First Call: Steelers dangled as potential landing spot for Kirk Cousins; Minkah Fitzpatrick on K.C. gadget play touchdowns

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick gives his opinions on T.J. Watt, Teryl Austin and those trick plays by the Kansas City Chiefs.

We also have various thoughts on how the Steelers may attack their need at quarterback. Jerome Bettis is backing a worthy endeavor. And a positive sign for a Penguins prospect.

No room for interpretation

Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick had plenty to say in his final media session of the year.

When asked about the possibility of his teammate T.J. Watt winning the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, Fitzpatrick said, “If he doesn’t win it this year, it’s crazy. It’s rigged if he doesn’t win.”

Watt tied the NFL’s single season sack record, matching the mark set by Michael Strahan in 2001. He was second in the voting behind Pitt product and Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald a year ago. Watt was third behind New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore and Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Chandler Jones in 2019.

Fitzpatrick was also asked about the Chiefs running trick plays in the red zone to extend their lead on the Steelers in the second half of their 42-21 runaway win in Round 1 of the AFC playoffs Sunday.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a one-yard touchdown to offensive lineman Nick Allegretti to make the score 28-7.

BIG MAN TD ALERT! #ChiefsKingdom#PITvsKC on NBC and @peacockTV. pic.twitter.com/hY1McGAUDX

— #SuperWildCard Weekend on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 17, 2022

Then tight end Travis Kelce threw a touchdown pass to Byron Pringle.

Travis Kelce catches touchdown passes.
Travis Kelce also throws touchdown passes. #PITvsKC on NBC and @peacockTV. pic.twitter.com/utRCdh6ShC

— #SuperWildCard Weekend on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 17, 2022

Fitzpatrick said he was upset about what the Chiefs were doing. But he wasn’t mad at them. He was angry that the Steelers defense had been so bad that the Chiefs felt secure enough to call those plays in a postseason game.

“Teams shouldn’t feel comfortable in a ‘gotta have it moment’ throwing a touchdown to somebody who wears No. 73,” Fitzpatrick said. “They shouldn’t feel comfortable having their tight end throwing the ball. I don’t care who it is. Nothing against them, to me it was very frustrating. That’s saying a lot.”

Pringle and Allegretti were two of five pass catchers to haul in touchdowns on the night. Kelce had one receiving, too.

Related:

• Keith Butler mulling retirement as Mike Tomlin faces changes to Steelers coaching staff
• Stephon Tuitt's future remains one of the Steelers' biggest questions heading into 2022

More Minkah

Fitzpatrick gave his two cents’ worth on Teryl Austin as well. The Steelers defensive backs coach is believed to be an assistant coach that some teams may consider for open head coaching vacancies.

If no one takes a swing at hiring Austin in that capacity, someone may want him as a defensive coordinator. That makes Fitzpatrick nervous.

“T.A. is a great coach. I’m not going to talk too great about him because I want him to stay in Pittsburgh, and I know everybody else is trying to get at him,” Fitzpatrick said with a smile. “His attention to detail. The way that he approaches the game. The way that he lets the players have a voice. I’m appreciative of that.”

If defensive coordinator Keith Butler retires — something Mike Tomlin acknowledged as a possibility on Tuesday — Austin could make sense as a coordinator.

Austin logged five seasons as a defensive coordinator in Detroit. His 2014 squad boasted the league’s No. 2 defense.

Bus on board

Steelers legend Jerome Bettis is joining The Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research as a board member.

The organization — named after the four-time Super Bowl winning Steelers coach — has been set up to diminish the impact of sports related brain injuries.

“The Chuck Noll Foundation’s mission to diminish the impact of head injuries goes beyond professional sports — and has the potential to impact every kid who is injured playing in the front yard, and every person who falls or gets in a car accident,” said Bettis via a release from the foundation. “Traumatic brain injuries are a major cause of disability, impacting athletes at all levels and people of all ages.”

Steelers owner Art Rooney II is chairman of the foundation’s board.

Man from Minnesota

During his Tuesday press conference, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said all options are on the table when it comes to what his franchise may do with the quarterback position, assuming Ben Roethlisberger officially retires in the next few weeks.

Presumably, that means drafting a quarterback, trading for one, signing one in free agency, or just sticking with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins.

On the trade front, Kirk Cousins’ name has been floated out in recent months. Chad Graff at The Athletic kicked that talk into gear again Monday when he listed the Steelers, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos as potential landing spots if the Minnesota Vikings want to trade their veteran signal caller.

However, Graff acknowledges that a team trading for Cousins would have to take on a $35 million cap hit for the one year remaining on his deal. So — unless the Vikings come up with a way to retain some of that cash — a deal may be tough to swing.

“The number of teams capable of making a trade for Cousins without the Vikings taking on additional money is slim,” Graff said. “The top options for a Cousins trade seem to be the Broncos, Steelers and Panthers, with a couple of other teams perhaps marginally interested. The Panthers wouldn’t have enough cap space to incur an additional $35 million. The Broncos and Steelers barely would, but that’s without factoring in free agents or a rookie draft class.”

Cousins was 14 of 31 for 216 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions during Minnesota’s 36-28 win over the Steelers this season.

Meanwhile, an ESPN.com story suggests the Steelers won’t lean toward a veteran quarterback, instead they’ll look to draft Ben Roethlisberger’s successor. One unnamed league executive intimated they may be interested in Pitt’s Kenny Pickett.

Broz bags one

It took a while, but Tristan Broz has his first NCAA goal.

The Penguins prospect now plays for the University of Minnesota, and he scored goal No. 1 of his college career Friday against Alaska during a 4-1 win.

Someone pick up that puck!

What a shot for goal No. 1, @tristanbroz! pic.twitter.com/63F83tMshl

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) January 15, 2022

Broz had just two assists in 17 games before that goal. The freshman forward was the Penguins’ second-round pick in the 2021 draft.