Joe Rutter stories, Page 100

David DeCastro’s absence from organized team activities has provided B.J. Finney prolonged first-team work at right guard. When DeCastro returns — presumable next week at mandatory minicamp — Finney will go back to his customary spot with the second string. And that’s just fine with the fourth-year interior offensive lineman....

The three starters on the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line haven’t occupied the same practice space since organized team activities began three weeks ago. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt, however, took a step toward rejoining Cameron Heyward and nose tackle Javon Hargrave at offseason workouts. On the eighth day of OTAs, Tuitt...

Two former Pittsburgh Steelers players are joining the coaching staff for the 2019 season as interns. Former cornerback William Gay and tight end David Johnson were added Tuesday. Gay, 34, spent 10 of his 12 NFL seasons with the Steelers, playing for the team from 2007-11 and from 2003-17. He...

For the second year in a row, a backup Pittsburgh Steelers tight end will try to enter a season looking to put a controversial play in the rear-view mirror. In 2018, it was Jesse James bouncing back from perhaps the most scrutinized NFL play of the previous season, the infamous...

The first time James Conner walked onto the practice field for organized team activities, he was slowed by a hamstring tweak that he incurred during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie minicamp. The next year, Conner arrived at OTAs healthy, and he was rewarded with regular reps as the starting tailback all...

Cornerback Justin Layne became the final member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft class to sign his rookie contract, when he agreed to a four-year deal Thursday that has a total slot value of about $3.45 million. The third-round draft pick out of Michigan State and the No. 83 overall player...

Zach Gentry still might hear fans chant a certain retired tight end’s first name when he catches passes at Heinz Field this season. It won’t be because he wears the same number as Heath Miller. Gentry wore No. 83 in college at Michigan and again at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie...

As a recipient of an aerospace engineering degree, Joshua Dobbs is all too familiar with Newton’s third law of motion. He just didn’t expect it to be such a jarring part of his flight training for a trip with the Air Force Thunderbirds. What goes up must come down —...

Diontae Johnson has been watching and learning during many of the team concepts in organized team activities this week. His best work, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-round draft pick said Wednesday afternoon, has come in early individual work with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Johnson said Roethlisberger has spent the past two days...

Could the Pittsburgh Steelers end up facing the hottest NFL free agent twice a season in 2019? Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who was surprisingly cut loose by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers less than two weeks ago, may find a future in the AFC North after wrapping up visits with the...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing out two of their Hall of Fame players for their annual summer fundraisers. Mel Blount and Franco Harris will serve as honorary chairs of the Steelers Charity Walk and Steelers 5K race, respectively. The charity walk, which will be held July 27 at Saint Vincent...

In April, a few days before the first phase of offseason workouts, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Ramon Foster and Maurkice Pouncey issued a joint social-media post calling for an end to all bashing by current and former players. Although his name was never mentioned in the post, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger...

Already during this calendar year, Kameron Kelly had lined up at wide receiver, cornerback and strong safety. And that was before he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in April. On Tuesday, the 22-year-old defensive back took repetitions at free safety. And he did it with the first-team defense. Kelly played alongside...

After a season in which nothing seemed to go right for Chris Boswell, he headed home and decided an overhaul to his kicking approach would be wrong. So he didn’t change a thing. “I’m going to stick to what I did going into my fourth year,” said Boswell, who is...

Coming off a 9-6-1 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be trying to return to the AFC playoffs for the fifth time in six years. One gambling site thinks the Steelers have a better chance of achieving the NFL’s best record in 2019 than they do the worst. According to BetOnline.ag,...

James Washington never felt entirely comfortable in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense — or with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger — in his rookie season. A late-season pep talk by Roethlisberger calmed the young Steelers wide receiver’s nerves. Still, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that Washington began to feel at ease...

The Pittsburgh Steelers had near-perfect attendance for the first week of organized team activities. Almost every player was on hand to either participate in the first three days of voluntary workouts or receive treatment at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. One notable exception was All-Pro guard David DeCastro, who had a...

Two Pittsburgh Steelers players are nominees for this year’s George Halas Award. Running back James Conner and linebacker Ryan Shazier are among the five finalists for the award, which is given to the NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed. The award is presented...

Fans who want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round draft pick being selected in two seasons will need to make a short drive up the turnpike. At the NFL spring meeting in Key Biscayne, Fla., commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Cleveland has landed the 2021 NFL Draft. The timing coincides...

When JuJu Smith-Schuster joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, he was the youngest player in the NFL and trailed Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant on the depth chart. When Smith-Schuster stepped onto the fields at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex this week for the start of organized team activities, he still...

JuJu Smith-Schuster initially declined to speak with the media Wednesday, telling reporters he would be available the next day. About 10 minutes after he ducked into the locker room, the Pittsburgh Steelers third-year receiver returned to the practice field at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex with a team spokesman in tow....

Ty Law will have more than just a bust to symbolize his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Aliquippa graduate will have more than 40 pieces of memorabilia on display this summer as part of the Class of 2019 Locker Exhibit. Other class members, including Champ Bailey,...

No family vacations are planned for the rest of Ben Roethlisberger’s spring. As he enters his 16th NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback expects to be a regular participant at organized team activities, a departure from last year when he showed up to UMPC Rooney Sports Complex for the first...