Category Archives: Uncategorized

Steelers Lose Calvin Austin, Connor Heyward as Final Picks from 2022 Draft Depart

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The Pittsburgh Steelers can [almost] officially declare their 2022 NFL Draft as a wash, as the final members of that draft class, Calvin Austin and Connor Heyward, have departed in free agency.

Calvin Austin will leave the Steelers to play for former AFC North Rival John Harbaugh with the New York Giants. Reports indicate that Austin has signed a one-year contract with a base salary of 1.5 million and incentives that could bring him up to 4.5 million.

Calvin Austin, Greg Newsome, Pittsburgh Steelers

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

Connor Heyward for his part has agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders, who have given Cam Heyward’s little brother a 5.5 million dollar, 2-year contract with 2 million guaranteed.

Neither move should be considered a surprise, although both count as minor disappointments to this Steelers scribe. Of the two moves, Austin’s departure is the most impactful.

The Steelers have D.K. Metcalf and just traded for Michael Pittman Jr., giving them two legitimate NFL caliber wide receivers for the first time since the 2023 season when they had Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. But behind Metcalf and Michael Pittman the Steelers have Ben Skowronek and Roman Wilson.

The Steelers entered the 2025 season counting on Roman Wilson to establish himself as Robin to D.K. Metcalf’s Batman. Instead, he finished the year on the inactive list. And while Ben Skowronek has represented himself well in spot duty at wide receiver, he’s a core special teamer.

Even if they’d kept Calvin Austin in the fold the Steelers would have likely looked to draft a wide receiver in the first round, but now they’re in a position of almost take a wide out no later than round 2 in the 2026 NFL Draft.

  • Connor Heyward’s departure also thins out depth at tight end.

The Steelers do have JJ Galbreath behind Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, but they don’t even have another player under a “futures” contract at the tight end position. Connor Heyward’s departure also robs the team of the only player they had who had worked as a fullback.

Finally, Heyward was an impressive contributor on special teams who will now need to be replaced.

With Austin and Heyward officially no longer Steelers, nothing remains of the Steelers 2022 draft class, save for the third round pick they have from Dallas following the George Pickens trade.

Killebrew Reunites with Danny Smith in Tampa

Miles Killebrew has been a special teams ace for the Pittsburgh Steelers since his arrival in 2021 until suffering an awful season-ending injury on the turf at Acrisure Stadium in the Steelers win over the Cleveland Browns last October.

Miles Killebrew, Steelers vs Chargers 2021, Miles Killebrew blocked punt

Miles Killebrew blocks a punt. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Unfortunately, that was Killebrew’s final game with the Steelers, as he will reunite with special teams coach Danny Smith, after signing as one-year 1.8 million dollar contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Killebrew’s decision is hardly a surprise, as reports indicated that he had put his home in Pittsburgh up for sale earlier this year.

There have other comings and goings in Steelers free agency which we’ll have more to say about soon.

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Should the Steelers Ask Isaac Seumalo to Stick Around in Pittsburgh?

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“Who is Isaac Seumalo?” would be the correct Jeopardy question to this answer “He was the first major Steelers free agent acquisition made by Omar Khan and Andy Weidl in the duo’s first off season as General Manager and Assistant General Manager in Pittsburgh.”

The Steelers signing Seumalo by Khan and Weidl was anything but trivial. Offensive line had been a glaring weakness of the Steelers for several seasons. Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin had achieved some improvement following the line’s nadir in 2021, but most of that improvement had come from applying Band Aids.

Signing Seumalo was to be a definitive step towards rebuilding the Steelers offensive line from the foundation up. Three years later everyone agrees that bringing Seumalo to Pittsburgh was a success.

Now that Isaac Seumalo is set to become a free agent again, the question is should the Steelers keep Seumalo in Pittsburgh?

Isaac Seumalo, Steelers vs Rams

Isaac Seumalo reflecting before the game. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Capsule Profile of Isaac Seumalo’s Career with the Steelers

Isaac Seumalo arrived in Pittsburgh and immediately took over the left guard position that had lacked stability for several seasons. His presence also allowed the Steelers to trade Kevin Dotson, a good player who nonetheless ran afoul of the coaching staff (quick nod to my friend Matt C. Steel at Steel City Insider who always argued that the Steelers erred in playing Dotson on the left side.)

