Tag Archives: Hines Ward

What a Shame: Steelers Trade Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys

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The Pittsburgh Steelers will trade Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Dallas’ 6th round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft and their 2nd Round Pick in the 2028 NFL Draft.

The move, while hardly surprising, remains incredibly disappointing.

Joey Porter Jr and Joey Porter Sr and Porter Jr. with Nico Collins

Joey Porter Jr.’s Steelers journey comes full circle, to a bitter end. Photo Credits: G. N. Lowrance, Getty Images; Houston Chronicle

How should Steelers fans make sense of this? In this case, three simple words we all learned as young children suffice:

What a shame.

Yes, it is a real shame for the organization, for Joey Porter Jr., for the fans, for everyone.

  • The Steelers defense clearly needs Porter: Now they won’t have him.
  • Joey Porter Jr. wanted a long term deal: Now he’ll play in Dallas, without one.

No matter how you slice it, no matter whose side you’re on, regardless of who you consider to be “at fault,” this situation has ended badly.

A narrative that was shaping up to be something that Disney itself couldn’t have scripted better has instead taken on the feel of a poorly executed B-level reboot of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

One of the enduring images from Super Bowl XL is that of Joey Porter Jr. sitting on the arm of his father Joey Porter Sr. That’s where Joey Porter Jr.’s story with the Pittsburgh Steelers began.

But its roots run far deeper. Porter worked as a ballboy. Apparently he drilled, at some level, against Antonio Brown in training camp. He played in school with Mike Tomlin’s kids. He went to Penn State. He was drafted with the 32nd pick, a second rounder that Omar Khan had swindled out of Chicago in the Chase Claypool trade.

Arriving in Pittsburgh, he took on Number 24, the number worn by  “Uncle Ike,” or Ike Taylor who made the game-changing play in Super Bowl XL.

Porter’s first interception came courtesy of Lamar Jackson, in the end zone no less, and sparked an improbable comeback victory over the Ravens. (Yes, Kenny Pickett left Pittsburgh and remains “undefeated” against Lamar Jackson – there’s a factoid to stock up on for Final Jeopardy.)

Joey Porter Jr., Steelers vs Ravens

Joey Porter Jr. gets his first interception. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Porter had a strong rookie year. It is probably fair to say that he didn’t quite make the proverbial “second year leap” in 2024. But it is even more accurate to say that he did make a significant leap in year 3. No, Porter hadn’t established himself as a true, “shut down corner” but he was heading in that trajectory.

  • For the Steelers, this was a dream come true.

When you think of defensive backs drafted by the Steelers in this century, names like Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor and maybe even Big Play Willie Gay come to mind. So they should.

But other monikers, we forget. Names like Hank Poteat, Ricardo Colclough, Cortez Allen, Shamarko Thomas, Senquez Golson and Terrell Edmunds.

Joey Porter Jr. was the antidote to those misses. Finally, after so many misfires, the Steelers had drafted and developed a cornerback and were about to see him bud into his prime.

Alas, that’s all been reduced to a 6th round pick next spring and a 2nd found pick two springs after that.

Who to Blame for the Joey Porter Jr. Fiasco?

Focusing on blame is something I try to avoid going through life. It is seldom productive and often a corrosive endeavor. But the Joey Porter Jr. fiasco did not need to end this way.

  • As with most situations, both sides share responsibility.

For their part, the Steelers never should have declared him injured if he in fact was healthy. If Mike McCarthy wanted to end the policy of allowing “hold ins” – as is his right as head coach – that should have been crystal clear from the beginning.

But the lion’s share of the responsibly falls on Joey Porter Jr.’s shoulders.

  • By all accounts, the Steelers made him a fair offer.
  • If Joey Porter Jr. didn’t want to accept it and bet on himself, he had the right.

But then he needed to follow through and prove that he deserved to be paid what he thought he was worth by playing through the final year of his contract.

  • That’s how the dynamic of negotiations with 3rd year players works.

The team offers him a deal, usually a little less than the player would command on the open market, and the player gets his money a year earlier and reduces his injury risk.

Most often it works out as a win-win situation – see Hines Ward whom the Steelers re-signed before the 2001 season. Other times, it backfires on the team – see Cortez Allen’s second contract.

Hines Ward, Steeles vs Ravens, 2001 AFC Divisional Playoffs, first playoff game Heinz Field

Hines Ward flexes his muscles in the playoffs against the Ravens. The Steelers were back!. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

If Porter was dead set on opting out of this dynamic, only playing if and when he got a new contract, they he should have stated that from the get-go.

Instead, he feigned injury, as confirmed by is comments that he hopes to suit up for the Cowboys this Sunday.

That’s the adult equivalent of shaking the thermometer to make it look like you’ve got a fever of 99 degrees so that mom will let you stay home from school on Friday, and then turning around and saying “Hey mom, I’m feeling better. Can I go to the dance tonight?”

In the end, the Steelers really are accepting the short end of the stick by taking a 2nd-round 2028 and a 6th-round 2027 in exchange for Porter.

But moving on from Porter is the best choice they could make at this point, even if it is a bad one. It is far, far better than watching Art Rooney II becoming the NFL equivalent of Ferris Bueller’s nemesis Edward “Ed” Rooney.

What a shame.

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Steelers 2026 Draft Class Emphasizes Offense and Versatility

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The 2026 NFL Draft is in the history books.

Record crowds came to Pittsburgh. We saw a veritable parade of Steelers Hall of Famers strut the stage, from Jerome Bettis, to Mel Blount, to Lynn Swann & John Stallworth to Hines Ward. Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger embraced.

Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy selected 10 players to form the Steelers 2026 Draft Class. Khan traded up twice, traded down once, made one rather infamous phone call, and closed the draft with a hometown hero story that Barry Levinson couldn’t have scripted better. (Hum, could Levinson, a Baltimore native, have had a hand in scripting the Lemon trade….?)

Steelers 2026 draft picks Germie Bernard, Daylen Everette, Drew Allar and Gennings Dunker.

Germie Bernard, Daylen Everette, Drew Allar and Gennings Dunker. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, Steelers.com

Before we can unpack what it all means, let’s take a look at the newest members of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Steelers 2026 Draft Class at a Glance:

Round 1: Max Iheanachor, Offensive Tackle, Arizona State
Round 2: Germie Bernard, Wide Receiver, Alabama
Round 3: Drew Allar, Quarterback, Penn State
Round 3: Daylen Everette, Cornerback, Georgia
Round 3: Gennings Dunker, Guard, Iowa
Round 4: Kaden Wetjen, Return Specialist/WR, Iowa
Round 5: Riley Nowakowski, Fullback, Indiana
Round 6: Gabriel Rubio, Defensive End, Notre Dame
Round 7: Robert Spears-Jennings, Safety, Oklahoma
Round 7: Eli Heidenreich, Running Back-Wide Receiver, Navy

So what grade do Khan and McCarthy get for this draft?

Ask me in 5 years.

Seriously. Chuck Noll waited 5 years to judge draft classes, and if that was good enough for him, it is good enough for me. With that said the Steelers 2026 draft class has already given us a few early lessons.

The obvious one is that Khan and McCarthy leaned in heavily on offense. Given the JVness of the Steelers offenses in 2023, 2024 and 2025 that’s logical. But there are other, deeper lessons to be found.

Putting the Malik Lemon Draft-Day Miss in Historical Perspective

As everyone knows, Omar Khan was on the phone with Malik Lemon while Dallas was on the clock, only to have the Eagles trade up and draft Lemon, leaving the Steelers to scramble and draft Max Iheanachor instead.

