Tag Archives: Calvin Anderson

Steelers Cut Jonnu Smith — Raising Questions About Arthur Smith’s Offensive Choices

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The Pittsburgh Steelers cut tight end Jonnu Smith, making their first major personnel move ahead of free agency. The decision isn’t a surprise and upon closer inspection reveals more about ” the other Mr. Smith,” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and his 2025 offense than it does about Jonnu.

Jonnu Smith Denzel Ward, Steelers vs Browns

Jonnu Smith with 1 of his 3 catches. Photo Credit: Alyssa Rubin, Steelers.com

But cutting Jonnu Smith does save them 7 million dollars against the salary cap and while the Steelers aren’t strapped for space, more is better than less.

Jonnu Smith arrived in Pittsburgh last June as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami in return for Smith and Jalen Ramsey.

And Smith came in on a hot streak. He’d logged 50 catches in 2023 for Atlanta, doubling his 2022 total. In 2025 he played for the Miami Dolphins where he hauled in 88 catches, including 8 touchdowns.

With no true number 2 wide receiver to pair with D.K. Metcalf, Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin hoped they could Jonnu Smith would fill the void. Alas he could not.

Pat Freiermuth, Jordan Battle, Steelers vs Bengals, Steelers vs Bengals TNF

Pat Freiermuth stiff arms Jordan Battle en route to the end zone. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Perhaps most tellingly, the loss to the Bengals was the only game an Arthur Smith led tight-end-centric Steelers offense seemed to be viable concept, Jonnu Smith had 3 catches for 28 yards and was clearly outplayed by Pat Freiermuth who had 111 yards and 2 touchdowns.

  • One would figure that Arthur Smith would feature Pat Freiermuth more after that.

Alas, he did not.

By a hair, Jonnu Smith actually had a higher snap count that Freiermuth, despite the fact that Freiermuth more touchdowns, a better catch rate and higher success rate that Smith.

And that brings into focus the biggest quibble about former Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s brief tenure in Pittsburgh: He tended to favor his former players.

Jonnu Smith played for Arthur Smith both in Tennessee and at Atlanta. A year ago, MyCole Pruitt got playing time at the expense of Connor Heyward, despite the fact that Heyward out performed Pruitt – although the sample size is much smaller than the one for the Smith-Freiermuth comparison.

This is how Alan Saunders at SteelersNow described the dynamic after criticizing Omar Khan for acquiring Jonnu:

To be clear, it’s not necessarily his fault that Arthur Smith played favorites with Jonnu Smith to the point that he sabotaged his own unit’s success.

Saunders may be being a little harsh – the Steelers could have and should have found ways to get the ball into Freiermuth’s hands more frequently, but there were a lot of other things ailing the offense.

But in 2024 it seemed like Smith’s favoritism of Pruitt over Heyward suggested he had a blind spot when it came to favoring his former players, and his reliance on Smith at the expense of Freiermuth confirmed that suspicion in 2025.

Anderson Leaves Pittsburgh with Class

The Steelers also cut vetern offensive tackle Calvin Anderson ahead of free agency, saving themselves another 2 million dollars in salary cap space.

Anderson took the high road out of Pittsburgh

The NFL is a business. Players know that. But getting a visit from the Turk is never easy, especially when it may be your last stop.

But Anderson is handling it with class. We wish him well at his next stop or, if fate be it, in his “Life’s Work.”

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Steelers Report Card for Win Over Ravens – End of Semester Sprint Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher crossing his fingers in hopes that the end of the semester sprint has started, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the win over the 2025 Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Alex Highsmith, Derrick Harmon, Steelers vs Ravens

Alex Highsmith shut down Derrick Harmon. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, via Steelers.com

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers grabbed the “no long passes for a month” bull by the horns and tossed a 52 yarder to open the day. He launched several more long and intermediate passes throughout the afternoon, finishing 23 of 34 for 284 yards and one touchdown. Things trailed off in the 4th quarter, and that brings his grade down, but Rodgers’ performance was the difference in the game. Grade: A-Steelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
It was rough sledding on the ground for the Steelers. Jaylen Warren had 8 carries and only 13 yards. Kenneth Gainwell did “better” getting 15 yards and a touchdown on his 4 carries. Kaleb Johnson 4 yards on 2 carries. However, Gainwell had 6 catches for 27 yards, while Warren had 3 catches for 49 yards including a 38 yarder that he took to the house. Connor Heyward had 2 yards. Grade: C