During his first season Seumalo started all 17 games for the Steelers. During the Steelers 2024 season injuries limited him to 13 starts and in 2025 that number increased to 14.

The Case for the Steelers Re-Signing Isaac Seumalo

The Steelers offensive line got a slow start in 2024. You know when things started to turn up? When Seumalo returned to the line up in week six vs the Raiders.

The Steelers offensive line is a much stronger unit in today than it was before Seumalo arrived, and he has been the line’s most consistent player since then.

Let’s also consider this: Broderick Jones‘ neck injury is far more serious than the Steelers let on during the season. Omar Khan wouldn’t even confirm that he would be ready for training camp.

  • Does Mike McCarthy really want to begin his tenure by rebuilding the left side of his line?

No, of course he doesn’t. So the wise move is to keep Sumalo in Pittsburgh for another couple of three years.

The Case Against the Steelers Re-Signing Issac Seumalo

Sure, it is easy to say that the offensive line’s worst game this past season was against the Chargers, point to the fact that Seumalo was out of the game and say, “See what’s happened when he’s been out.”

  • That would be easy, but it would be both misleading and wrong.

IN which game did the Steelers rush the ball the best last season? Against Detroit. And Seumalo missed that game. He did suit up for the playoffs and Aaron Rodgers was in duress all night.

IF the Steelers are going to bring Rodgers back, they need better pass protection. Can Seumalo provide that?

Seumalo has been the Steelers best offensive lineman over the last 3 years. He’s provided maturity and leadership to the line. But he’s a transitional player rather than a foundational one. He’s also turning 33 and injuries are starting to mount. Seumalo probably has more football left in him, but its probably best that he play that somewhere else than Pittsburgh.

The Curtain’s Call on Issac Seumalo and the Steelers

This one is a hard one to call. If Broderick Jones had remained healthy and continued playing at the level he’d reached it is safe to say the Steelers would move on. But Jones is out, and while Dylan Cook played well in his absence, I doubt the new coaching staff is going to be willing to just hand him the left tackle job.

  • Which means there’s the case for stability that Seumalo would provide.

At the end of the day, this will likely come down to how much the Steelers will be willing to guarantee on say a 2-year deal. Because if the Steelers were going to lock Seumalo up for any longer, they’d have already have done so.

Expect Seumalo to test the market, and we’ll see what happens next.

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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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Help!? Steelers Trade for Safety Kyle Dugger, Make More Roster Moves

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The 2nd half of the Steelers loss to Green Bay was a miserable affair. But credit Cris Collinsworth for working in a laugh. At some point during Jordan Love’s 20 consecutive passing streak, Collinsworth floated the idea that the Steelers might trade for a wide receiver.

  • My immediate reaction: “Wide receiver? What about defensive back?”

Omar Khan agrees apparently, as the Steelers have traded with the New England Patriots for safety Kyle Dugger. The Steelers will send a 6th round pick to New England and get a 7th rounder along with Dugger in back.

With DeShon Elliott injured and out for an indefinite period of time, the Steelers secondary is reeling.

The defense struggled mightily without Elliott in the season’s first three weeks, and the wheels came off of what had been a solid first-half defensive effort against the Packers as soon as they lost Elliott.

How much Dugger can contribute remains to be seen, but the stark reality is that the Steelers need bodies in the secondary, with Miles Killebrew, already on IR (not that you’d really want to see Killebrew suiting up at safety.)

Kyle Durgger, Pat Freiermuth, Steelers vs Patriots

Kyle Dugger tackles Pat Freiermuth. Photo Credit: Seth Wickerstien, Steelers.com

Kyle Dugger @ a Glance

The New England Patriots drafted Kyle Dugger in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL Draft (12 picks before the Steelers too Chase Claypool) and Dugger appeared in 14 games as a rookie, starting 7 and then earned the starting role in 2021.

