First Call: Steelers focus on QBs at Senior Bowl; Cameron Heyward’s brother on Steelers’ radar; JuJu’s parting shot?
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are spending plenty of time and attention getting to know quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl. JuJu Smith-Schuster has a parting shot for the Steelers before free agency. Cameron Heyward’s brother may be on the Steelers’ draft radar. And Terry Bradshaw discusses a regret in his new HBO documentary.
All that in Thursday’s “First Call.”
Quarterback crazy
The Steelers are looking to replace Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback. There are six notable quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile, Ala. So it should come as no surprise that the Steelers have been actively scouting them.
On Wednesday, Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett confirmed that he met with the Steelers.
Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert and Matt Canada were seen speaking with Liberty’s Malik Willis and his parents at various times during practices this week. But Willis didn’t exactly seem to be all that forthcoming with anything he had learned about the organization just yet.
Malik Willis spoke to Mike Tomlin after practice yesterday. So what does he know about the #Steelers ? "I know their in Pittsburgh, " he deadpanned. pic.twitter.com/dajiO377Lr
— Mike Tanier (@MikeTanier) February 2, 2022
The Steelers have also reportedly visited with Sam Howell (North Carolina), Carson Strong (Nevada) and Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati). Howell, Willis and Bailey Zappe (Western Kentucky) all measured under 6-foot-1, shorter than quarterbacks the Steelers usually employ.
Reese’s Senior Bowl weigh-in sneak peek…QB group
Willis
6003, 220, 0948, 3168, 7738Howell
6002, 221, 0918, 3118, 7558Zappe
6003, 213, 0968, 3128, 7558Pickett
6032, 217, 3058, 7268Ridder
6030, 207, 1000, 3278, 7878Strong
6036, 226, 0928, 3158, 7658#BestoftheBest— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) January 31, 2022
But Willis was said to have had a good day in bad weather conditions.
#Liberty QB Malik Willis was impressive today. He was able to clean up his accuracy from Day 1. Looked much more confident today and even showed his mobility. The ball explodes off of his hand and he had lots of nice tosses on Day 2. He has the strongest arm of any QB in Mobile.
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) February 2, 2022
Kenny Pickett has been good …
But after Tuesday's performance in the rain, Malik Willis has been the most impressive QB overall through 2 Senior Bowl practices
So what does that mean?https://t.co/1WHq90dUgn
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) February 3, 2022
Malik Willis has been the most impressive QB here through 2 practices.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 2, 2022
Brother binge
The Steelers have already paired Terrell and Trey Edmunds and Derek and T.J. Watt.
Might there be a third brother act coming down the pike soon?
According to SteelersWire.com, the franchise has spoken with Michigan State’s Connor Heyward at the Senior Bowl. He’s the younger brother of team defensive captain Cameron Heyward.
Connor Heyward played five seasons with the Spartans. He made the switch to tight end in 2021 after spending his first four seasons as an H-back/running back/fullback. He finished 2021 with 35 receptions, 326 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Heyward’s best season running the ball was in 2018 when he had 529 rushing yards on 118 carries.
So if Connor Heyward does get drafted, he and Derek Watt may be fighting for the same roster spot.
Related:
• Tim Benz: Pacman Jones doesn’t want Steelers fans on the Bengals’ bandwagon. Let’s help calm his concerns
• First Call: Steelers defensive coordinator update; a unique Antonio Brown auction item; Vegas’ thoughts on Derek Carr
JuJu saying ‘bye-bye’?
It certainly sounds like Steelers wide-receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is heading out of Pittsburgh.
And he is flirting with the Dallas Cowboys.
During a 7-Eleven event in Dallas on Wednesday, Schuster indicated that he’s “most likely” heading to free agency. When asked about the prospect of playing with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, JuJu pumped up the idea while taking a parting shot at the Steelers.
“He’s a great quarterback,” Smith-Schuster said via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. “Catching balls from him in a facility like this, I wouldn’t mind it. … The Steelers are still working on trying to get out of the wooden locker rooms.”
I’ve been in the Steelers locker room. It’s not at all like “Hoosiers” as Smith-Schuster is inferring.
Earlier this week, JuJu posted what seemed like a goodbye when he snapped an Instagram story with his car and the caption “It’s been real, Pitt!”
Shoulda walked away?
HBO’s documentary “Going Deep” on Terry Bradshaw is out. Football Morning in America’s Peter King pre-screened it and picked up on an interesting admission in the story.
Bradshaw claims he wanted to retire after the Steelers’ fourth Super Bowl at the end of the 1979 season, and he said his dad talked him out of it because the Rooney family had been so good to him.
Bradshaw said, “Winning didn’t satisfy you, because you had to do it again. As much as we accomplished, it was hard to enjoy. After Super Bowl 14, I told my dad, I need to retire. I’ve had enough of this. ‘Dad, four Super Bowls in nine years! Four Super Bowls in nine years. I like the sound of that.’ I didn’t have the (expletive deleted) to NOT come back … God I wish I’d have retired. That’d have been so cool.”
Bradshaw played with the Steelers through 1983, but he only played in one game his final year because of an elbow injury. He’d only suit up for one playoff game after Super Bowl XIV, a 31-28 loss to the (then) San Diego Chargers.