Steelers/NFL category, Page 119
Tim Benz: Assume huge gap between what Steelers are saying about WR search and what’s really going onVideo
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan appeared on Tuesday’s “Pat McAfee Show” with an update on his team’s hunt for a veteran starting wide receiver. The update is that there is no update. That conversation has been in high gear since Diontae Johnson was traded to Carolina in early March,...
6th round DB Ryan Watts a potential addition to Steelers’ collection of ‘Avatar’ cornerbacks
It was during organized team activities early last summer when it was revealed that Mike Tomlin referred to two of his incoming draft picks as “Avatar cornerbacks.” Eleven months later, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach added to his collection of oversized, athletic humanoids in the secondary. As the final of seven...
Tim Benz: Forget memes and nicknames, Omar Khan showed guts in a different way in 2024 Steelers’ draft
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan has developed a reputation for being more aggressive than his longtime predecessor and mentor Kevin Colbert. Fans of the team sure do love yelling “Khan Artist” and sharing social media clips of Omar from “The Wire” with Khan’s face edited onto them. For all...
5 on Fautanu: Steelers ‘got a steal’ in their 1st-round pick
Everyone in Pittsburgh seems to love the first-round NFL Draft selection of Troy Fautanu. But let’s get the opinion of someone who covered Fautanu during his entire career at the University of Washington. Dick Fain hosts the afternoon show at 93.3 KJR in Seattle with Dave “Softy” Mahler. He is...
First Call: Ex-Steeler says team is ‘close to landing a significant playmaker’; Bill Cowher staying with CBS as changes swirl
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” a former Steeler has everyone playing a guessing game about who the club may be trying to acquire via trade or free agency. Bill Cowher is staying on CBS’ NFL pregame show as other significant changes are happening. The Steelers are bringing a former Baltimore Raven...
Draft pick Payton Wilson brings passion to Steelers LB corps
What Payton Wilson lacks in a prominent piece of fibrous connective tissue, he makes up for in knowing exactly the right things to say. Call it a different way of displaying a high football IQ, at least when it came to Wilson’s words during his conference call with Pittsburgh media...
Mark Madden: Immediately grading a draft is meaningless — but the Steelers get an A. Yay!
The NFL Draft is mercifully over. But the hype preceding wasn’t the low point. The post-draft is even worse. The draft itself was pretty cockeyed, too. More than three-quarters of a million people gathered in downtown Detroit. This wasn’t Woodstock. It was young people being assigned a workplace with no...
First Call: Steelers reportedly reached out about a Courtland Sutton trade; Joey Porter Jr.’s cousin getting Steelers camp invite
At least one report says the Pittsburgh Steelers did make a trade inquiry about Denver receiver Courtland Sutton. Another supposed Steelers draft target says he was expecting to wind up in Pittsburgh when his phone rang in the second round. A cousin of Joey Porter Jr. is getting a camp...
Tim Benz: Subtle nuggets for each Steelers draft choice that could help them make an impact
We’ve spent a lot of time getting to know the Steelers’ new draft class based on how they performed at the college football level. But what will make them good fits in Pittsburgh, specifically with the current roster constructed as it is? Let’s go pick-by-pick with some subtleties and nuggets...
Madden Monday: Steelers’ solid draft won’t yield a spike in win total
According to Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE, the Pittsburgh Steelers checked some important boxes when it comes to the NFL Draft. Specifically, adding a lot of talent up front on offense by drafting Washington tackle Troy Fautanu and West Virginia center Zach Frazier. “I think they did...
Steelers hope new-look offensive line can become anchor for long-term success
Over a span of four draft classes that happened to begin just after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most recent Super Bowl triumph, the organization drafted eight offensive linemen. Five of their eight most premium draft picks between 2009 and 2012 — defined for this exercise as among the top two they...
Jeannette’s Robert Kennedy signs with Chargers
Robert Kennedy is on the doorstep of making his dream come true. The Jeannette alum continued his ascent to pro football, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night. The defensive back vaults into the NFL after he played a graduate season at N.C....
NFL Draft recap 2024: In-depth look at each Steelers pick, plus commentary, analysis
After three days in their war room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision makers emerged Saturday night after selecting seven players who could help shape the 2024 team. The Steelers fortified their offensive line and added key pieces on offense and defense. Trib beat writer Joe...
Steelers sign WVU CB Beanie Bishop, Georgia RB Daijun Edwards, other undrafted free agents
After declining to take a projected slot/nickel cornerback with any of their seven draft picks, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed one of the players they were thought to have been interested in as an undrafted free agent. West Virginia’s Beanie Bishop was among five signings the Steelers announced in the hours...
Tim Benz: Our annual ‘What the Steelers didn’t get in the draft’ recap
Pittsburgh Steelers fans are basking in the sunset of a draft that is largely deserving of applause — and here I come with your yearly rain cloud of discontent. It’s my annual I don’t want to write it, you don’t want to hear it, but someone has to say it,...
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...
Tim Benz: Our annual ‘What the Steelers didn’t get in the draft’ recap
Pittsburgh Steelers fans are basking in the sunset of a draft that is largely deserving of applause — and here I come with your yearly rain cloud of discontent. It’s my annual I don’t want to write it, you don’t want to hear it, but someone has to say it,...
Ryan Watts bio: Steelers’ 6th-round pick (195th overall) in 2024 NFL draft
Ryan Watts Sixth-round pick, No. 195 overall Cornerback, Texas 6-foot-3, 208 pounds Stats: Had three interceptions, one sack and 100 tackles (73 solo) in 38 games over four college seasons. Hometown: Little Elm, Tex. Tidbits: Spent the first two years of his college career at Ohio State as a four-star...
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...
Steelers take Iowa defensive tackle Logan Lee with the 2nd pick of the 6th round
When Logan Lee came to Pittsburgh earlier this month for an official pre-draft visit, Mike Tomlin was unavailable to be part of the welcoming party. But Lee, a longtime Steelers fan, already had met Tomlin. Sort of. “I was in high school … and I think his son (Dino) was...
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...
Mason McCormick bio: Steelers’ 4th-round pick (119th overall) in 2024 NFL draft
Mason McMormick Fourth-round pick, No. 119 overall Guard, South Dakota State 6-foot-4, 309 pounds Stats: Two-time defending FCS national champion South Dakota State ranked sixth nationally in both total offense and scoring offense in 2023 with McCormick as the starting left guard for all 30 games in that span. Hometown:...
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...
Tim Benz: Playing young linemen well worth the risk for Steelers
Steelers fans are getting exactly what they wanted so far in the 2024 NFL Draft. In the ramp-up to this selection weekend, I posted a social media poll asking what position the Steelers should address in the first round on Thursday. After 1,000 votes, 47.4% of respondents wanted a center...