Dugger started though the 2024 season, hauling in 9 interceptions, 2 pick sixes, 24 passes defensed, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 3.5 sacks.

Like fellow Patriot safety cast-off Jabril Peppers, the word is that Dugger wasn’t a good fit for Mike Vrabel’s scheme. The Patriots have been looking to unload him since this summer given his salary.

Can Dugger Really Help?

Judging by his resume, Dugger appears to be “starter capable.” But given that New England only asked for a 6th and threw in a 7th it is fair to ask why the Patriots were so eager to part with him.

  • The Steelers success rate with trades made in training camp or during the season is mixed at best.

Levi Brown ever saw the field, nor did William Jackson. Felix Jones, Avery Williamson and Brandon Boykin were duds. Justin Gilbert was a good guy to take a flyer on, but thank God they only gave up a 6th for him instead of taking him in he first, as some thought they would.

The Steelers traded for Vannett in the middle of the 2019 season, started him immediately and he helped convert a critical 3rd down in his first game. And that was almost the last time we heard his name.

Mike Williams arrived in Pittsburgh in at the trade deadline last year, and entered the game against the Commanders making the go ahead catch. After that Williams sightings were scarce, even after George Pickens went down with injury.

With all that said, the Steelers needed to add someone, and they’ve brought in someone with 69 starts to his name.

Trice Practices, Steelers Make Other Moves

Cornerback Cory Trice who has been on injured reserve since the summer, has returned to practice. He remains on IR but could be activated as early as this week.

Trice missed his rookie season due to injury, and missed the first 11 games of 2024 on injured reserve as well.

Whether he can stay healthy is a critical question for the Steelers.

  • But if he can, he’ll be a welcome addition to a secondary screaming for a shot in the arm.

The Steelers have also signed veteran wide out Marquez Valdes-Scantling to their practice squad and will welcome back 2024 undrafted rookie free agent wide out-QB John Rhys Plumlee.

Finally, the Steelers added Jack Driscoll and Darrick Forrest to the practice squad.

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Win in the Trenches: Steelers Beat Browns 23-9 @ Acrisure Stadium

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The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 23-9 at Acrisure Stadium, improving their record to 4-1 and lengthening their lead in the AFC North.

This win had an unfamiliar feel to it, and that unfamiliarity doesn’t simply stem from the fact that the Steelers controlled all three phases for 60 minutes. While that’s a positive on its own merits, the “why” behind that control is most important and the Steelers controlled the game because they won the battle in the trenches.

T.J. Watt, Dillion Gabriel, Steelers vs Browns

Even 3 Browns can’t stop T.J. Watt. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Embracing AFC North Football

The game against the Browns gave the Steelers their first taste of AFC North Football since the Ravens Ridiculed them in the playoffs. As former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher admonished after that game, it wasn’t so much that the Ravens won, its in the way they won.

Baltimore beat the Steelers that day because the Ravens won and the Steelers lost in the trenches in equal parts. Baltimore was bigger, stronger, faster and better in every possible way that night.

  • Let’s acknowledge that the Cleveland Browns are hardly the class of the AFC North.

To find a time when they were, you’d have to hop in your DeLorean and go back to 80’s when it was the AFC Central, when in fact we were actually watching Doc Brown and Marty McFly on the silver screen and complaining how $5.00 movie tickets were a ripoff.

IF that’s true, then it’s also true that the Browns are fairly strong where AFC North teams must be strong – on the defensive and offensive lines.

Cleveland brought the NFL’s top rushing defense and resident game-wrecker Myles Garrett to Pittsburgh and dared the Steelers control the line of scrimmage.

  • As we will see, Arthur Smith’s first accepted and then vanquished that challenge.

On the other side of the field, Teryl Austin’s defense entered the game with one simple objective: Force the Browns to try to beat him with rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins has been a legitimate bright spot for the Browns, already drawing comparisons in some quarters to Nick Chubb.

While Cleveland’s offensive tackles might not scare anyone, their interior line is strong and one of the reasons the Steelers lost in last year’s trip to the shores of Eire. The Steelers run defense proved to be up to the task, limiting Judkins to 36 yards, and the Browns to 65 in total.

