Steelers/NFL category, Page 196
First Call: Coaching rumor has ties to Steelers OC position; Patriots a favorite to land Lamar Jackson if he leaves Ravens
Monday’s “First Call” has a coaching rumor tied to the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator position. It’s NFL draft scouting season, so let’s start with a guy the Steelers noticed at the Hula Bowl. Also, the odds are out on where Lamar Jackson may wind up if he leaves Baltimore. More...
Numbers don’t add up for Steelers’ Diontae Johnson in bizarre season
When it comes to Diontae Johnson, perhaps the only thing more difficult to figure than his tweets these days is that he somehow made it through 17-game season without even one touchdown. According to pro-football-reference.com, Johnson in 2022 set dubious NFL records for most receptions (86) and targeted throws (147)...
First Call: Steelers LB Devin Bush sends curious tweet; Ravens RB grumbles about carries after playoff loss; Pens need a winVideo
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush sent an eyebrow-raising tweet over the weekend. A Baltimore Ravens running back is unhappy with his role in his team’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Penguins have a Monday game against a struggling opponent they need to beat. And we share an honor for...
Madden Monday: Blame for ‘scared’ Steelers offense misplaced — look to Mike Tomlin, not Matt Canada
Pittsburgh Steelers fans definitely noticed that the Miami Dolphins nearly took down the Buffalo Bills in their AFC playoff game Sunday. As the seventh seed in the AFC playoff bracket, the Dolphins went to Buffalo and only lost 34-31 despite being 13-point underdogs. That result seems to have Steelers fans...
Steelers faced with adding pieces to defense that again could be NFL’s highest paid in 2023
The way the Pittsburgh Steelers defense finished the season, it provided justification for all of the money earmarked to that side of the football. Heralded as the highest-paid defense in the NFL, the Steelers got some bang for their buck in the second half when a 7-2 finish and four...
A case for — and against — the Steelers keeping each of their UFAs on offense/special teams
When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming crop of unrestricted free agents, the heavy lean is to those on defense. Nine players who started at least one game on defense are scheduled to be UFAs, including four who were full-time starters. On offense, the pending free agent who played...
Friday Football Footnotes: 1 neutral site AFC title game would be bad enough — making it permanent is an awful idea
Now that the door has been opened to such a conversation, there are some who feel that the NFL may give consideration to having the AFC and NFC Championship games in a neutral site. Dumb idea. Well, dumb from the standpoint of what’s good for the fans. I’m sure it’d...
Steelers FS Minkah Fitzpatrick named to AP 1st-team All-Pro list for 3rd time in career
Minkah Fitzpatrick continues to pull in the hardware. The Pittsburgh Steelers free safety was named to the AP All-Pro first team Friday for the third time in his NFL career. Fitzpatrick also made the first-team list in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He was the only Steelers player to earn...
The case for — and against — Steelers keeping each of their free agents on defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers offseason has just begun — but the “legal tampering” period for unrestricted free agency begins a mere two months from Friday. As such, the Trib will take a look at each of the Steelers’ 18 players scheduled for free agency, and why (or why not) the Steelers...
Mark Madden: Steelers offense was terrible, but was it Matt Canada’s fault?
The citizenry has dubbed offensive coordinator Matt Canada the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Great Satan, visiting upon Canada all the sins of an offense that averaged just 18.1 points per game. Everything that went wrong was Canada’s fault. If it went right, it was the doing of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. The...
First Call: Decisions in New England may impact Steelers coaching staff; Penguins face tough challenge; Pitt looks to rebound
Friday’s “First Call” has an update on a job hunt that involves a Pittsburgh Steelers assistant. The Metropolitan Division in the NHL had an interesting night. The Penguins were aided by some old friends. Also, the Winnipeg Jets are at PPG Paints Arena on Friday. And the Pitt hoops team...
Tim Benz: Steelers need to decide how real its offensive line improvement truly was
In a way, I feel bad for the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen. In a few ways, actually. For one, the fans and media were all so certain that the offensive line was the Steelers’ weakest link that it wasn’t until early November that the public stopped holding the unit responsible...
