Joe Rutter stories, Page 26
Troy Fautanu unfazed by switch to right tackle on 1st day of Steelers rookie minicamp
Troy Fautanu wasn’t sure if he was breaking protocol by revealing the gaffe he made Friday on the first snap of rookie minicamp. Lined up at right tackle, a noteworthy achievement in itself, Fautanu marked his indoctrination to an NFL workout by committing a false start. Nerves admittedly got the...
Steelers add former Tampa Bay, Atlanta WR Scotty Miller to crowded position group
Adding a potential option to play in the slot this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a one-year contract Wednesday with wide receiver Scotty Miller, a league source confirmed to TribLive. Miller, 26, is the fifth player from the Atlanta Falcons to follow new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to the...
Family values helped mold Steelers first-round draft pick Troy Fautanu
The importance of family was underscored when Troy Fautanu decided where he would celebrate his selection in the NFL Draft. The league invited all potential first-round prospects to attend the draft in Detroit. That included Fautanu, the 23-year-old fifth-year senior from Washington who was projected to be among the tackle-heavy...
Steelers decline 5th-year options for RB Najee Harris, QB Justin Fields
The Pittsburgh Steelers declined the fifth-year options for running back Najee Harris and quarterback Justin Fields, making them eligible for free agency after the 2024 season. Harris was scheduled to earn $6.97 million in 2025 had the Steelers exercised his option. Fields, who was acquired from the Chicago Bears in...
Deadline looms for Steelers to pick up 5th-year option on RB Najee Harris
Najee Harris has been an example of durability and consistency in his three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Soon, the 26-year-old running back will learn whether he will be part of the organization in 2025 or become a free agent at the end of this season. The Steelers have until...
Steelers conclude NFL Draft by loading up on age, experience among college prospects
If it was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ intention to increase the overall team age, mission accomplished in the NFL Draft. On Saturday’s third day, the Steelers continued a trend that began Thursday when they selected tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round. They collected three more players who, while not quite...
Steelers select Texas defensive back Ryan Watts with 2nd 6th-round pick
After spending much of the NFL Draft beefing up the trenches, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected a cornerback with their second pick of the sixth round Saturday. With the No. 195 overall selection, the Steelers took Ryan Watts, who spent the past two seasons at Texas after playing at Ohio State...
Logan Lee bio: Steelers’ 6th-round pick (178th overall) in 2024 NFL draft
Logan Lee Sixth-round pick, No. 178 overall Pos., School DE, Iowa Height, weight 6-5, 281 Stats: 13 starts at defensive tackle in 2023. Recorded 55 tackles, 5.5 for loss and three sacks. Hometown: Orion, Ill. Tidbits: In three seasons at Iowa, he made 40 consecutive starts at defensive tackle but...
Steelers 4th-round pick Mason McCormick ready to compete for starting spot at guard
When he met with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the predraft process April 15, Mason McCormick’s visit to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex coincided with Troy Fautanu’s top-30 interview. Little did McCormick know at the time that he and Fautanu would become teammates less than two weeks later. Using another draft pick...
Unlike draft night cell reception, Zach Frazier’s thoughts on joining Steelers are loud, clear
After hearing Zach Frazier’s draft night story, a local telecom company might want to sign him to an endorsement deal. Can you hear me now? Certainly not the Pittsburgh Steelers when coach Mike Tomlin phoned the former West Virginia center to inform him the team had selected him in the...
Payton Wilson bio: Steelers’ 3rd-round pick (98th overall) in 2024 NFL draft
Payton Wilson Third-round pick, No. 98 overall ILB, N.C. State 6-4, 233 Stats: Capped injury-marred career at N.C. State by starting 23 games over final two seasons. He ranked fifth nationally with 138 tackles in 2023. Totaled 17.5 tackles for loss and had six sacks and three interceptions. Hometown: Hillsborough,...
Steelers nab WR Roman Wilson with 3rd-round pick
Continuing a run of offensive players in the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers took Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson with their first pick of the third round Friday night, the No. 84 overall selection. Wilson joined tackle Troy Fautanu and center Zach Frazier as the team’s top three picks. The...