That in turn resulted in Gabriel throwing 52 passes – just what Austin and Mike Tomlin wanted.

Mr. Smith Goes to Pittsburgh

Bemoaning the offensive coordinator is one of Steelers Nations’ favorite pastimes. It was true (for good reason) in the days of Joe Walton, Ray Sherman and Kevin Gilbride. It continued to be true during the days of Bruce Arians and Todd Haley.

But it took Randy Fitchner and Matt Canada for Arians Antagonists and Haley Haters to see just how good they had it. Last year was Smith’s first year in Pittsburgh and while it was clear he had a different style, the results were largely the same (see the JV offense fielded in the regular season finale against the Bengals.)

  • In 2025, we’ve seen glimpses of how this Smith’s offense can be different.

And what a refreshing sight it was the see another of the units leaves blossom. Smith set the tone early with a 36 yard play-action pass to Darnell Washington on the opening play. Smith’s message was clear: We may run, we way pass, but regardless, we will be physical.

Darnell Washington, D.K. Metcalf, Steelers vs Browns

Arthur Smith is starting to weaponize Darnell Washington. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Smith committed to the run, dividing carries between Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell and rookie Kaleb Johnson. Tight end Jonnu Smith also earned 10 yards on a jet sweep. This commitment paid dividends down the stretch. In the second half Warren and Gainwell both posted double-digit carries while Johnson notched one for 9 years.

Forcing the defense to focus on the run, allowed Aaron Rodgers to hit D.K. Metcalf for several “chunk” plays using play action of 20 plus yards. It also helped him set up a touchdown throw to Connor Heyward.

This proved to be the difference for an offense that moved the ball but was forced to settle for 3 field goals in the first half, to a unit that scored two touchdowns and pulled away in the second half.

The foundation for all of this, was of course the offensive line play that neutralized Myles Garrett and rest of Cleveland’s rushers and opened lanes for the running backs.

A Good “Problem” to Have

The Steelers lost Alex Highsmith early in week 2 against Seattle. Nick Herbig took his place and has put up T.J. Watt like numbers since then. With Highsmith returning to full health the question was: What would the Steelers do?

The answer is: Unleash all three.

  • Watt and Highsmith split a sack to force a critical three and out.
  • On another third down Watt batted away a pass to force a punt
  • Herbig dropped Gabriel for an 11-yard loss from 2nd and goal at the Steelers 3
  • Herbig’s sack, combined with a Joey Porter Jr.  knocking away a pass from Jerry Jeudy on third down forced a punt

They had company, Derrick Harmon got a sack while Jalen Ramsey helped wreck the Browns 2nd drive in the first quarter and their penultimate one in the 4th quarter.

Jalen Ramsey, Dillion Gabriel, Steelers vs Browns

Jalen Ramsey with one of his two sacks of Dillion Gabriel. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

The Steelers defense did more than just throw a pressure party on Gabriel. Darius Slay, James Pierre, and Patrick Queen all tipped away passes at key moments, while Cam Heyward and the rest of the defensive line bottled up Cleveland’s ground attack.

Key Step But a Long Journey Lies Ahead

Winning their first AFC North game is important for the Steelers, but how they were able to win it could prove just as important — and that’s a two sided coin. For the first time all year, the Steelers hurt themselves with penalties. They can’t give quarterbacks more experienced than Dillion Gabriel 2nd and 3rd chances.

But if they can build on their success and discipline away their penalties, then the Steelers will have exited the Browns game with a solid foundation to stand on in the 12 games to come.

 

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Steelers Offense Struggling? Training Camp History Says Chill

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If you’re a Steelers fan you know the story of training camp thus far: The defense has performed exceptionally well while the offense has struggled.

Al Saunders explained that “ defense has taken the “offense’s lunch money whenever it wanted to.”

Jim Wexell quoted Mike Tomlin as calling “’a really big day, kind of the culmination of a big week for us,’ but it was another fizzle by the offense.”

Mike DeFabo laid out 4 overarching concerns about the Steelers offense supported by detailed dissections of Arthur Smith unit’s struggles in “7 on 7 Shots” and on the goal line drill.

