Joe Rutter stories, Page 58

Matt Canada made one thing clear Tuesday in discussing changes he is bringing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first year as offensive coordinator: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won’t bend to his system. The system will bend to Roethlisberger’s comfort level. “We’re going to do what Ben wants to do,” Canada...

T.J. Watt isn’t going to let his contract situation become a distraction during Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp. On the first of the three-day session at Heinz Field, the veteran outside linebacker shot down a question about negotiations on a long-term deal. “With respect to the process, I’m not going to be...

Terrell Edmunds has a chance to enter free agency a year earlier than expected given that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t exercise the fifth-year option on his contract for the 2022 season. That doesn’t mean Edmunds is guaranteed to test the open market in March. “Of course I’d love to come...

For the first time since they were unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs by Cleveland in the wild-card round, the Pittsburgh Steelers will return to Heinz Field this week. Five months after that 48-37 loss and with a fresh start awaiting them later this summer, the Steelers conclude Phase III of...

The tackle that introduced Robert Spillane to Steeler Nation provided a memory that he has carried well beyond the 2020 season. It was his head-to-head Week 7 hit that dropped eventual 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry short of the end zone that showed Spillane had the toughness and skill set required...

Like so many people inside and outside the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, Chase Claypool thought the wide receiver room would have a new leader in 2021. JuJu Smith-Schuster was a free agent expecting to command top dollar, and the Steelers were trying to remain compliant with the limited finances they had...

JuJu Smith-Schuster wants to keep being a security blanket for Ben Roethlisberger even if he plays outside in the offensive formation. Smith-Schuster also wants security of the financial nature. And he’s willing to go outside to get it, too. Working on a one-year contract that was a byproduct of the...

Attendance for organized team activities is, per NFL policy, strictly voluntary. It’s not until minicamp, which takes place in the fourth and final week of the league’s on-field offseason conditioning program, that players are required to attend. And in the years preceding the coronavirus pandemic, Ben Roethlisberger took it to...

He had a seven-figure signing bonus in his bank account and a partially guaranteed contract assured, and he didn’t want to lose it. That is the Cliffs Notes version of how B.J. Finney showed up “overweight and out of shape” last year with the Seattle Seahawks, a decision that ultimately...

The brother of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident Wednesday night in Georgia. According to a police report, Richard Bartlett III was killed in Johns Creek, which is located about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta. WGCL-TV reported that Bartlett was struck when...

Standing on a balcony overlooking the practice fields at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Tunch Ilkin watched the Pittsburgh Steelers go through organized team activities Thursday morning. Flanked by a group that included his wife, Karen; best friend, teammate and broadcast partner Craig Wolfley; team president Art Rooney II and general...

Ben Roethlisberger knew not long after the sting of that 48-37 playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns wore off that he wanted to return for an 18th season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also was aware some financial leeway was necessary to make that happen. Roethlisberger revealed Tuesday it was...

Tyson Alualu could have spent the past week in Jacksonville, taking part in the first week of organized team activities under new football coach Urban Meyer. He could have shared a locker room with an old quarterback turned tight end in Tim Tebow and a new franchise passer in Trevor...

It will be difficult to top a collection that featured a container once housing Jack Lambert’s false teeth, but the folks at Lelands auction house have put more Pittsburgh Steelers memorabilia up for bidding. Lelands’ mid-spring classic auction runs through June 4 and contains 25 pieces of Steelers memorabilia, including...

Cameron Heyward has heard the criticism lobbied at Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during the offseason. He is tired of it. Heyward defended his teammate and fellow captain Monday after the first day of organized team activities. Roethlisberger and Heyward, the two longest-tenured players on the team, both participated in...

On the first day of organized team activities, the Pittsburgh Steelers got their top two draft picks under contract when they signed running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth to four-year deals. According to the NFL’s slotting system for draft picks, Harris got a $13.047 million deal that...

Even with two college destinations in his rear-view mirror, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie pass rusher Quincy Roche keeps getting caught up in a numbers game. In his third season at Temple, Roche was given a single-digit uniform number, an honor bestowed upon the team’s toughest players. After transferring to Miami (Fla.)...

Before Isaiahh Loudermilk reported to rookie minicamp with the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend, one of his college coaches made an apt observation. “He’ll be blocking out the sun there,” Wisconsin defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej said. Of the 34 players who attended rookie minicamp, Loudermilk was the second tallest, standing...

Troy Polamalu will be presented to the Pro Football Hall of Fame by the man who coached him for virtually his entire Pittsburgh Steelers career. Dick LeBeau, the long-time Steelers defensive coordinator, will present Polamalu when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 7 at Tom Benson...

Four down, five to go. The Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday signed the first four members of their nine-player draft class, coming to contracts with defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk, outside linebacker Quincy Roche, defensive back Tre Norwood and punter Pressley Harvin III. Those players were the final four taken by the...