The social media general managers in Steelers Nation pounced, torching Omar Khan for mishandling the situation.

Let’s put this phone call and the draft day “miss” with Malik Lemon into perspective…

…Once upon a time the NFL had an 800 pound gorilla that dominated the draft. This gorilla used the draft to transform a team that won 4 games in two seasons into a team that won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years with only 3-year ramp. The gorilla’s name was Jimmy Johnson

During the 1992 NFL Draft, Johnson sent an assistant coach, contract in hand, to Leon Searcy’s home. The idea was to draft Searcy, sign him and get him on a plane before the ink dried.

Alas Jimmy Johnson ran into a little problem.

Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher drafted Leon Searcy before he could. This was long before the digital age, yet the story dominated draft coverage on Big 3, CNN and especially ESPN….

…Except it didn’t.

The world had to wait for Jim Wexell’s On the Clock to tell that story.

Leon Searcy was an excellent tackle and, in the Heinz Field era, likely would have been a life-long Steeler. But after missing out on Searcy, Jimmy Johnson traded down and drafted Kevin Smith.

Emmit Smith, Levon Kirkland, Greg Lloyd, Carnell Lake, Steelers vs Cowboys, Super Bowl XXX, Super Bowl 30

Levon Kirkland and Greg Lloyd tackle Emmitt Smith in Super Bowl XXX. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Kevin Smith played 103 games for the Dallas Cowboys, started 93 of them, made 19 interceptions, forced 7 fumbles and made UPI’s 2nd team All-Conference squad in 1996. He retired with 3 Super Bowl rings, including one for the Cowboys win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.

The moral of the story is this: Judge not by who you missed, but who you picked after pivoting.

Why Versatility Defines the Steelers 2026 Draft Class

“Versatile.” “We won’t know exactly how he fits until we see him work with the group as a whole.” In some form or fashion, we heard those words from the Steelers coaching staff throughout the 2026 NFL Draft.

  • Yet, many Steelers commentators acted as if that’s a bad thing.

This started with the Eagles swooping in to draft Malik Lemon, forcing the Steelers to go back to their board and draft Max Iheanachor instead. Judging by his non-verbal behavior, Mike McCarthy was: 1. Glad to get Ihenachor and 2: Had little idea of how he’d fit into the Steelers line up.

  • Let’s embrace the elephant in the room.

Watching a beaming head coach or general manager explain exactly how a first round pick fits into their system breeds confidence.

But let’s acknowledge the flip side: The NFL Draft is a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get.

The point is that one of the worst things an NFL coaching staff can do is try to force players into a system that’s not suited for them. Bill Parcells drafted James Farrior as an outside linebacker where he was OK. Kevin Colbert brought him to Pittsburgh, Bill Cowher moved him inside, and he’s one of the best Steelers free agent signings ever.

By and large, forcing guys into systems they were unsuited for wasn’t a major issue during the Tomlin era.

But those who remember Joe Walton and Kevin Gilbride stints as offensive coordinator know just how caustic coaches trying to force square pegs into round holes can be.

Based on the post-draft press conferences, this won’t be an issue under Mike McCarthy.

The Draft = NFL’s Land of Hope and Dreams

It is fitting that the Steelers book-ended 2026 NFL Draft with Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw hugging and drafting Mt. Lebanon native Eli Heidenreich because the draft is all about reconciling hopes with dreams.

Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw hug at the 2026 NFL Draft.

Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw hug at the 2026 NFL Draft. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, Steelers.com

It will be a while before we know how strong the Steelers 2026 Draft Class is. If 5 of the 10 newest Steelers “make it” as pro football players then that will make this draft an outstanding success.

Some guys won’t make the cut. Injuries will fell others. At least one will be a numbers game causality. That’s just the harsh reality of the NFL.

  • But let’s worry about that another day.

The NFL draft is a veritable “Land of Hopes and Dreams” (yes, that’s an intentional shout out to Springsteen.) Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy gave 10 men legitimate hope of realizing their NFL dream. Let’s let them enjoy that for a time, and as they continue to strive to be the best they can be.

And best of all? They’ll do it in Black and Gold.

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Like It or Not: Steelers Draft Max Iheanachor, OT in First Round of 2026 NFL Draft

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In the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, addressing a top-three need at the position but surprising many who expected Pittsburgh to prioritize wide receiver.

In announcing the pick, General Manager Omar Khan confirmed that he spoke with Steelers legend and current Arizona State assistant coach Hines Ward, who said, “He was so excited, so fired up for Max and for us, and says he’s a steal.”

Arizona State offensive lineman Max Iheanachor blocks BYU's defensive end Isaiah Bagnah

Steelers 2026 first round pick Max Iheanachor blocks BYU’s Isaiah Bagnah. Photo Credit: Ross D. Franklin, AP, via PennLive.com

This is how Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy explained the team’s interest in Iheanachor:

…when you watch linemen play, you want to see them strike and stick, and with that the balance and the footwork. His ability to stay alive on second and third reaction when he does engage, I think it’s all over the video.

Max Iheanachor was born in Nigeria and emigrated to the United States at age 13. He has a soccer background, which he credits for his strong footwork. Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell described him as “a sponge in learning the game,” and Iheanachor himself said, “Man, I’m ready to learn. Whatever it is, I’m willing to do for the team, help this team win.”

The Steelers plan to start Iheanachor at right tackle. However, both Khan and McCarthy stressed the importance of position flexibility.

However, Jones is returning from injury and his status is uncertain for the coming year, while Dylan Cook has been a career practice squad player, although he performed well last season in relief.

The 2026 Steelers Draft Needs Matrix rated tackle as the team’s third most urgent need, but the franchise clearly hoped to add a wide receiver early.

The Steelers were on the phone with USC’s Makai Lemon at the 20th pick, but the Philadelphia Eagles jumped ahead of them in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.

“It’s just the draft,” Omar Khan explained, and in that spirit, the Steelers stuck to their board.

This is the latest article in our Steelers 2026 Draft series.

Max Iheanachor Video Highlights

Max Iheanachor played his entire college career at Arizona State, a bit of a rarity in this age of the transfer portal, and appeared in 32 games over the last three years, including 14 in 2025 and 12 in 2026.

Here is a look at his body of work:

Ineanachor stands at 6’6” and weighs in at 3.21 pounds, but moves nimbly for a man his size. He ran a 4.93 in the 40. For comparisons sake, Broderick Jones ran a 4.97 in the 40 and Troy Fautanu ran a 5.01.

Those may not sound like big differences, and they are not big differences, but a little extra speed make all the difference for a tackle who has to pivot to pick up an unexpected blitzer heading Aaron Rodgers’ way.

 Steelers First Round Pick of Max Iheanachor Draws Mixed Reviews – at Best…

The Steelers’ decision to draft Max Iheanachor drew mixed reactions, with some analysts praising his upside and fit in the trenches while others questioned passing on wide receiver.

The move was a surprise as Pittsburgh appeared primed to draft a play-making wide receiver and walked away with their third first round offensive tackle in four drafts of the Khan-Wedil era.

  • The move has drawn mixed reviews.

Going into the draft Roy Countryman proprietor of Big Country Scouting and a writer for Steel City Insider had Max Iheanachor on his second round value board.

Steel City Insider’s Matt C. Steel had Max Iheanachor rated as 11th on his draft preference order for the Steelers, projecting him to go between 21 and 15 pick. Steel observed, “Highest ceiling, raw but productive. Could he play guard for a year?”

On X, former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex declared, “Good Solid Pick.  Foundational.  With what we are hearing about Broderick, it makes the most sense.  Not sexy.  But important.”