How, pray tell, should Steelers navigate this no man’s land between hope for the defense and despair over the offense?

Jack Sawyer, Evan Hull, Malik Harrison, Steelers training camp 2025, Steelers at St. Vincent's 2025

Jack Sawyer and Malik Harrison force an Evan Hull fumble in 7 on 7 shots. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Is it already too early write 2025 off as yet another year when Mike Tomlin “wasted a great defense,” failing to capitalize on T.J. Watt’s prime while cheating Cam Heyward?

Of course it is.

And there’s proof. To find it you need to look back to past summers at St. Vincents. Fear not. There’s no need return Joe Greene doing the Oklahoma Drill in 1969, or Chuck Noll installing the shotgun July 1989, or even Ben Roethlisberger turning heads as a rookie in the summer of 2004.

  • You don’t even need to go back before the pandemic.

You only need look back to this point in the summer of 2023. Of course we all remember how flawless the Steelers looked in preseason that August. This skeptical scribe even allowed himself to nip at the Kool Aid.

Of course preseason was a mirage. But what were they saying before the preseason started?

Everyone’s forgotten. Including me. Fortunately, thanks to the magic of the internet we can look it up.

2023 = 365 Days of Summer @ St. Vincents

Roy Countryman traveled to St. Vincents and had this to say on August 9th, 2023:

* Kenny Pickett is processing his reads quickly, and with the added muscle he put on during the offseason it allows him to uncork passes into tight windows with just a shade more velocity.

*The Steelers offense has a plethora of weaponry, and should have the option to get creative with play-calling, especially in red zone scenarios with versatile players such as Connor Heyward and Kendrick Green. There should be no excuse they are not a top 10 team in red zone efficiency.

Wooh. Roy Countryman is easily one of the best Steelers-focused draft analysts in the business, but those to observations didn’t age well.

But Countryman was in good company. His boss at Steel City Insider, Jim Wexell offered this on August 6th. After detailing his efforts to secure an excellent one-on-one with George Pickens, he widened his focus to the rest of the offense offering this:

…. combined with the precise Diontae Johnson, the receiving corps – with savvy veteran Allen Robinson scoring once again in 7 Shots – is picking up steam with quarterback Kenny Pickett.

The raves began pouring in Friday night, and Saturday afternoon the Steelers’ passing game reached its offseason apex. It might be time to get excited.

For real.

A few days later after the Steelers cleaned Tampa Bay’s clock in preseason, the excitement did start to get real.

And there were reasons for things to be real, one of those was Wexell’s assessment of Broderick Jones:

But there’s more to the excitement, and part of it is the infusion of that freakish Georgia talent. Joining Pickens this season from the ruling kings of college ball is first-round pick Broderick Jones, who looks to one day put a decade-long stranglehold on the very difficult and very important left tackle position.

Now, here comes the part of the article where the author admits to exercising artistic license earlier in the piece: I lied about not remembering the reports from training camp 2023.

I remembered the positive vibes coming out of St. Vincents two summers ago, but I wanted to confirm my memory and find concrete examples to offer as evidence. While that’s part of the craft of any good writer, it also reminds us that research often yields unintended insights.

Wolfley’s View

The late, great Craig Wolfley published his own piece on Steel City Insider on August 8th of 2023. While Wofley’s take was overall positive, he didn’t paint his picture broad strokes that his follow writers at Steel City Insider did.

  • Instead, he honed in on individual players.

Wolfley sang the praises of George Pickens, predicted Keeanu Benton’s strong rookie year, and gave a special shout-out to rookie Nick Herbig. He also was positive on Borderick Jones, but Wofley warned, “he still has a tendency to give away the inside pass rush.”

Wolfley’s observations about each player were pretty close to spot on. And that tells us something important, beyond reminding us of how lucky we were to have Wolf and how much we miss him.

It really just goes to show you that training camp evaluations are as much of an art as they are a science.

Daily battle reports from training camp are since part of it, as they represent hard snapshots taken in real time. The ability to stich those together, that’s where the art lies. And Craig Wolfley had an uncanny knack that surpassed the rest of his peers.