Ahkello Witherspoon’s lost 2022 could mean he isn’t back with Steelers in 2023
For the first 12 days of the season, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon never left the field when the Pittsburgh Steelers were on defense. From that point on, though, he barely made it onto the field. Witherspoon’s odds of getting on the field for the Steelers again might depend on the reason...
Steelers add 3 more to offseason roster, including former 4th-round pick RB Anthony McFarland
Running back Anthony McFarland is back for a fourth offseason with the Steelers. The team’s fourth-round pick in 2020 was signed Thursday to a reserve/future contract, adding him to the 90-man offseason roster. McFarland spent all but one game of this past season on the practice squad. During his lone...
Steelers assistant Brian Flores interviews with Browns to run their defense
CLEVELAND — Brian Flores landed in the AFC North last season. He might be ready to make a move inside the division. Flores, who joined coach Mike Tomlin’s staff in Pittsburgh following his messy departure in Miami, is interviewing with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday to be their new defensive...
Medical examiner reveals cause of death for former Steelers receiver
Nearly six months after the death of former Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles standout receiver Charles Johnson, the state medical examiner’s office released its findings in the case. According to the report, the 50-year-old took his own life by overdosing on drugs. According to reports, the medical examiner determined that...
First Call: Dolphins pass Steelers for dubious playoff stat; interesting college coaching name gets NFL interview
Postseason accolades keep rolling in for Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. A familiar college coaching name that may catch the Steelers’ eye is getting a look from the Denver Broncos. The Steelers have been passed by the Miami Dolphins for a dubious statistical note. In hockey, Connor McDavid keeps dazzling,...
U mad, bro?: Plenty of Steelers fans applaud team’s 9-8 finish, and push back on anyone who doesn’t
I would’ve loved to have included more Pittsburgh Steelers posts in this week’s “U mad, bro?” But I couldn’t because my fellow Trib Sports writers and I are busy coordinating coverage for the Steelers victory parade. Yup. The Steelers annual “Non-Losing Season Celebration” is underway. The route started on Grant...
Tim Benz: Biggest reasons Steelers turned season around — and can they do them again in ’23?
In 2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers started the season 2-6. They ended up 9-8. Here are the five big reasons why they were able to salvage a winning season and a look at if those positives may carry over to 2023. 1. Kenny Pickett started taking care of the ball The...
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward on retirement talk: ‘When I do something, I put my whole heart into it’
Still at the top of his game, there is no tangible evidence Cameron Heyward’s NFL career is over. But whether it’s psychological or motivational or something else, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ longtime captain continues to decline to definitively say he will be back for a 14th season with the team. Speaking...
Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick part of first NFLPA All-Pro team
There was credible new NFL All-Pro balloting introduced for this season, and Minkah Fitzpatrick is on the inaugural team. Voted by his teammates as the Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 MVP last week, Fitzpatrick again was honored by peers with his selection as the first-team All-Pro free safety in balloting done by...
Wilkinsburg native, former WVU safety Kenny Robinson among 4 signed by Steelers
Wilkinsburg native and West Virginia safety Kenny Robinson was among four players signed to reserve/future contracts with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. Robinson was a PIAA Class A all-state honoree while playing for Imani Christian, though he began his high school career at University Prep. A first-team Big 12 selection...
Tim Benz: Steelers finished strong in ’22, but their trend of awful starts needs to change
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2022 season winning seven of nine games. As a result, some NFL fans and media members are lobbying for Mike Tomlin to win Coach of the Year. That’s ridiculous. Tomlin had a squad that was 9-7-1 last year and lost in the first round of...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger wants this Steelers TE to get more involved; Ravens keep Roquan Smith; crazy night in Metro
Ben Roethlisberger wants a certain Pittsburgh Steelers pass catcher to have an increased role next season. Former Steeler James Washington may have a new home soon. Tuesday night was on tilt in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division. Pitt and Duquesne are both on the men’s basketball stage Wednesday. And the Baltimore...
Steelers sign 10 to reserve/future contracts, including 9 of their 16-man practice squad
Nine of the players who finished the season on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 16-man practice squad were formally kept in the organization for the offseason when they were signed to reserve/future contracts Tuesday. The moves keep the players on the 90-man offseason roster. The Steelers on Tuesday afternoon announced deals with...
