Steelers/NFL category, Page 274

It’s difficult to be optimistic about the Steelers. A decent training camp provided a slight nudge in that direction. But T.J. Watt didn’t start practicing till Wednesday. Stephon Tuitt is injured/grieving/out of shape and could miss half the season, maybe more. Zach Banner is hurt — he is always hurt...

Wednesday’s “First Call” sees little concern among NFL executives about T.J. Watt’s minimal training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The ACC still has a decent Top 25 presence after a tough first week. But it is slipping. Ex-Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole suffered an injury in New York. We have a...

As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the start of the 2021 season in Buffalo on Sunday, it seems like a good idea to check in with their competition within the AFC North. To do that, I got in touch with some media colleagues in each city to get their perspectives...

In advance of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season-opening road game against the Buffalo Bills, head coach Mike Tomlin spoke extensively about Buffalo’s continuity within their coaching staff and their roster ever since Sean McDermott took over in 2017. “That (continuity) is one of the reasons why they’re regarded the way that...

This picture is worth 1,608 words. Word artist Dan Duffy handwrote the name of every Steelers football player dating back to 1933 in a way that it created what appears to be the likeness of Heinz Field. Duffy, who owns Art of Words, creates caligrams — words arranged in a...

As many as five members of the Pittsburgh Steelers draft class will start or be regular contributors Sunday when they open the season at the Buffalo Bills. It’s an unusually high number of rookies to start for any team, let alone one coming off a division championship and 12-4 record....

When the Pittsburgh Steelers ramp up practice Wednesday in preparation for the season opener Sunday at Buffalo, coach Mike Tomlin expects outside linebacker T.J. Watt to take part in it. Watt hasn’t practiced in a 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 capacity during the entire offseason or preseason while awaiting a new contract...

Tuesday’s “First Call” checks in on the contractual stalemate between T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens managed to ink a star to an extension. An ex-Pirates pitcher got one, too. The ACC had a rough opening weekend. And a Cincinnati Bengals rookie is working through a...

It appears four rookies will start on offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their regular-season opener. The team released its depth chart Monday, and each of its top four draft picks were listed as first-teamers on offense: running back Najee Harris, tight end Pat Freiermuth (shared with veteran Eric Ebron),...

New Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon recently earned his undergraduate degree in ecological and evolutionary biology from Colorado, and he wants to become a doctor. Those plans, however, are on the back burner. He has more immediate matters at hand as a football player. “I’m putting my degree on hold...

On a day in which T.J. Watt again sat out team drills at practice, an announcement of the Pittsburgh Steelers captains for this season had their most decorated defensive player conspicuously absent. That didn’t mean it was devoid of a Watt. After serving as a defensive co-captain in 2020, T.J....

Six days prior to the Pittsburgh Steelers regular-season opener, T.J. Watt’s practice regimen remained the same as it had for the first six weeks of training camp. That would suggest his status for Sunday’s game at the Buffalo Bills is not certain. Watt’s practice status and participation Monday was status...

A contract extension for Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt is imminent. On the verge of happening. Looming. Around the corner. On the way. On the cusp. If we keep saying things like that, eventually it’s going to be correct, right? Unless it isn’t. Every perceived mile marker on the...

When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Chris Wormley to a two-year contract in March, they thought they were keeping a second free agent defensive linemen from departing in free agency. Two days earlier, Tyson Alualu had agreed to terms on a two-year contract to return to Jacksonville, where he spent the...

Jason Kendall was relaxing at his home in Pittsburgh’s southwest suburbs when his phone rang about 9 a.m. on a sunny, seasonal, late-summer Tuesday. Seeing it was his brother calling, the then-Pittsburgh Pirates star catcher instinctively knew something was amiss. “You know how you get that phone call early enough,...

Tunch Ilkin, the former broadcaster and tackle whose hard-nosed play on the football field was matched by his kindness and generosity off it, died Saturday after a year-long fight with ALS, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced. He was 63. Ilkin had a four-decade association with the Steelers, the first 13 as...

Why hasn’t T.J. Watt signed yet? We keep getting told a contract extension is imminent. But the definition of “imminent” cites a time frame that is momentary, not several weeks. Are the Pittsburgh Steelers flinching on giving Watt the guaranteed money he wants, reportedly in the neighborhood of $100 million?...

As one of only six who have won the “Chief Award” multiple times as the Pittsburgh Steelers player most cooperative with media, Cameron Heyward has demonstrated a good relationship with local reporters. So much so, apparently, they aren’t afraid to needle him. And as one of the Steelers’ elder statesmen,...

When the Pittsburgh Steelers’ initial 53-man roster was revealed this week, there were hints it wouldn’t be the group that took the field for the regular-season opener Sept. 12. Friday became the latest proof. The Steelers acquired veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon via a trade with the Seahawks, sending a 2023...

Ex-Steelers punter Jordan Berry already has a new job. It comes with an ironic twist. Steelers fans will like one bold prediction from ESPN.com but probably will hate a second one. Also, a statistical warning for the Steelers’ opening opponent. And those who remain from the Robert Morris hockey program...

The rivalry between the Steelers and Bengals may not be as bloodthirsty as it was five or six years ago. But you’d never know that by listening to former Bengal Adam “PacMan” Jones. The former Cincinnati defensive back has made no bones about continuing his disdain for the Steelers into...

Zach Banner’s return to the Pittsburgh Steelers lineup after a torn ACL will have to wait at least three weeks once the regular season begins. Same goes for Anthony McFarland and Stephon Tuitt. All three were placed on injured reserve Wednesday, meaning they will miss at least the season opener...