Steelers Yin an Yang

Image credit: Sybildeckerdf via Pin Interest

So yes, the Steelers defense has looked good so far, and yes the offense has taken its time to find its footing. While that might not be encouraging, its hardly surprising as that’s the side of the ball that’s seen the most turnover.

So if you’re feeling bad about the direction of the Steelers offense, just think back to how good you felt about it two summers ago, let the feelings balance out. When you get the that point, remind yourself of Chuck Noll’s credo that “Life is a journey” and enjoy the ride.

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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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Steelers Sign Aaron Rodgers – Bobby Layne 3.0 Arrives in Pittsburgh

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Well… It has happened. Aaron Rodgers has signed a one-year, team-friendly contract to be the Steelers quarterback for the 2025 season. Rodgers per reports will attend Steelers minicamp after missing OTAs.

Aaron Rodgers, Casey Hampton, Steelers vs Packers, Steelers Packer Super Bowl,

Aaron Rodgers celebrates a touchdown in the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Photo Credit: Al Bello, Getty Images via Bleacher Report

For the record, like most of Steelers Nation, I did not want to see Aaron Rodgers in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform.

But now that it has happened, it is time to be practical. So let’s define several truths about the Steelers situation:

  1. A long-term quarterback solution was unavailable this spring.
  2. Aaron Rodgers has lost a lot since his time as a Super Bowl and league MVP.
  3. Yet, he still has something left in the tank.
  4. Rodgers offered Pittsburgh its best shot for an upgrade at quarterback.

Number 4 might provoke eye rolls.

To be sure, Chris Ward of Steelers NOW took a detailed look at Rodgers’ games in 2024 and found cause for concern.

Alex Highsmith, Aaron Rodgers

Alex Highsmith pressures Aaron Rodgers. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Rodgers struggles against the blitz largely because age has robbed him of the mobility needed to improvise. Some of his decision making under pressure suggests that perhaps he isn’t able to process at the speed he once could. Finally, Ward found that Rodgers’ famed accuracy is slipping.

However, Ward also maintains that Rodgers’ arm remains strong, terming it as his “superpower.” His timing, ability run RPOs remains sharp, allowing him to function as “a general at the line of scrimmage that is confident in his ability to get his unit in the best play possible.”

Risk of Riding with Rodgers is Real

Even if Rodgers is the best available option the Steelers had to achieve a year-to-year improvement at quarterback, signing him carries both objective and subjective risks.

After 18 years in Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin’s fascination with giving fabled athletes a final dance well- documented.

Joey Galloway signed but never saw the field. Ditto William Jackson. Plaxico Burress finished his career in a Steelers uniform by scoring touchdown at Heinz Field. That was great for him but his second stint in Pittsburgh did little to help the team. Michael Vick had one great quarter of football left in him that set up a Monday Night Football win that was a difference-maker when playoff time came.

Rodgers will be 42 by season’s end and is well past the point where age and injury can quickly conspire to end a career.

  • The subjective risks Rodgers brings are perhaps more pertinent.

Mike Tomlin praised first round pick Derrick Harmon for having “Steelers DNA.” Look up and down the members of the Steelers 2025 Draft Class, and you’ll see the words “strong character guy,” “great for the locker room,” and/or “natural leader.” Ditto their 2024 class.

Check out Jim Wexell’s interview with Darius Slay and you’ll see a veteran who oozes a “been there, done that” ethos who embraces his role as mentor for players like Joey Porter Jr., Cory Trice and Beanie Bishop.

In contrast, Aaron Rodgers carries a well-earned reputation for forcing an “I” into the word “team.”

He tried to get the coach and GM fired at the end of his time Green Bay. He succeeded in doing that with the Jets. He unhesitatingly points fingers at teammates when things get tough.

Per Over the Cap, Aaron Rodgers has earned $381,692,206 in his career. But that didn’t stop him from whining about having to buy his own plane ticket for his final meeting with the Jets. (Hint for Rodgers – next time splurge on an economy plus upgrade, and enjoy the extra leg room.)