  • Others are less charitable — to say the least.

Alan Saunders of SteelersNow condemned the Steelers of “Failing Three Times with the same first round pick.”

Long time Steelers blogger Neal Coolong described the pick as “Unserious” and explained on X, “Prepare for Terrell Edmunds.” – me on a group thread one second after Lemon went to the Eagles at 20.” Terrell Edmunds was the Steelers first round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and at the time was an unexpected grab who proved to the NFL equivalent of an optical illusion.

Welcome to Steelers Nation Max Iheanachor

As the antithesis of a draftnic, I won’t pretend to offer any instant assessment of how good or bad Max Iheanachor’s NFL future will be.

He could be a future Hall of Famer, and with injury questions about Jones and Cook’s long-term viability still unproven, this pick could still be more relevant to the Steelers immediate roster needs than most people think right now.

But that doesn’t alter the reality that the Steelers have continued to kick the can at wide receiver down the road for another round at least.

  • With that said, building in the trenches is seldom a bad thing in the NFL.

Joe Gibbs won 3 Super Bowls in the 80’s with three separate quarterbacks by building his offense on the foundation of a strong offensive line. Bill Parcells did something similar with the Giants and won two Super Bowls. And, for all the fanfare (rightly) generated by “The Triplets,” Jimmy Johnson did the same thing in the same division.,

  • Yes, the game has changed, but the philosophy remains sound.

Welcome to Steelers Nation Max Iheanachor.

 

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5 Steelers Draft Lessons Omar Khan Must Apply in the 2026 NFL Draft

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The 2026 NFL Draft is days away, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting on a mother lode of draft picks. Thanks to trades, compensatory picks and hoarding his own, Omar Khan has 12 choices at his disposal in the upcoming draft.

  • Those picks open many possibilities for Pittsburgh.

But to be successful, the Steelers brain trust must make wise decisions. With that in mind, let’s take a look at lessons Steelers draft history teaches us.

This is the latest article in our Steelers 2026 Draft coverage.

Omar Khan, Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan

Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan, Photo Credit: Nola.com

1. Challenge Conventional Wisdom on Compensatory Picks

Omar Khan is already learning this lesson in real time. Last spring Khan’s focus in free agency was to stockpile compensatory picks so he could trade up in what was supposed to be a QB-rich draft.

“Stockpile compensatory picks Khan has, but QB poor has this draft turned out to be,” in Yoda speak.

  • Other drafts teach a similar lesson.

The Steelers went into the 1998 draft with 14 picks. Tom Donahoe made no bones about trading some of those, boasting, “There’s no way 14 rookies can make our team.”

Donahoe was right. It’s near-impossible to imagine 14 rookies making any non-expansion NFL roster. Yet, Donahoe’s claim was laced with a touch of latent arrogance.

Stub from April 1st 1998 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette detailing the Steelers compensatory draft picks.

Stub from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 1, 1998. Thanks to Gordon Gordon Dedman, @SteelUK for supplying this.

Free agent exoduses had been the norm in Pittsburgh throughout the 1990s. The 1997 Steelers AFC Championship loss seemed to have proven franchise could defy gravity. Instead, 1998 was the year the Steelers came crashing back down to earth.

Now, several things led to Bill Cowher’s first losing season in 1998, but a wiser use of draft choices could have helped avert that (see below.)

2. Initial Story Lines Come with a Grain of Salt

The NFL Draft is such a successful media event because its core product is hope. And best way to sell hope is with a good story. And that’s perfectly fine, as long as you remember that many of the initial stories spawned on draft day won’t come to fruition, or at least not the way you expect them to.

When the Steelers drafted him, Chris Berman and company mused about whether Ward’s arrival heralded the advent of Slash II. (“Slash” is of course Kordell Stewart, whose play as a QB/WR/RB helped propel the 1995 Steelers all the way to Super Bowl XXX.)

Ward after all had played quarterback and running back in addition to wide receiver at Georgia. Both the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review ran articles exploring the “Slash” angle.

Hines Ward, Super Bowl XL, Steelers Super Bowl XL, Antwaan Randle El Hines Ward Super Bowl XL

Hines Ward seals the win in Super Bowl XL. Photo Credit: Bill Frakes, Sports Illustrated

They were great draft-day stories, and Ward authored a Hall of Fame-worthy resume which included his MVP performance in Super Bowl XL. But he only threw two passes in his NFL career.

3. Good Drafts Age Like Fine Wine

To borrow from Eddie Van Halen, a “Right Here, Right Now” mentality dominates the NFL draft.

People go to the inane extent of grading mock drafts. Before the ink on draft cards even dries, we’re bombarded by “draft grades.”

That’s fun. It generates clicks. But no amount of page views can alter the simple reality that judging a draft takes several years. Tom Donahoe’s final drafts in Pittsburgh prove that point.

Dan Rooney, Dan Rooney decisions, Tom Donahoe, Bill Cowher, Tom Modark, Steelers 1992 Draft

Tom Donahoe, Tom Modark, Dan Rooney and Bill Cowher in the Steelers 1992 draft room. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Dan Rooney fired Tom Donahoe after the 1999 Steelers finished 6-10. Rooney’s main reason was that Donahoe and Cowher were barely on speaking terms. But at the time, many also questioned Donahoe’s personnel decisions, particularly his recent drafts.

The 1998 and 1999 drafts brought Alan Faneca, Hines Ward, Deshea Townsend, Joey Porter, Sr. and Aaron Smith to Pittsburgh. Today, we see them as foundational players of the Steelers second Super Bowl Era.

  • But that would have been a hard sell when Kevin Colbert was hired in 2000.

Aaron Smith was an unknown. Joey Porter Sr. was the pre-season sensation that Carlos Emmons had kept on the bench. Deshea Townsend had started 4 games and wouldn’t start full-time until Dick LeBeau returned in 2004.

Kevin Colbert actively tried to replace Hines Ward in his first draft and, in the pages of the Steelers Digest, Bob Labriola was raising questions, albeit in measured tones, about Alan Faneca.

Yes. Like Riglos Gran Crote, good drafts age well with time.

4. Measure Drafts by Quality, Not Quantity

True to his word, Tom Donahoe didn’t draft 14 players, trading a 2nd, a 3rd and a 5th to move up to get Jeremy Staat in the 2nd round. So Donahoe gave up 3 picks to get one player who made 2 career starts. Anyone of those picks could have been to add a much-needed offensive tackle or wide receiver.

On the flip side, the Steelers picked 13 players in the 2003 and 2004 drafts. And collectively, those drafts only yielded 4 starters. Sounds pretty damning doesn’t it? Well, it does, until you consider that those starters were Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, Max Starks and Ben Roethlisberger.

Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, AFC Championship

Ben Roethlisberger hugs Troy Polmalu after the AFC Championship. Photo Credit: Pin Interest

The Steelers don’t win either Super Bowl XL or Super Bowl XLIII if they’re missing any one of those players. Joe Flacco, Matt Hasselbeck or Ken Whisenhunt would all agree.

The lesson for Omar Khan? When in doubt, draft the next Hall of Famer.

5. Steelers Should be Swindlers Not Suckers

Like their predecessors, there’s little chance Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy will draft 12 players later this week. Khan, as we know, likes to wheel-and-deal.

And while most of the focus is on who Khan should trade up for, where he should do it and how much he should give up, the Steelers would be wise try to trade 2026 picks for picks in the 2027 NFL Draft.

