Steelers/NFL category, Page 103
First Call: Mike Tomlin’s quote about Brandon Aiyuk last year; still no contract extension for Sidney Crosby
In Thursday’s “First Call,” we look back on what Mike Tomlin said about Brandon Aiyuk after he scorched the Pittsburgh Steelers last September. We are still waiting for a Sidney Crosby contract extension. A former Steeler in Baltimore is dealing with a knee injury. And the picture is getting awfully...
If Steelers offer only picks and no players to 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk, ‘the deal is dead’
According to some reports out of Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon, a long-discussed trade that would send San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to the Steelers was practically a done deal. John Lund of KNBR in San Francisco says that’s not the case, because the Steelers are only offering draft...
Steelers inside the ropes: Running game takes center stage as O-line imposes will on defense
Be it the influence of new coordinator Arthur Smith, the culmination of two full years of the Omar Khan-Andy Weidl regime or just where the pendulum is swinging with these Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s become a trend that when the pads come on during training camp, so does an effective running...
Steelers camp report: Even after ruled out for game, several vets go through padded practiceVideo
Early Wednesday morning, coach Mike Tomlin announced that seven of his most established veteran players would not participate in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason opener Friday. Ninety minutes later, though, six of those seven took part in a fully-padded, tackling-allowed practice at Saint Vincent College. Tomlin said that quarterback Russell Wilson,...
Tim Benz: Make the Brandon Aiyuk decision about Brandon Aiyuk, not Van Jefferson
Here’s a friendly exchange I overheard between a fan and a media member during Tuesday’s Steelers training camp practice. I didn’t want to jump into someone else’s conversation. But I will in my own column. Fan: “When are the Steelers going to get Brandon Aiyuk?” Reporter: “I don’t know. But...
Steelers sign rookie ILB Easton Gibbs
Two days before their preseason opener, the Pittsburgh Steelers swapped inside linebackers in signing rookie Easton Gibbs on Wednesday. Gibbs (6-foot, 230 pounds) went undrafted out of Wyoming but was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. The Seahawks, though, placed him on the on the non-football...
Cause of death revealed for ex-Ravens Super Bowl star Jacoby Jones who played for Steelers
Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl star Jacoby Jones died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease caused by high blood pressure, according to a New Orleans medical examiner. Jones was just 40 years old when he died on July 14. The listed cause of death was natural. Jones helped power the Baltimore Ravens to...
Justin Fields to start at QB, play ‘couple of series’ in Steelers’ preseason opener
The NFL’s reduction from four to three preseason games in 2021 naturally led to reduced playing time for veteran players. For Russell Wilson, that meant getting zero snaps in the 2021-22 preseasons, his last year with the Seattle Seahawks and first with the Denver Broncos. The script changed last season...
Tim Benz: Few debatable points from the Steelers’ initial 2024 depth chart
The Pittsburgh Steelers released their first depth chart of 2024 on Tuesday. Very few spots were surprising. But there is still plenty to discuss. Quarterback Much to the dismay of many national media outlets who are trying to invent a quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh for the sake of content, Russell...
First Call: Christian McCaffrey’s ‘former teammate’ slip about Brandon Aiyuk; former Steeler DL has new AFC homeVideo
Pittsburgh Steelers fans may want to take note of something Christian McCaffrey said about 49ers teammate Brandon Aiyuk. Fantasy football players may want to take note of some injury news for McCaffrey. Plus, there is some clarity about the passing of former Steeler Jacoby Jones. And Ex-Steeler Jonathan Marshall has...
Mark Madden: Brandon Aiyuk fills a desperate need for Steelers. Go get him.
After months of speculation, San Francisco has put want-away wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on the market. The Steelers are among the teams kicking the tires. If the Steelers don’t get Aiyuk, it’s a failure by management. If Cleveland gets Aiyuk, the Steelers will finish last in the AFC North. (The...
Steelers inside the ropes: Interceptions prominent as reserve defensive backs have their day
Ben Roethlisberger once left Saint Vincent College proud of himself for accomplishing his self-dictated goal for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2017 training camp. “Didn’t throw an interception all camp,” Big Ben beamed when camp broke that August. “So that was good.” Not so good, then, during Tuesday’s practice was when Steelers...
