First Call: Steelers aim to add to secondary; ex-coach alarmed by Packers fans taking over Acrisure Stadium

The Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing to patch holes in their secondary. A former coach here is not pleased with how many fans sold their tickets to Green Bay fans over the weekend.

We share some gambling trends in advance of Steelers-Colts on Sunday. Plus, there are some awards for Robert Morris’ women’s hockey team.

All of that is in Wednesday’s “First Call.”

More to come

A reported trade to acquire New England’s Kyle Dugger may not be the only move the Steelers make to bolster their secondary.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the franchise is also adding former Washington Commanders safety Darrick Forrest to the practice squad.

Forrest was a fifth-round pick by the Commanders out of the University of Cincinnati in 2021. He has played in 40 career games with 17 starts, tallying 137 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, nine pass deflections and four interceptions.

Former Commanders safety Darrick Forest is signing with the Steelers practice squad, per source.

Forrest has played in 40 career games (17 starts). Some depth amidst injuries on the back end. pic.twitter.com/fH3ExZumDA

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 28, 2025

The Steelers will be without safety DeShon Elliott for at least this upcoming game versus the Indianapolis Colts. Head coach Mike Tomlin referred to him as week-to-week with a hyper-extended knee.

Although Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network is claiming that Elliott is going on injured reserve to make room on the roster for Dugger.

Pittsburgh also lost safety and special teams captain Miles Killebrew to a knee injury two weeks ago against the Cleveland Browns.

Smelly cheese

Bruce Arians thinks it stinks that there were so many Cheeseheads at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday night.

The former Steelers offensive coordinator was on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, and he wasn’t thrilled to see so many Packers fans winding up with tickets at a Pittsburgh home game.

“I’ve never seen the Steelers have to use a silent count at home,” Arians said. “For the Steelers fans, that’s embarrassing. When you’ve got that many Packers fans in (Acrisure Stadium), that’s unheard of. That was a bad sign for me.”

Making home teams go to silent counts was always a bragging point for Steelers fans who travel to away games. Now it happened here with the infiltration of Packers fans we saw on the North Shore over the weekend.

Although when Arians says it’s a “bad sign,” I’m not so sure it is. Green Bay doesn’t often come to Pittsburgh. It was a unique situation with the Aaron Rodgers factor.

That felt like a one-off to me. Despite Indianapolis’ success this year, I wouldn’t expect the Colts to bring that many fans this week.

More sports

• Reports: Steelers acquire safety Kyle Dugger from Patriots in wake of DeShon Elliott injury
• Tim Benz: No appetite for another blame-shifting, coordinator witch hunt with the Steelers
• Tim Benz: Additions to Steelers shouldn't stop with Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Staying consistent

The Packers entered Acrisure Stadium as three-point favorites with the best win percentage in the NFC at 4-1-1. They left 5-1-1 with a 10-point (35-25) win.

The Colts are coming to town with the best record in the AFC at 7-1. They are also a three-point favorite according to BetRivers.

That feels like a low line to me based on how well Indianapolis is playing, and how poorly the Steelers are playing, particularly on defense.

Pittsburgh has the 30th-ranked defense in the NFL. The Colts have the most points in football (270) and the most offensive yards gained in football (3,082). That’s the reason for a fairly high point total of over/under 50.

Here are a few other BetRivers stats to consider before you let your heart be your guide while gambling on the Steelers:

• Indy has won 12 in a row as a favorite against AFC teams.

• The Colts have covered their point spread six games in a row against the AFC.

However, the Colts haven’t won in Pittsburgh since 2008. That’s a four-game losing streak here, where they have given up 37.5 points per game. Indianapolis hosted the Steelers last year and in 2023. They won both contests.

Effort rewarded

The Robert Morris women’s hockey team is getting some acknowledgment from the conference for its weekend sweep of Delaware on the road. The Colonials won both games of a weekend set by the same score of 5-0.

Along the way, Kaitlyn Schooley was named Atlantic Hockey defenseman of the week, and Jessica MacKinnon was named forward of the week.

Skill was on display last week for our Players of the Week! ????#NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/shL4hzgSqJ

— Atlantic Hockey America (@Atlantic_Hockey) October 28, 2025

Schooley — whose father (Derek) is the men’s coach at RMU — was playing against her sister, Taylor. She got three assists and was a plus-5. MacKinnon had three goals and three assists during the weekend.

The Colonials next play Penn State (10-0) at home this weekend for two games Friday (3 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m.). The Nittany Lions are ranked sixth in the country.

The men’s team hosts Niagara at 7 p.m. Friday before driving up to play the Purple Eagles at 6 p.m. Saturday.