Tight Ends
Darnell Washington had 1 catch for 12 yards and then left the game with a concussion. Pat Freiermuth had 2 catches for 9 yards. Jonnu Smith had zero catches on one target. Grade: C-

Wide Receiver
D.K. Metcalf exploded for 7 catches for 148 yards – this is exactly why the Steelers brought him to Pittsburgh. Calvin Austin turned a Go Ball on 3rd and 5 into a 31-yard gain on the final TD drive. Ben caught one pass for 13 yards that jump-started a drive. New comers Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling only had 2 targets, but in Tony Romo’s estimate, they commanded the attention of the defense in ways that Roman Wilson had been unable to do. Grade: A-

Offensive Line
It was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde effort for the Steelers offensive line. The line’s inability to create any sort of space to support a running game is simply appalling. It may have been the unit’s worst run blocking effort all year. On the flip side, have we ever seen a Steelers quarterback have that much time to throw against a Ravens’ defense – on the road no less. Grade: C

Defensive Line
The sample size is large enough. Keeanu Benton looks like he has it in him to be a decent to good defensive lineman, but he’s not a true nose tackle. He was moved too early and too often against the Ravens. Yahya Black continues to look good in the absence of Derrick Harmon. Cam Heyward led the group in tackles and made all sorts of contributions that don’t show up on the stat sheet. Grade: D

Linebackers
The Steelers defense, lost on the stat sheet. The linebackers had a role in giving up so much rushing yardage. But they also had a role in the defense’s ability to contain Derrick Henry without stopping him. Look no further than Cole Holcomb leading the team in tackles despite entering the game as an injury replacement. Beyond that, T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig both helped pressure Lamar Jackson into critical third down incompletions. The real star was Alex Highsmith. He had 3 tackles for a loss, including a critical goal line stop of Henry that forced a field goal, hit Lamar Jackson twice and ended the game with a sack. Grade: B-

Secondary
The Baltimore Ravens third down efficiency was 38% which is just a tick above average for them. That’s also about two ticks above average for the Steelers defense. The secondary accounted for one interception by James Pierre and two end zone pass breakups. More importantly, they helped force field goals on multiple occasions when no one was open on third down. That’s a little discussed difference. Grade: B+

Special Teams
Chris Boswell was perfect on his kicks. The Steelers return coverage was solid, never allowing Baltimore to gain an extra advantage. Corliss Waitman boomed off punts averaging close to 50 yards. Pittsburgh’s return game was sound. Grade: B

Cam Heyward, Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers, Steelers vs Ravens

Cam Heyward, Mike Tomlin & Aaron Rodgers walk off in triumph. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Coaching
Arthur Smith did not shy away from changing, incorporating two new receivers into his offense – clearly something had to change. He also decided to be aggressive early and often, throwing several deep strikes. Truth be told, he’d tried to do that in the last two games, without success.

  • They were successful against the Ravens, and that was the difference.

Ditto the solid pass protection from a line playing his 4th string right tackle – the Ravens may not have much of a pass rush, but the Steelers line won the battle it was supposed to win.

Commentators are already jumping on Teryl Austin for allowing the Ravens to pad their stats.

Those gaudy number might make Fantasy Football owners happy, and the Steelers clearly cannot allow that to continue, but judge performance by Reality Football metrics and you’ll that the Steelers defense forced field goals in 3 critical situations and made several other crucial third down stops.

To quote the late, great Craig Wolfley, losses like the last one against the Bills have the potential to be “Chess Grater” games.

  • Mike Tomlin did not allow that to happen.