How might this dynamic play out? Khan’s own words from the George Pickens trade press conference guide us. This is how Khan explained the value of draft picks:

But, yeah, when you’re, the day of the draft or going through the draft, every one of those picks feels like they’re the greatest pick. You don’t want to get rid of them. They’re valuable. They’re all important.

Here’s the simple English take away: Suckers are born every minute in the NFL draft.

  • The Steelers have been suckers in the past.

During the 2013 NFL Draft, Steelers traded their 2014 third round pick for a 2013 4th rounder get Shamarko Thomas (Ouch!). In the 2021 NFL Draft they traded their 2022 fourth rounder to get a 2021 5th rounder to draft Isaiahh Loudermilk (ouch!)

It takes two to tango — Khan can’t simply snap his fingers and turn one (or two) of the Steelers 2026 thirds in to 2027 seconds. Moreover, the Bengals-Giants Dexter Lawrence trade suggests there’ll be a buyer’s market in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Sounds like its time for someone to go out and remind us why we call him the Khan artist…..

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Steelers Free Agency: Should Pittsburgh Re-Sign Calvin Austin?

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With NFL free agency about to open, the Steelers again face questions about their wide receiver room and whether they should keep one of their own. It wasn’t always this way….

…Once upon a time, word was that “The Pittsburgh Steelers have the touch of gold when it comes to finding wide receivers.”

Sure, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the Steelers opened the last decade fielding the following four wide out set: Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown.

When Martavis Bryant started sabotaging himself with substance abuse, the Steelers drafted JuJu Smith-Schuster seemingly as easily as if it were stopping in at Giant Eagle to get a half pound of Kielbasa, a half pound of chipped ham and a package of Kondikes.

  • Alas, their golden touch began to leaden as decade closed.

Yes, Kevin Colbert drafted good wide receivers like former Steelers Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and George Pickens, but they all turned into divas, and each of them got traded away. So finding wide outs that they want to keep in Pittsburgh has been a problem.

Calvin Austin III becomes a free agent next week, and today we look at whether he should be the one to break the recent trend.

Calvin Austin catches to go ahead touchdown pass during the 2025 Steelers regular season finale win over the Ravens.

Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin catches the go-ahead touchdown vs the Ravens in the 2025 season finale. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Capsule Profile of Calvin Austin’s Career with the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers drafted Calvin Austin in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Austin, unfortunately, lost his rookie season to injury. He returned for his season as WR No. 3 behind Johnson and Pickens and appeared in all 17 games, but only made 17 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown.

In 2024, Austin started 8 games and in many ways made the proverbial “second year leap.” While he didn’t prove he was someone who could “step up” in George Pickens’ absence, Austin did show an ability to make tough catches late in the season.

Calvin Austin, Greg Newsome, Pittsburgh Steelers

Calvin Austin hauls in a touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Injuries hampered Austin to start 2025, and he was less of an impact player than he’d been the year before. Still, he came on strong in the season finale, and will always hold the distinction of being the man to catch the last touchdown pass of the Mike Tomlin era.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Calvin Austin in 2026

After seeing Calvin Austin down the stretch in 2024 and 2025 something is clear – he’s not a legit NFL No. 2 wide receiver, let alone a No. 1. And that’s the point – Calvin Austin wasn’t drafted to be one. Asking him to be says more about the team than it does about Austin.

Austin has shown himself as a legit number 3 wide receiver who, despite his small size, can make tough catches.

Calvin Austin, Steelers vs Ravens

Calvin Austin hauls in a sideline pass. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

No one is going to throw a lot of money at Calvin Austin and Pittsburgh’s wide receiver room is perilously thin. They can and should keep him in Pittsburgh on a cap-friendly deal.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Calvin Austin in 2026

The Steelers wide receivers have been atrocious for the last two seasons. Calling them a JV wide receiving corps might be generous. Calvin Austin has been part of the problem and isn’t part of the solution.

  • The 2022 Draft was Kevin Colbert’s last and arguably his worst.

Connor Heyward and Calvin Austin are all that remain of that class. Time to finish ripping off the band aid.

The Curtain’s Call on Calvin Austin and the Steelers

Word was last summer at St. Vincents that the Steelers might be targeting Austin for a contract extension. They did not, and Omar Khan can be glad he kept Art Rooney II’s check book shut. Because Austin didn’t continue to improve in 2025 the way he had in 2024.

  • But that doesn’t mean the Steelers should give up on him.

The Steelers have nothing behind D.K. Metcalf at wide out. Sure, Roman Wilson gets a fresh start with a new coaching staff, but you can’t count on him. For this scribe’s money retaining Calvin Austin and asking him to play or complete for the WR No. 3 role would be a win-win for both sides.

  • But it isn’t this scribe’s money.

The Steelers rarely give second contracts to wide receivers and Mike McCarthy has a history of favoring tall wide outs. Calvin Austin is 5’9”. All of which means that the touchdown pass he caught helping Mike Tomlin win his last game during the 2025 season finale is likely Calvin Austin’s last as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

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Mike Tomlin Steelers Legacy: 19 Years of Winning in Pittsburgh

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Mike Tomlin left the Pittsburgh Steelers the same way he arrived – unheralded and unanticipated.

When Bill Cowher called it a day after the Steelers 2006 season, everyone knew either Russ Grimm or Ken Whisenhunt would get the job. Art Rooney II admitted that he didn’t expect to hire yet Mike Tomlin when he walked in the door, but Tomlin knocked his and Dan Rooney’s socks off.

By the same token, Art Rooney wasn’t expecting Mike Tomlin to step away following the loss to the Texans. But step away he has. Here we review Mike Tomlin’s full legacy as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, balancing his accomplishments and shortcomings, all framed within their historical context.

Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin Franco Harris Jersey, Steelers vs Raiders

Mike Tomlin wearing a Franco Harris jersey. Photo Credit: Fred Vuich, AP via St. Albert Gazette

2007 – 2010: Cementing the Franchise Legacy

Few NFL coaches get handed the keys to a Super Bowl team.

If you think that winning is “simple” for them then please Google Phil Bengtson, Ray Handley and Richie Petitbon. A coach who takes the reins of a Super Bowl-caliber team must do much more than “not mess up.”

As Willie Colon explains, “It’s hard to grab the keys to the Porsche and not crash it.”

In his first season, Mike Tomlin took an underperforming team that had gone 8-8 in 2006 and led them to a 10-6 record and an AFC North Championship.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, Ben Roethlisberger connected with Heath Miller to bring the Steelers within 5 points. Mike Tomlin went for two. Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward bringing narrowing the difference to three.

Except Sean Mahan got flagged for holding. Tomlin didn’t bat an eye and went for two again. But this time, Roethlisberger couldn’t connect.

  • The Steelers did score again. But so did the Jaguars who won the game 31 to 29.

The move was controversial at the time, but with social media in its infancy the fan rage muted by 2026 standards.

But by doubling down in going for 2, Mike Tomlin established his legacy as a head coach who would put games in the hands of his players and trust them to deliver with the game on the line.

With the Arizona Cardinals threatening to take the lead as the first half closed, James Harrison, granted the freedom to freelance by Tomlin and Dick LeBeau, audibled out of his pass rush assignment and dropped into coverage. 100 yards later Harrison authored the longest run in Super Bowl history, putting the Steelers up 17 to 7.

james harrison, super bowl xliii, interception, record, pick six

James Harrison’s dramatic interception in Super Bowl XLIII

By the time more points were needed to put Pittsburgh back in the lead, the culture of trust and confidence in one another Tomlin had built proved to be the difference maker, as observed at the time:

the Steelers poise and camaraderie were consistent for four quarters. The men in Black and Gold never lost their belief in themselves nor their faith in one another. When faced with adversity, they persevered, they remained determined. And they did it together. That’s been the case all season.