Zach Frazier bio: Steelers’ 2nd-round pick (51st overall) in 2024 NFL Draft
Zach Frazier Second-round pick, No. 51 overall C, West Virginia 6-foot-3, 313 pounds Stats: Started 37 games at center in his final three seasons with the Mountaineers Hometown: Fairmont, W.Va. Tidbits: Spent three seasons at a team captain at West Virginia. … Started 46 of 47 games, including nine at...
Long travel day doesn’t dampen Troy Fautanu’s enthusiasm about being drafted by Steelers
Less than four hours after being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, Troy Fautanu was seated in Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport awaiting a red-eye flight to Pittsburgh. Accompanied by his mother, father and sister, Fautanu had a layover in Detroit before continuing the final leg...
Steelers take offensive tackle for 2nd straight draft, selecting Washington’s Troy Fautanu
After ignoring tackle in the first round of the NFL Draft for more than two decades, the Pittsburgh Steelers lately have made it a trendy position on their board. For the second time in as many years, the Steelers selected a tackle with their top pick. Holding the No. 20...
Steelers encounter NFL Draft class loaded with receivers, corners but lacking at other spots
For the first time in NFL history, quarterbacks could be drafted with the first four picks. Six could be selected in the first round. Wide receivers could be taken at a historical rate, too. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently had as many 12 listed among his top 50 overall...
Joe Rutter’s Steelers mock draft: It’s time to fill that hole in middle of offensive line
It makes perfect sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers to take a center early in the NFL Draft. Simply put, they do not have a viable candidate on the roster despite what general manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin continue to say about their internal options. Khan keeps dropping the name...
Report: Steelers restructure contract of OLB Alex Highsmith, creating $7 million in cap space
The Pittsburgh Steelers are clearing some salary cap space ahead of the NFL Draft. The contract of outside linebacker Alex Highsmith has been restructured, converting most of his $10.733 million salary into a signing bonus, NFL Network reported Wednesday. Highsmith is in the first year of a four-year, $68 million...
NFL Draft preview: Deep cornerback class awaits Steelers as they reshape position
Of the five cornerbacks who dressed for the 2023 season opener, four no longer play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That makes Joey Porter Jr., with all of 11 career starts, the longest-tenured Steelers player at his position as the organization prepares for the NFL Draft. Patrick Peterson was released and...
Steelers not ‘overly thirsty’ entering draft despite glaring hole at center
The work done in the offseason, via signings and trades, has saturated the Pittsburgh Steelers roster and kept coach Mike Tomlin hydrated as the NFL Draft approaches. “We’ve addressed a lot of needs, and you don’t feel overly thirsty in any particular area,” Tomlin said Monday at a pre-draft news...
NFL Draft preview: Steelers could pass on safety class that is lacking top-tier prospects
Since taking Terrell Edmunds with the No. 28 overall pick in 2018 and trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick a year later, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t needed to use an early draft pick on the safety position. The only additions via the draft came late on the third day. In 2020, the...
NFL Draft preview: In lean year for inside linebackers, Steelers can ride with veteran starters
When the Pittsburgh Steelers broke training camp last year, they had three veteran free agents sharing playing time at inside linebacker. All three were starters elsewhere and provided an ample level of comfort at a spot that was completely retooled that offseason. “We felt really good about the position,” general...
NFL Draft preview: Inspired by Micah Parsons, Penn State duo trying to make mark as pass rushers
It’s fitting that Chop Robinson’s draft bio on the NFL website compares him to Dallas Cowboys star defender Micah Parsons. Although they played different positions at Penn State, they have enough similar traits that personnel execs believe Robinson can follow in Parsons’ footsteps and excel as an NFL pass rusher....
NFL Draft preview: High-end defensive tackles lacking in 2024 class
For a team that could use another infusion of youth on the defensive line, the Pittsburgh Steelers elected to stockpile veteran depth in the offseason. The Steelers re-signed nose tackle Montravius Adams to a two-year contract at the outset of free agency. They added ninth-year veteran Dean Lowry, who turns...
NFL Draft preview: Could Steelers’ quest for right tackle lead them back to Georgia?
History might be the only reason to believe the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t select an offensive tackle in the first round of the NFL Draft. Until last season, when they drafted Broderick Jones, the Steelers hadn’t taken a tackle with their first-round pick since 1996, which lessens the odds of them...