Pittsburgh was far from perfect against Baltimore. But the Steelers were aggressive, focused, hungry while playing with the intensity you’d expect with the division title on the line. Credit Mike Tomlin for that. Grade: B+

Brandin Echols, Zay Flowers, Steelers vs Ravens

Brandin Echols knocks a touchdown pass away from Zay Flowers. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Unsung Hero Award
He batted away a pass to Zay Flowers in the end zone on Baltimore’s first trip to the Red Zone to force a field goal. After the Steelers scored a touchdown, he sacked Lamar Jackson on third down to force a punt. For those plays and for an afternoon of end-to-end solid play, Brandin Echols wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2025 win over the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

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The Case for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025

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September has arrived. Opening day against the Jets is days away. Once again, it’s time for Steel Curtain Rising’s annual, “The case for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025” column

A few years go I stated this tradition as memorial to my friend, the late, great Ivan Cole. Ivan would publish these columns annually for Behind the Steel Curtain, in the site’s golden age, and later for Rebecca Rollett’s Going Deep with the Steelers.

In penning these columns, I not only try to follow Ivan’s form but also attempt to find his voice. This has given me and hopefully readers a chance to continue to commune with this great Steelers scribe.

Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, Steelers St. Vincents

T.J. Watt rushes Aaron Rodgers at St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images, via SI.com

Expectations: Keeping An Eventful Offseason in Context

As we dive in, let’s use Ivan’s own words to establish our level of expectation:

If you’re looking for yet another set of predictions in what is the season of predictions you will be sorely disappointed here. I don’t do predictions, don’t believe in them. I’m sure someone will hit the nail on the head as to how the [2025] season will unfold, and there will be a certain element of skill involved in their assessment, but there will probably be a lot of luck involved as well.
What I attempt to bring to the table are some observations as to how to think about what factors might be key to a positive outcome for the Steelers this season. Specifically, what has to happen (and what has to not happen) in order for the team to, hopefully, make it to the playoffs and have a shot at the world championship.

Any look forward at what’s come must be firmly grounded in and understanding of what has transpired in this eventful off season.

So let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: The ending to the Steelers 2024 season, which featured 5 straight losses where Pittsburgh got progressively worse left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth.

7 months later it’s obvious that no one suffered the bitter taste of bile worse than Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan. To a man, they promised change. And they’ve delivered.

Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, Steelers training camp, St. Vincents

The Steelers Brain Trust @ St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports, via Yahoo! Sports

Precise numbers will vary depending on which NFL personnel accounting method you choose, but when the Steelers take the field against the Jets you’ll see that they’ve replaced approximately half of their starters since last year. Deep deeper into the depth chart, and you’ll find even more new faces.

  • For some, these changes are already insufficient.

Ever since Ben Roethlisberger injured his elbow, a large contingent of both the fans and the press have called for “ripping off the Band-Aid” and rebuilding the franchise, from the roster to the coaching staff, from scratch. They’ll point to the franchise’s on-going playoff drought as self-evident justification.

To those naysayers I offer this simple factoid:

Since Chris Boswell booted the Steelers to their last victory on that frigid Kansas City night in the wanning days of the Obama administration, the Chicago Bears have drafted 3 quarterbacks in the first round – all of them taken in the top 11, employed 2 general managers and 5 head coaches and enjoyed one winning season.

More importantly, that “coveted” playoff win remains elusive for the Bears too.

Which team would you prefer to root for? I know my answer.

Rebooting on Offense

Quarterback unquestionably remains the most important position in football. Long gone are the days when we remember names like Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson and Barry Sanders without having an inkling as to who their quarterbacks were.

And in this regard the Steelers do deserve their share of criticism for their misfires during the post-Roethlisberger era. But South Side brain trust deserves credit that they’re seldom granted: Despite their errors, the Steelers have avoided squandering an excessive amounts of draft capital or salary cap space on the position.

Like many of you, I was not initially a fan seeing Rogers in Black and Gold. At all. But since he’s signed, he’s both said and done all the right things. We’ve all had cases where we’ve befriended someone who didn’t have the best reputation, and then explained, “…you know he’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

  • Thus far that seems to be the case for Steelers Nation and Aaron Rodgers.