And that’s what made them Super Bowl champions.

The Steelers 2009 season will and should be remembered for the Super Bowl hangover Tomlin tried and failed to avoid.

  • But 2009 revealed something important about Tomlin: His ability to rally a down team.

Memories have faded, but Tomlin’s Steelers never looked worse than they did during 2009’s 5-game losing streak. Yet, Tomlin rallied them for 3 straight wins.

In 2010, the Steelers suffered one of their worst off seasons ever as the word “Midgeville” entered the vernacular. Willie Colon was lost for the season in June. With Ben Roethlisberger suspended for 4 games, Tomlin brought Byron Leftwich back to Pittsburgh. Leftwich broke his leg in preseason.

By week, 2 Mike Tomlin was playing Charlie Batch, effectively his 4th string quarterback, and traveling to Tennessee, starting UDFA Steve McLeodon over Casey Hampton and authoring arguably the greatest defensive performance in franchise history.

  • By the time 2010 ended, the Steelers were in their 3 Super Bowl in 6 years.

Super Bowl XLV ended with a loss , but that didn’t change the fact that as new decade began, it was no longer a question of 4 Super Bowls for Chuck Noll and 1 for Bill Cowher, it was 6 Super Bowls for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as Kevin Colbert observed.

2011 – 2017: The Under Appreciated Rebuild

Mike Tomlin isn’t the only coach to take over a Super Bowl team and win another Lombardi. But continuing to win for more a couple-of-three seasons is much more challenging.

  • Just ask Barry Switzer or Mike Martz.

Yet, despite the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement leaving the Steelers in Salary Cap purgatory, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert managed .500 seasons in 2012 and again in 2013 – after a 2-4 start no less. The 2012 season stands out for one simple reason – it contains the only Mike Tomlin-coached game where the Steelers were eliminated from playoff contention.

  • By 2014 the Steelers returned to the playoffs, as they did in 2015 and 2016.

As observed elsewhere on this site, the Steelers Killer Bees were too true to their name. Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown only played 3 of a possible 7 playoff games together.

Steelers Killer Bees, Steelers Killer Bs, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell

The Steelers Killer Bees were too true to their name. Photo Credit: pegitboard.com

(Rhetorical question “How might Chuck Noll have fared had Bradshaw, Franco, Swann and Stallworth been similarly unavailable for his playoff runs?”)

Injuries aside, by the time the Steelers reached the 2016 AFC Championship game, the only three players who remained from the 2008 Super Bowl squad were James Harrison, Ben Roethlisberger and long snapper Greg Warren.

Yes, Tom Brady seared the Steelers that night in New England, but the fact that Mike Tomlin got his team there with three rookies defensive starters, without Cam Heyward in the lineup and with Robert Golden logging 36% of the defensive snaps speaks volumes about his coaching acumen.

Steelers vs Patriots, Steelers vs Patriots 2016 AFC Championship, Javon Hargrave, Tom Brady

Javon Hargrave sacks Tom Brady early in the ’16 AFC Championship. Photo Credit: Charles Krupa, AP via Mercury News.

As badly as another AFC Championship loss to the Patriots stung, the Steelers seemed to be back.

Alas, tragedy would close the Super Bowl window that Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert had re-opened 12 games later, when Ryan Shazier fell to the turf paralyzed from the waist down at Paul Brown Stadium.

From there on out, Mike Tomlin would be forced to do more with less.

Interlude: Tomlin’s Warts — Assistant Coaches and Talent Evaluation

And there’s a reason why Tomlin had to do more with less. As Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher did before him, Mike Tomlin had his flaws.

The infamous post-penalty 2-point conversion foreshadowed one of them. Sean Mahan was called for holding, and he’d been hand-picked by Mike Tomlin from Tampa Bay. Mahan traded away at a fire-sale price next September.

  • That raised the question on why Tomlin chose to bring Mahan to Pittsburgh in the first place.

Yes, Mike Tomlin managed to pluck Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt at the bottom of the first round. He and his scouts found gems like Antonio Brown and Kelvin Beachum in the 6th and 7th rounds.

But as the Steelers struggled to Re-Load for Ben Roethlisberger, they swung and missed badly as any sober evaluation of their 2018, 2019, and 2020 draft classes reveals. 2021 wasn’t much better, but Salary Cap Armageddon, combined with injuries and surprise retirements, forced them  to reach to fill needs.

D.K. Metcalf, Terrell Edmunds, Steelers vs Seahawks

D.K. Metcalf burns Terrell Edmunds for a touchdown. Photo Credit: Yahoo.com

This isn’t the sole responsibility of Mike Tomlin, but his voice was at the ver least, the first among equals in the draft war room.

  • In contrast, Mike Tomlin did have a free hand in picking assistant coaches.

Let’s be objective and acknowledge Mike Munchak, Danny Smith, Karl Dunbar, Richard Mann, Al Everest and, arguably, Todd Haley as good hires.

But those were balanced out by the Bob Ligasheskys, Amos Joness, Carnell Lakes and Joey Porter Sr’s (anyone notice how Bud Dupree blossomed when Keith Butler returned to the linebackers room?) Tomlin changed offensive line coaches not named Munchak the way everyone else changes underwear.

His signature attempt to cultivate an innovative coaching talent was Matt Canada. Canada holds the infamous distinction of being the only Steelers coordinator to be fired mid-season in the modern era.

Selecting assistant coaches wasn’t Tomin’s strength, and this weakness weighed him down.

2018 – 2025 – Doing More with Less

The post-Shazier/playoff drought phase of Tomlin tenure will remain a lightning rod for generations. So be it.

  • Here the focus is on what Mike Tomlin achieved as instead of what he failed to achieve.

Three examples highlight Tomlin’s skill as both a leader and as a football tactician: Quarterbacks, the 2021 season and the 2025 season.

Quarterbacks

The Steelers franchise deserves all the criticism it gets for bungling the post-Roethlisberger transition. I can’t prove it, but I suspect Mike Tomlin wanted to draft Lamar Jackson but got beaten to the punch.

Be that as it may, following Roethlisberger’s injury in 2019, Mason Rudolph, Devlin Hodges, Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers all started for the Steelers.

Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, Steelers 2022 quarterback competition

Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. Photo Credit: Brandon Sloter / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images and The Athletic.)

Do Coach-quarterback records say more about the coach or the QB? Who knows? Either way they yield valuable insights such as:

  • Don Shula reached a Super Bowl with David Woodley – Score one for Shula.
  • Bill Belichick’s record without Tom Brady is piss poor – draw your own conclusions.
  • Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different QBs – Yeah Joe is underrated.
  • Noll & Malone beat Walsh & Montana. Twice – Score one for The Emperor.

Rudolph, Hodges, Tribusiky, Pickett, Fields along with an aging Wilson and an even older Rodgers offer a wide spectrum in terms of talent and pedigree.

  • The only one with a losing record in Pittsburgh was Trubisky.

The rest have losing records in their post-Steelers lives, and Hodges, who was .500 as a Steelers starter, couldn’t even secure a spot on another team’s practice squad.

Enough said.

The 2021 Season

We remember Ben Roethlisberger going out with a bang in 2021 after seven 4th quarter comebacks. He gets  he lion’s share of the credit for the 9-7-1 finish.

But what we forget ’21 Steelers had an offensive line held together with spit, duct tape and bubble gum and a defensive line that had Cameron Heyward playing alongside career backups and practice squanders.

Few credit Mike Tomlin for keeping that team together. But they should.