  • Mike Tomlin is no stranger to managing diva locker room personalities.

Perhaps he was at his best in doing that when Ben Roethlisberger was hooking up with Antonio Brown for the Christmas Night Immaculate Extension that set up Pittsburgh’s most recent playoff wins.

antonio brown, steelers christmas win over ravens, steelers vs. ravens

Four Ravens can’t stop Antonio Brown from score the game winning touchdown in Steelers Christmas win over Ravens. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

But Aaron Rodgers could easily put those skills to the test.

Welcome to Pittsburgh Bobby Layne 3.0

Shortly after the smoke cleared following the playoff ridiculing against the Ravens, Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell mused that the Steelers had tried Neil O’Donnell (Mason Rudolph), Mark Malone (Kenny Pickett) and Bobby Layne (Russell Wilson) to no avail.

Once the Rodgers signing became official, The Athletic’s Mike DeFabio took the Steelers brain trust to task for promising not to do the same thing over again and expect different results.

  • DeFabio has the facts on his side.

A year ago, the Steelers brought in an aging Super Bowl champion quarterback at a bargain basement price and suffered yet another embarrassing playoff loss. Now they just signed another, older Super Bowl quarterback.

Ziggy Hood, Aaron Rodgers, LaMarr Woodley, Casey Hampton, Super Bowl XLV

Ziggy Hood sacks Aaron Rodgers in Super Bowl XLV. Photo Credit: Tribune-Review

So be it. Unless Seattle proves that “the sixth time is the charm” with Sam Darnold or Justin Fields can mature into Jalen Hurts-lite in New York, finding a bridge quarterback was the best Steelers could have done this spring.

  • So think of Aaron Rodgers as Bobby Layne 3.0.

No, Layne did not bring an NFL Championship to the Steel City, but he give Pittsburgh the best professional football the city had ever seen.

While is far from a certain thing, Aaron Rodgers could bring Pittsburgh the best football its seen since Ben Roethlisberger threw out his arm in the second week of the 2019 season.

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Steelers Draft Will Howard in 6th Round of 2025 NFL Draft

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Well, it took 3 days, 6 rounds and 184 players but the Pittsburgh Steelers got their quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft when they took Ohio State’s Will Howard in the 6th round.

When announcing Derrick Harmon as their 2025 1st round pick Omar Khan affirmed that the Steelers would bring 4 quarterbacks to St. Vincents and Howard will be one of those. The Steelers were expected to take a quarterback in this draft, but few anticipated them waiting as long as the 6th round.

Will Howard, Will Howard Steelers 2025 6th round Pick

Will Howard at OSU. Photo Credit: Columbus Dispatch

Steel City Insider’s Roy Countryman initially had Will Howard rated as a 5th rounder on his value draft board. Countryman described him this way:

Howard is a Kansas State transfer who led OSU to a national title his final season. He is calm under pressure with the arm strength to fit passes into any area of the field with velocity.

What he needs to further refine is his ability to cycle through progressions quicker, but he has the athleticism to scramble for key gains and has the size (6-4,236) to withstand the rigors of playing in the AFC North.

However, in his final mock draft, Countryman had Howard going to the Steelers in the 3rd explaining:

…after doing one final viewing of his tape, and taking a look at the landscape of quarterback-needy teams, I can see him being coveted for his size and leadership and he has a chance to go as high as the third round.

….While at times Howard needs to speed up his ability to cycle through progressions, he has the athleticism to scramble for key gains, has the size (6-4,236) to withstand the rugged AFC North, and remains calm under pressure with the arm strength to fit passes into any area of the field with velocity. Plus, he has a drive to make those who overlook him regret it, which shows in his work ethic.

Howard’s play down the stretch is part of what impressed the Steelers, as offensive coordinator Arthur Smith explained, “You always want to see how people respond to adversity. … You want to see those guys respond, and Will was in that leadership role. He played his best football at the end of the year.”

Will Howard Highlights

Here’s a quick view of some of Will Howard’s highlights.