The proof will come in what we see on the field. It is hard to say much about that now, given his absence in preseason, but at St. Vincents all indications are that Aaron Rodgers has something left in the tank.

Rudolph’s time in Pittsburgh has had more twists and turns, ups and downs than Kennywood’s Phantom’s Revenge. The fact that he was so willing to return I think speaks volumes not only to Rudolph’s character but also of the franchise’s.

We know that Rudolph is a capable number 2 who will respond if and when his name is called. Behind him we have newcomer Skylar Thompson. Everyone expected Thompson to be the odd man out when training camp started, but an injury to 6th round draft pick Will Howard opened the door.

And Thompson took advantage, as once again Mike Tomlin lived up to his credo that when you arrive in Pittsburgh its not about where you came from but what you do.

  • Quarterback isn’t the only skill position that saw Omar Khan aggressively renewed this off season.

At running back the Steelers wisely let Najee Harris walk, and have turned to Jaylen Warren who has shown himself to be a capable runner, a willing blocker and an under appreciated receiver.

Jaylen Warren, Marion Humphrey, Steelers vs Ravens

Jaylen Warren drags Marion Humphrey. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

He also added found Kaleb Johnson in 2025 NFL Draft, based on what we saw in preseason, he should boost the running back’s room, with Super Bowl veteran Kenneth Gainwell rounding out the group.

At wide receiver, the Steelers embraced addition by subtraction by trading talented but troubled George Pickens to Dallas, while replacing him with D.K. Metcalf. To be honest, the Steelers depth behind Metcalf does constitute a risk, particularly if they suffer a serious injury, but last year Calvin Austin proved he’s a legitimate NFL wide receiver, and Roman Wilson had a strong summer after a lost rookie year.

At tight end the Steelers bolstered the depth behind Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington with veteran Jonnu Smith with Swiss Army Knife Connor Heyward rounding out the quartet.

But the most exciting thing about this offense isn’t the individual talent that’s been added, but the potential of what it can do together. When he was Mike Vrabel‘s offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith was described by Steel City Insider scribe Matt C. Steel has running a “Bill Cowher style offense.”

  • The 2024 Steelers offense didn’t fit that mold, but it also didn’t have the talent.

But with draft picks Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones leading the way, don’t be surprised if the 2025 edition of the Steelers offense looks more like its 2005 ancestor than it does its immediate predecessor.

Daring to Be Different on Defense

Doubtlessly, the most disturbing aspect of the late-2025 collapse was the sight of a once-proud Steelers defense getting dominated. Patrick Mahomes humiliated  us through the air.  Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry imposed their will on the ground.

We all saw that coming in the wake of the ridiculing the Ravens inflicted in the, right?

Of course we didn’t. Nor, frankly, did we see it coming during the heat of free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft. But it still happened, proving that Mike Tomlin is, in fact, willing to leave no stone unturned.

  • And its obvious that he has no a sacred cows in his locker room.

Raise your hand if you watched Donte Jackson last season and wondered, “What was it that Carolina didn’t like about him?” Mine’s raised. But when he couldn’t sustain his early and mid-season fireworks down the stretch, he was deemed expendable.

The lesson is clear: Just being “Good enough” is not sufficient. Beanie Bishop is another player who flashed in 2024 but is learning that lesson in 2025.

In response to the need for more sheer bulk upfront, the Steelers have double-dipped on the defensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft, bringing Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black to Pittsburgh. Injuries will limit Harmon early, but Black’s preseason resume suggest that we may be able to count on him early than would normally be expected of a 5th round pick.

Yahya Black, Bryce Perkins, Steelers vs Panthers Preseason

Yahya Black sacks Bryce Perkins. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

At outside linebacker the Steelers have future Hall of Famer T.J. Watt with Alex Highsmith bookending him on the other side. Behind them they have Nick Herbig who, with a strong third season could force a difficult decision next spring. Jack Sawyer arrives providing depth – and more bulk – to round out the quartet.