The 2025 Season

Mike Tomlin’s Yin and Yang was on full display 2025.

During the off season, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan took several calculated personnel risks.

One was that the trio of Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. backed by safety Juan Tornhill could deliver the shutdown secondary necessary to combat Joe Burrow’s video game-like passing attack. On offense, they gambled that Roman Wilson would grow into a legit WR No 2.

  • Burrow didn’t get a chance to test them, but Joe Flacco did and exposed them.
  • Roman Wilson flashed (well, flickered) early on but finished the year inactive.

By season’s end, Mike Tomlin had brought in 3 new defensive backs and moved the pieces around so that only secondary starter was playing in his opening day position. He did something similar at wide receiver adding not one but two cast offs.

Jalen Ramsey, Tua Tagovailoa, Steelers vs Dolphins, Steelers vs Dolphins MNF

Jalen Ramsey sacks Tua Tagovailoa. Photo Credit: Alysia Rubin, Steelers.com

The changes resulted in a team that lost 5 of 7 games to close November at 6-6, to one went 4-1 down the stretch and won the AFC Championship.

Sweet Steelers Symmetry

Early in his tenure, a reader asked Ed Bouchette in a Post-Gazette chat to compare Tomlin to his predecessors. Bouchette opined that Tomlin struck him as a cross between Noll and Cowher.

So there’s something poetic about Mike Tomlin finishing with 193 regular season wins, just as Chuck Noll did. And its fitting that Tomin’s Super Bowl record of 1-1 match’s Bill Cowher’s.

Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin, Chuck Noll, Steelers Six Lombardi Trophies, Mike Tomlin Bill Cowher photo

Bill Cowher interviews Mike Tomlin. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Noll and Cowher boast better post-season percentages, yet Tomlin’s regular season squads never swooned to the depths his predecessors touched.

Thank you Mike Tomlin for 1 Super Bowl, 2 AFC Championships, 8 AFC North Titles, 14 playoff experiences and 193 wins.

Thank you for giving us 19 years of a “winning era.”

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Steelers Shake Up Secondary: Ramsey’s Move to Safety Recalls 2000 Turnaround After Thornhill Cut

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Twin above the line performances against good offenses isn’t about to make Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin complacent when it comes to strengthening a struggling Steelers secondary.

The sting of the loss to the San Dieg er um, Los Angles Chargers was still fresh when the news broke that the Steelers had claimed Sebastian Castro off of waivers.

  • That wasn’t surprising.
  • The Steelers liked Castro and hadn’t wanted to lose him from the practice squad.

But cutting Juan Thornhill to make room for Castro was a bit of a surprise. After all, they’d thought enough of Thornhill in the off season to return Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins.

Sebastian Castro, Garrett Greene, Steelers vs Buccaneers preseason

Sebastian Castro makes a tackle in preseason. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, IMGAN Images via Dearoldgold.com

Prior to cutting Thornhill and claiming Castro off of waivers, Mike Tomlin had already benched him and shifted Jalen Ramsey to safety so the secondary shakeup was already in motion.

This sequence got the grey matter churning back to memories of a similar move at safety a long time ago and to the larger question of how much impact one person can have on the overall performance of a defense.

Echos of the 2000 Turnaround?

Today Steelers Nation remembers the 1999 NFL Draft for bringing Joey Porter Sr. and Aaron Smith to Pittsburgh. Add two players like that in a single draft, and you’ve done well, no bones about it.

  • But the early take on the 1999 wasn’t so good and Scott Shields was one of the main reasons.

Having lost had lost Rod Woodson and Carnell Lake in rapid succession and with Darren Perry aging rapidly, the Steelers went into the 1999 draft needing to bolster safety. And to do that Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher took Scott Shields in the 2nd round.

Shields came from Weber State, so the move surprised people. Washington, DC radio journalist Ken Beatrice decried the Steelers pick of Shields as “inexplicable.” Still, Shields boasted an uber-athletic profile who even might be able to place kick in a pinch. Somebody at Three Rivers Stadium head Shields in high regard as they issued him Number 47.

Scott Shields, Tony Banks, Steelers vs Ravens

Scott Shields sacks Tony Banks. Photo Credit: Bigskyconf.com

Shields appeared in all 16 games as a rookie and made 4 interceptions, batted away 6 passes and even recorded a sack. Those flashes were one of the few signs of hope during a dismal 6-10 1999 Steelers season.

The 2000 Steelers opened with a brutal loss to Baltimore at home, followed by a last-second loss to Cleveland on the road that featured, among other things, Tim Couch leading his team down the field late in the 4th quarter for a go-ahead score.

Bill Cowher and Tim Lewis relieved Shields of his starting duties after that game.

A week later saw the Steelers lead the Titans for almost an entire game until Jason Gildon knocked out Neil O’Donnell, bringing in Steve McNair, who only needed 3 passes and 2 runs to pull the Titans ahead.

  • Shields, who’d been relegated to playing in the dime, got benched outright after week three.

Week four saw the Steelers travel to Jacksonville, where their dominating defense set the tone for the coming decade by upsetting the Jaguars.

Shortly afterwards, Tim McMillen, perhaps the pioneer of the Steelers blogging community, made an observation along the lines of, “I don’t want to scapegoat anyone, but has anyone noticed how much better the defense has been since Scott Shields started riding the pine full time?”

For his part, Shields would appear on special teams for 7 more games in 2000 before going on IR in November and got cut in 2001. After that he’d spend time on training camp rosters for the Bills, Dolphins and Chiefs, but he never played another down of NFL football.

Jerome Bettis, Hines Ward, Steelers vs Bengals

Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward in the playoff win against the Bengals. Photo Credit: Tony Tribble, AP via Al.com

The 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers continued to improve, but missed the playoffs. At the time, few could read between the 9-7 lines to see that with Alan Faneca, Hines Ward, Deshea Townsend, Smith and Porter Pittsburgh was assembling the core of two Super Bowl teams.

Ramsey as a Difference Maker to be Put to the Test

When the history of the 2025 Steelers season is written, no one will finger Sebastian Castro’s return as the moment the secondary turned a corner.

  • Mike Tomlin’s decision to move Jalen Ramsey to safety may be a different story.

In Juan Thornhill’s last two starts a free safety the Steelers gave up a combined 702 yards to Joe Flacco and Jordan Love. Since Ramsey moved to safety, the Steelers have given up 562 to Daniel Jones and Justin Herbert – with a good chunk of Jones’ yards coming in garbage time.

Jalen Ramsey, Tyler Warren, Steelers vs Colts

Jalen Ramsey lays in the wood on Tyler Warren. Photo Credit: Alysa Rubin, Steelers.com

To paraphrase my old friend Tim McMillen, “…I don’t want to scapegoat Tornhill or anything like that, but with him out and Jalen Ramsey at safety, the defense seems to be better.”

Better it has been. But with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins coming to down, the biggest test of Ramsey moving to safety is yet to come.

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Smart Move: Steelers Extend DeShon Elliott for 2 More Years

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When it came time to issue the final Steeler Report Card for the 2024 season awarding Unsung Hero honors came down to two players: Elandon Roberts and Deshon Elliott.

  • After a bit of back-and-forth, the honors went to Deshon Elliott.

I’m supremely confident that neither Omar Khan nor Mike Tomlin’s eyes have touched this blog, but when it comes to DeShon Elliott it appears that we think alike, as the Steelers made their first contract extension of the summer, when they resigned DeShon Elliot to a two year extension valued at 15.5 million with 9 million guaranteed.