Will Howard joins Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson as the Steelers quarterbacks. There will be a fourth one in the room by the time the Steelers arrive in Latrobe. Whether that chair goes to Aaron Rodgers, another unemployed veteran or some undrafted rookie free agent remains to be seen.

But for now, we’ll simply say, welcome to Steelers Nation Will Howard.

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Steelers Draft Derrick Harmon in 1st Round of 2025 NFL Draft

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Omar Khan described it as “an easy choice.” Mike Tomlin claimed “He has Steeler DNA” and with that the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Derrick Harmon in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Derrick Harmon played defensive tackle for Oregon in 2024 after playing his first three collegiate years in Michigan State. Harmon stands at 6’4” and a half and weighs 313. His 45 tackles, with 101⁄2 for loss, five sacks and four passes batted away in 13 starts were enough to earn him second team All American honors.

Derrick Harmon, Derrick Harmon Steelers 2025 first round draft pick.

Mett Derrick Harmon, the Steelers 2025 First Round Draft pick. Photo Credit: Post-Gazette.com

Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell rated Derrick Harmon as number 7 on his annual “Ass Kickers List” and his scribe Matt C. Steel declared “Harmon might be the guy that the Steelers tell the Chiefs ‘unless the player we like is still on the board.’”

Going into the 2024 season not only was the defensive line not seen as a weakness for the Steelers, it was viewed as a potentially rising strength.

Things looked very different when finishing Thanksgiving leftovers gave way to the Christmas rush as the Steelers were schooled by Derrick Henry first in the regular season, then again in the ridiculing suffered at the hands of the Ravens in the playoffs.

  • Mike Tomlin did not blink when asked if this factored into the Steelers plans.

When asked if it was important to beef up his defensive line, he volunteered “Extreme urgency to be quite honest with you.” When asked if the struggles of his run defense fueled that urgency, Tomlin leaned in again detailing:

The tape is the tape, and so we’re behaving appropriately. You don’t have a chance to have a top-notch defense unless you’re smashing the run and getting after the quarterback, and this is a guy whose résumé says he’s capable of contributing in both areas.

Harmon’s name had been linked to the Steelers as soon as the pre-draft process began, but Pittsburgh had also been linked to Kenneth Grant, a nose tackle from Michigan. The thinking was that the Steelers need a big man in the center, akin to a modern day Casey Hampton, to stuff the run and allow Keeanu Benton to move from nose to end, as Gerald Williams had once done.

Grant was off  the board long before the Steelers got their chance to pick, and Tomlin dashed any hopes of Harmon going to nose “I don’t think nose is his game, but the rush component at three and five, and some of those things, certainly.”

Video Highlights of Derrick Harmon

Here’s a quick look at some of Harmon’s highlights from his days with the Ducks and Spartans

https://youtu.be/SZKFszoOzCw?si=66txqDK8a2HirUeu

 

Hopefully, Derrick Harmon can quickly deploy some of that run stuffing magic against Derrick Henry.

Historical Resonance with Harmon

Derrick Harmon has been compared stylistically to Cam Heyward. Cam Heyward was the last defensive lineman drafted by the Steelers in the first round back in the 2011 NFL Draft. On that evening Kevin Colbert broke form and declared it to be a “Historic day for the franchise.”

  • Neither Omar Khan nor Mike Tomlin were ready to take that plunge last night.

But the selection resonates with Steelers history in other ways. The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the 1969 NFL Draft facing a lot of pressure to draft a quarterback. Terry Hanratty was a hometown hero and a Notre Dame grad to boot at a time when Pittsburgh was still predominantly Catholic.

He did take Hanratty in the second round, but that didn’t stop him from picking Terry Bradshaw a year later. Here in 2025 the Steelers admit to their need to add a quarterback, and many expected them to draft Shedeur Sanders. (Mel Kipper blasted them for not doing so. That’s another reason to like Harmon).

Like Noll before him, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan kept their own counsel and drafted the defensive tackle. They could easily follow Noll’s template and draft a quarterback next. Expecting history to repeat itself isn’t realistic, but the Steelers and Derrick Harmon have already created some historical resonance.

Welcome to Steelers Nation Derrick Harmon.

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