At inside linebacker, knock on wood, the Steelers finally appear to have a room that features 3 starter-capable players along with two quality backups. The Steelers last enjoyed this mix of quality and quality, experience and youth, in 2015 and 2016 – which were not uncoincidentally the last two seasons that included playoff wins.

Just Sayin….

The Future is Now. And Tomorrow

As detailed earlier on this site, watching the yin and yang of the discourse in Steelers Nation has been interesting to say the least. The conventional wisdom has swung from suggesting that the Steelers are executing a tank-lite strategy to declaring that the franchise is “All In.”

  • What’s exciting about 2025 is that neither of the two is true.

The Steelers, through deft use of the free agent market, drafting with an eye towards the long term and a duce of bold trades, have assembled a roster that is far better equipped to compete with the AFC titans like the Chiefs, Bills and Ravens.

But they’ve done so in a way that gives them ample salary cap space for heading into 2026 and a projected 11 or 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. We’re seeing “The Steelers Way” evolve in real time, and that should have everyone excited.

Bring on the New York Jets!

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Steelers 2025 Draft Needs @ Offensive Line – Higher Than You Think….

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The first big ticket free agent signing by Omar Khan and Andy Weidl was Isaac Seumalo. A few weeks later they made Broderick Jones their first round draft pick. A year later, they drafted Troy Fautanu in the first round, Zach Frazier in the 2nd round and Mason McCormick in the 4th round.

  • Sense a trend here?

But does that mean the Steelers could look again to the offensive line in 2025? Or might that just be too much of a good thing?

Broderick Jones

Broderick Jones decked out in color rush. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Steelers Offensive Line Depth Cart: The Starters

As the intro suggested, the Steelers brain trust has been very deliberate in building their offensive line. Alas, even though the Steelers have gotten what they’ve wanted in free agency and the draft, they yet to secure what they’ve needed.

The Steelers drafted Jones as a project, and played to bring him along and hopefully work him in at left tackle during 2023. Yet Chuks Okorafor struggled, and Jones had to replace him as a starter.

Last summer, the idea was for Jones to beat out Dan Moore at left tackle during training camp, for Fautanu to start at right tackle with Moore playing the swing tackle. But…

  • Moore showed he couldn’t play right tackle
  • Jones really wasn’t beating him out at left tackle anyway
  • Fautanu kept getting hurt, first in camp, and then after his only start

In a similar vein, the Steelers arrived at St. Vincents hoping to give Fraizer and McCormick apprenticeships at center and guard. Nick Herbig got injured early in camp, forcing Frazier into that role. And James Daniels was lost early in the season forcing McCorrmick into the starting role.

On paper, the Steelers should field a pretty strong offensive line in 2025…

…But as we’ve just seen, things haven’t been going according to plan.

Steelers Offensive Line Depth Chart: The Backups

In 2024, the Steelers successfully weathered so many offensive line injuries because they had good depth here. But now James Daniels, Dan Moore and Nick Herbig are playing elsewhere.

The Steelers do have Ryan McCollum who played well in two starts last season. Spencer Anderson has position flexibility and has played 25 NFL games including 4 starts at guard last season. The team also has offensive tackle Calvin Anderson whom they late in 2024 and Dylan Cook who spent 2023 on the Steelers active roster, who spent time on IR in 2024 as well as the practice squad.

For the record, the Steelers also list Doug Nester, Lecitus Smith and Steven Jones as guards on their off season roster.

The Steelers 2025 Draft Needs @ Offensive Line

This is where things get interesting. ON paper the Steelers starting offensive line appears set. Yet, when asked to commit to his front five at the NFL owners meeting, Mike Tomlin declined, explaining:Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Needs Scale

I feel like we have some guys that are certainly capable of the role. But to say that as I sit here today, would be untrue. I don’t know who I’m going to end up with or who I’m going to be in position to consider.

It would be easy to write this off as just coach speak, but at the NFL Scouting Combine Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell talked to “a league scout who knows the Steelers well” who cited Jones’ lack of development in 2024 labeling him a “coach killer.”

Given those comments, along with the absence of a true swing tackle and lack of depth at guard, and the Steelers needs at offensive line going into the 2025 NFL Draft must be considered High.

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