DeShone Elliott, David Njoku, Steelers vs Browns

DeShone Elliot defends David Njoku. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

DeShon Elliott joined the Steelers last spring after 3 years with Baltimore, one with Detroit, another in Miami.

The question on Steelers fans minds as they watched him during the 2024 season was, “What was it that the Ravens, Lions and Dolphins didn’t see in him?”

DeShon Elliott appeared in 15 games for the Steelers last season and started 14 of those. He logged one interception, deflected 6 passes, forced 2 fumbles, recovered 3 fumbles and logged 108 tackles.

  • Now, as any serious fan understands, tackle totals can be misleading.

And Elliott’s tackle total certainly misleads – because 108 tackles doesn’t do justice to how well he played. Per Pro Football Reference, DeShon Elliott only missed 3 tackles all season. Elliott may not have been a superstar on the Steelers defense, but he was the kind of player who had a knack for finding and stopping the ball carrier.

While doing that, Elliott grew into a leadership role, commenting on the communication problems that plagued the Steelers in Christmas debacle against the Chiefs, “We shouldn’t be having these problems in Week 18. That’s a Week 1 or Week 2 problem.”

The Steelers are wise to ink him to a new deal that will keep in in Pittsburgh, and they’ve done it at a very team-friendly price. Even though Elliott’s extension will give him a significant raise from his previous contract, according to Alan Saunders of Steelers Now he’ll only be the NFL’s 30th highest paid safety.

With Elliott Inked Whose Next?

In his second off season as Steelers General Manager, Omar Khan reverted to form he exhibited during his first off season, when he got deals for Minkah Fitzpatrick and Chris Boswell done early in the summer, as opposed to waiting until shortly before the regular season began, as had been custom of Kevin Colbert.

Last summer, however, extensions for Pat Freiermuth and Cam Heyward came at the end of the summer.

  • With the ink drying on Elliott’s deal, the question is who is next?

Jaylen Warren is playing on a restricted free agent deal and both he, and the Steelers face a choice. The Steelers can lock him for less money now, or risk seeing him cash in on the open market if he has a big year.

Given that the Steelers took Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the smart money says they won’t offer Warren an extension.

  • Calvin Austin is also entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Austin’s overall numbers from 2024 might not impress many Fantasy Football owners, but he showed the ability to step up and make significant plays, and Steelers coaches affirm their belief that Austin can function as a true number 2 alongside D.K. Metcalf.

Calvin Austin, Greg Newsome, Pittsburgh Steelers

Calvin Austin hauls in a touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Signing Austin now could be a win, win for the Steelers, although the franchise seldom gives second contracts to wide receivers not named Hines Ward or Antonio Brown.

  • And of course, there’s T.J. Watt, who missed OTAs and “mandatory” minicamp.

Everyone expects the Steelers and Watt to reach an agreement, but it still must come to pass.

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Ravens Ridicule Steelers 28-14 in AFC Wild Card, Extend Pittsburgh’s Playoff Losing Streak

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The Pittsburgh Steelers playoff losing streak continues the Baltimore Ravens ridiculed them 28-14 at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday night, as Mike Tomlin drops to 0-6 in the postseason since Chris Boswell booted them to their last playoff victory on a cold night in Kansas City, so long ago.

The pitch forks are out in Steelers Nation, understandably so given that the difference in the game was far more dramatic than the score suggests.

One need not dig deep to understand this latest playoff loss: The Baltimore Ravens won because they are a far more talented team who is peaking at just the right time.

Derrick Henry, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elandon Roberts, Steelers vs Ravens

Derrick Henry leaves Steelers defense in the dust. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Steelers Had to Be Perfect. They Were Anything But

In the run up to the game, Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell cited the 2005 Steelers and their playoff upset of the Indianapolis Colts. That ’05 team snuck into the playoffs, knocked off a Bengals team, and then went to Indy as 10 point under dogs.

  • Wexell thought the same thing could happen in Baltimore.
  • A lot of other non-homers seemed to believe.

Personally, I thought the metaphor to be a stretch – that ’05 offense had 4 Hall of Famers on it (yes, I AM counting Hines Ward.) That’s at least 3 if not 4 more than this offense has. But, that being said, the ’05 did leave a template for upsetting a team with superior talent:

Be perfect.

  • Three plays illustrate just how unperfect the Steelers offense was against the Ravens.

Russell Wilson took the very first snap and immediately fired off in Pat Freiermuth’s direction.  Freiermuth was open, right at the first down marker. The ball hit him in the hands. Hitting the man who has been the team’s most reliable receiving threat right off the bat made sense. It would have started the offense off on the right foot.

Imperfect Moment 1: Instead, Pat Freiermuth dropped the ball.

The Steelers punted 5 plays later, and the Ravens responded with a 13 play seven minute plus drive that put them up 7 nothing. After that, the teams traded punts.

After forcing a rare Ravens put, the Steelers started off smartly, getting 8 yards on two Najee Harris’ carries. Afterall, this offense is built around using the run game to set up “manageable third downs.”

Wilson again looked to Freiermuth again.

Imperfect Moment 2: He caught the ball but only got 1 of 2 yards the Steelers needed needed.

The Ravens responded with another 13-minute, nearly 8 minute drive that put them up 14-0, with just 4:02 left the first half. And that’s when the Steelers seriously teased everyone, if only for a second.

After earning a first down, the Steelers faced a 3rd and 8. Mike Tomlin sent out Justin Fields. The Ravens were caught flat-footed and burned a timeout. Russell Wilson came back out and hit George Pickens for an apparently 49 yard moonball.

The field had been flipped, Pittsburgh was in perfect position to halve the score before the half.

Imperfect Moment 3: But Pickens pushed off, got flagged for offensive pass interference.

So it was on third and 18, Wilson managed to find Pat Freiermuth, who only managed to gain 9 yards. As you remember from school, 50% = a failing grade. And then some.

If the Steelers were to have any chance of upsetting the Ravens, they needed to be perfect. Instead they were the opposite.

Rob Mr. Henry to Pay Mr. Jackson? NOT!

Going into the game Lamar Jackson had already rushed for more yards than any other NFL quarterback. Yet previous few of those came at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only game where he broke double-digits in rushing attempts was the 2019 game, when Mason Rudolph and Delvin Hodges almost gave him a run for his money.

  • Perhaps that lulled Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin into a fall sense of security.

Because the Steelers defensive plan was to focus on stopping Derrick Henry, even if that meant allowing Jackson some daylight to run with the ball. And T.J. Watt would have been credited with maybe a half dozen tackles of Henry for losses following fake handoffs.

  • That opened the door for Lamar Jackson to scramble 81 yards on 15 carries.

Credit the Ravens for executing false handoffs to perfection – they fooled both the Steelers and the Amazon Prime camera crews time and time again. With Jackson and Henry the Ravens had a one-two claw attack that the Steelers could never counter – the plan to give up a little to Jackson to shut down Henry failed miserably.

If you’re going to willingly let Jackson make some scrabbles, you have to deliver on stopping Henry.

In case you’re taking notes at home, Derrick Henry ran for 186 yards.

Real 2nd Half Rally? Or Garbage Time Glory

When the Steelers went into the locker room down 21 nothing at the half, losing a point differential of at least 35 points appeared to be in the offing.

Van Jefferson, Steelers vs Ravens

Van Jefferson catches a 30 yard touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

  • Yet, the Steelers “only” lost by 2 touchdowns.

Did the Steelers make a game of it? Or is that just garbage time glory? It says here that they made a go of it, kinda sorta at least.