Top pick Troy Fautanu gets 1st-team reps at right tackle as Steelers build toward preseason opener
What transpired Tuesday could be a watershed moment in Troy Fautanu’s first NFL training camp. Or it could mean little in the grand scheme of his development. Fautanu wasn’t trying to read anything into his getting his most significant work at right tackle with the first-team offense since training camp...
Rookie John Rhys Plumlee embraces shot to return punts, focuses on duties as No. 4 QB
While a rumor about Justin Fields returning kickoffs dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers social-media news cycle for a time this spring, when training camp opened, it wasn’t Fields back for kickoffs but a different quarterback fielding a different sort of kick. Rookie John Rhys Plumlee has been a regular in the...
Steelers players trying not to be distracted by trade talk involving 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk
Based on the way he has progressed in training camp, Van Jefferson has taken steps toward becoming the No. 2 wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jefferson’s spot on the depth chart, however, would drop in the event the Steelers acquire Brandon Aiyuk in a trade with the San Francisco...
QB Russell Wilson has busiest practice day of Steelers camp yetVideo
Russell Wilson still isn’t taking a full workload of practice reps. But he’s inching closer to it. Tuesday’s Pittsburgh Steelers training-camp practice was Wilson’s busiest yet in regards to his participation. Wilson took part in the fully-padded and tackling-permitted practice and for the first time threw passes during 11-on-11 drills....
Steelers featured in Bud Light commercial, limited-edition canVideo
The Pittsburgh Steelers are at training camp, meaning football season is upon us. Another sign? The commercials. In the new ‘Easy to Sunday’ commercial for the 2024 NFL season, the opening scene features a Steelers fan steaming his jersey and strutting through his house decked in Steelers’ gear before the...
First Call: Steelers to see 1st-team offense from Texans Friday; Pirates get stiff test in series opener vs. Padres
The Steelers will get a strong challenge at Acrisure Stadium in Friday’s preseason opener, and the Pirates will get one on the mound Tuesday night. Also, a Steelers division rival is dealing with an injury issue along the defensive front, and a former Steeler loses out on a shot to...
Tim Benz: If Brandon Aiyuk really wants to become a Steeler, now is the time to play that card
If San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk really wants to play for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s got the rarest of opportunities to do so. Right now. Aiyuk is in the unique position of essentially being a free agent while under contract with his original team. Normally, the...
Catching 300 balls after practice daily exemplifies what Van Jefferson can bring as Steelers’ WR2
The son of a longtime former NFL player at his position, Van Jefferson remembers plenty of what his father, Shawn, taught him about work ethic. “He always had me doing something,” the younger Jefferson said after a recent Pittsburgh Steelers training camp practice. “Whether that’s just cutting the grass or...
Mark Madden: Russell Wilson offers Steelers a reliable presence at QB; Justin Fields doesn’t
Once his calf is totally healed, and he’s taking regular snaps, and the 100% fabricated battle for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback job is over, Russell Wilson will be the team’s saving grace. If there’s anything to be made of the team’s 2024 season, Wilson will do it. Not the $160...
First Call: Steelers working out a WR; No. 3 QB pushing Kenny Pickett in Philly; Brandon Aiyuk trade talk in Cleveland, New EnglandVideo
Monday’s “First Call” takes a look at a wide receiver the Pittsburgh Steelers are checking out. A few teams may be in a better position for a Brandon Aiyuk trade than the Steelers are at this point. We examine Kenny Pickett’s progress (or lack thereof) in Philadelphia. And Gerrit Cole...
Inside the ropes: Fullback Jack Colletto gets featured role in short-yardage situations
On a day when the Pittsburgh Steelers practiced goal-line and short-yardage situations, it was a chance to get the fullback involved in the offensive game plan. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith likes using a fullback as well as multiple tight ends. Last year, when Smith was the head coach in...
DeMarvin Leal using versatility to take on larger role on Steelers defense
The training camp roster still lists DeMarvin Leal as weighing 290 pounds, although it’s clear he is much leaner than in his first two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The roster also lists his position as defensive end, although that isn’t entirely accurate, either. Leal continues to play the position...
Steelers camp report: 6-day stretch ends with emphasis on short-yardage, goal-line situations
Mike Tomlin wasn’t about to let his Pittsburgh Steelers players go into their off day on a gentle note. The Steelers practiced for a sixth consecutive day Sunday and for the fourth time in pads during that stretch. Two days earlier, the Steelers had a physical practice under the lights...
