Detroit Lions at No. 13 overall.