The Steelers forced a punt after the opening kickoff in the second half. That punt left the Steelers on their own two. A run to Jaylen Warren yielded 1 yard followed by an incomplete pass.

  • Here Russell Wilson dug deep and hit Calvin Austin for a 29-yard completion.
  • Later he hit Mike Williams on a 37-yard moonball.
  • 2 plays later, on 3rd and 10 he hit Van Jefferson for a 30-yard touchdown.

3 plays later, Derrick Henry gouged the center of the Steelers defense for 44 yards, restoring Baltimore’s 21 point advantage.

But the Steelers weren’t done. Russell Wilson put together another workman like drive, and hit George Pickens for a 30-yard touchdown.

  • The Steelers defense then did what it was supposed to do – it forced a Ravens 3 and out.

With just over full quarter left to play, the Steelers had a real shot at contesting this outcome – if they could only score a touchdown on this drive. The Steelers moved the chains once but, on third and 8, as it has so many times during this losing streak, the receivers couldn’t get open, the line couldn’t protect Wilson long enough, and he got sacked.

The Steelers defense actually forced another punt, but the offense turned over on downs.

Bitter Defeat Reinforces Brutal Reality

The loss to the Ravens didn’t reveal anything new about the Pittsburgh Steelers that we hadn’t seen in the last month and frankly probably should have known since the summer – this is a team with a 9 or 10 win ceiling.

But the loss did reinforce the reality that a sharp delta continues to separate the Steelers from the NFL’s true championship contenders.

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Ravens Beat Steelers 28-14 in AFC Wild Card at M&T Bank Stadium

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The Pittsburgh Steelers playoff losing streak continues the Baltimore Ravens ridiculed them 28-14 at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday night, as Mike Tomin drops to 0-6 in the postseason since Chris Boswell booted them to their last playoff victory on a cold night in Kansas City, so long ago.

The pitch forks are out in Steelers Nation, understandably so given that the difference in the game was far more dramatic than the score suggests.

One need not dig deep to understand this latest playoff loss: The Baltimore Ravens won because they are a far more talented team who is peaking at just the right time.

Derrick Henry, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elandon Roberts, Steelers vs Ravens

Derrick Henry leaves Steelers defense in the dust. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Steelers Had to Be Perfect. They Were Anything But

In the run up to the game, Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell cited the 2005 Steelers and their playoff upset of the Indianapolis Colts. That ’05 team snuck into the playoffs, knocked off a Bengals team, and then went to Indy as 10 point under dogs.

  • Wexell thought the same thing could happen in Baltimore.
  • A lot of other non-homers seemed to believe.

Personally, I thought the metaphor to be a stretch – that ’05 offense had 4 Hall of Famers on it (yes, I AM counting Hines Ward.) That’s at least 3 if not 4 more than this offense has. But, that being said, the ’05 did leave a template for upsetting a team with superior talent:

Be perfect.

  • Three plays illustrate just how unperfect the Steelers offense was against the Ravens.

Russell Wilson took the very first snap and immediately fired off in Pat Freiermuth’s direction.  Freiermuth was open, right at the first down marker. The ball hit him in the hands. Hitting the man who has been the team’s most reliable receiving threat right off the bat made sense. It would have started the offense off on the right foot.

Imperfect Moment 1: Instead, Pat Freiermuth dropped the ball.

The Steelers punted 5 plays later, and the Ravens responded with a 13 play seven minute plus drive that put them up 7 nothing. After that, the teams traded punts.

After forcing a rare Ravens put, the Steelers started off smartly, getting 8 yards on two Najee Harris’ carries. Afterall, this offense is built around using the run game to set up “manageable third downs.”

Wilson again looked to Freiermuth again.

Imperfect Moment 2: He caught the ball but only got 1 of 2 yards the Steelers needed needed.

The Ravens responded with another 13-minute, nearly 8 minute drive that put them up 14-0, with just 4:02 left the first half. And that’s when the Steelers seriously teased everyone, if only for a second.

After earning a first down, the Steelers faced a 3rd and 8. Mike Tomlin sent out Justin Fields. The Ravens were caught flat-footed and burned a timeout. Russell Wilson came back out and hit George Pickens for an apparently 49 yard moonball.

The field had been flipped, Pittsburgh was in perfect position to halve the score before the half.

Imperfect Moment 3: But Pickens pushed off, got flagged for offensive pass interference.

So it was on third and 18, Wilson managed to find Pat Freiermuth, who only managed to gain 9 yards. As you remember from school, 50% = a failing grade. And then some.

If the Steelers were to have any chance of upsetting the Ravens, they needed to be perfect. Instead they were the opposite.

Rob Mr. Henry to Pay Mr. Jackson? NOT!

Going into the game Lamar Jackson had already rushed for more yards than any other NFL quarterback. Yet previous few of those came at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only game where he broke double-digits in rushing attempts was the 2019 game, when Mason Rudolph and Delvin Hodges almost gave him a run for his money.

  • Perhaps that lulled Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin into a fall sense of security.

Because the Steelers defensive plan was to focus on stopping Derrick Henry, even if that meant allowing Jackson some daylight to run with the ball. And T.J. Watt would have been credited with maybe a half dozen tackles of Henry for losses following fake handoffs.

  • That opened the door for Lamar Jackson to scramble 81 yards on 15 carries.

Credit the Ravens for executing false handoffs to perfection – they fooled both the Steelers and the Amazon Prime camera crews time and time again. With Jackson and Henry the Ravens had a one-two claw attack that the Steelers could never counter – the plan to give up a little to Jackson to shut down Henry failed miserably.

If you’re going to willingly let Jackson make some scrabbles, you have to deliver on stopping Henry.

In case you’re taking notes at home, Derrick Henry ran for 186 yards.

Real 2nd Half Rally? Or Garbage Time Glory

When the Steelers went into the locker room down 21 nothing at the half, losing a point differential of at least 35 points appeared to be in the offing.

Van Jefferson, Steelers vs Ravens

Van Jefferson catches a 30 yard touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

  • Yet, the Steelers “only” lost by 2 touchdowns.

Did the Steelers make a game of it? Or is that just garbage time glory? It says here that they made a go of it, kinda sorta at least.

The Steelers forced a punt after the opening kickoff in the second half. That punt left the Steelers on their own two. A run to Jaylen Warren yielded 1 yard followed by an incomplete pass.

  • Here Russell Wilson dug deep and hit Calvin Austin for a 29-yard completion.
  • Later he hit Mike Williams on a 37-yard moonball.
  • 2 plays later, on 3rd and 10 he hit Van Jefferson for a 30-yard touchdown.

3 plays later, Derrick Henry gouged the center of the Steelers defense for 44 yards, restoring Baltimore’s 21 point advantage.

But the Steelers weren’t done. Russell Wilson put together another workman like drive, and hit George Pickens for a 30-yard touchdown.

  • The Steelers defense then did what it was supposed to do – it forced a Ravens 3 and out.

With just over full quarter left to play, the Steelers had a real shot at contesting this outcome – if they could only score a touchdown on this drive. The Steelers moved the chains once but, on third and 8, as it has so many times during this losing streak, the receivers couldn’t get open, the line couldn’t protect Wilson long enough, and he got sacked.

The Steelers defense actually forced another punt, but the offense turned over on downs.

Bitter Defeat Reinforces Brutal Reality

The loss to the Ravens didn’t reveal anything news about the Pittsburgh Steelers that we hadn’t seen in the last month and frankly probably should have known since the summer – this is a team with a 9 or 10 win ceiling.

But the loss did reinforce the reality that a sharp delta continues to separate the Steelers from the NFL’s true championship contenders.

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