Joe Rutter stories, Page 59
Steelers rookie WR Calvin Austin III uses speed to overcome size disadvantage
As little Calvin Austin III — he’s 5-foot-8, 170 pounds — spoke with reporters at Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp Saturday, he recalled the biggest slight he has heard as a football player. Of course, it had to do with his size. It always does when it comes to Austin, the...
Kenny Pickett using Steelers rookie minicamp as foundation to compete for starting QB job
Forgive Kenny Pickett if he didn’t get caught up in the excitement Thursday night surrounding the release of the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule for the upcoming season. The team’s first-round draft pick had other, more pressing matters on his mind. Such as studying the playbook in preparation for his first official...
Steelers kick off season on road for 8th year in row, face Bengals for 1st time in opener
The 2022 NFL season begins for the Pittsburgh Steelers with a game against the defending AFC champion, and it ends with back-to-back matchups against their other two division rivals. The Steelers will open on the road Sunday, Sept. 11, at Paul Brown Stadium where they will face the Cincinnati Bengals...
Upper St. Clair’s Doug Whaley gets 2nd interview for Steelers’ GM position
Doug Whaley, a former Pittsburgh Steelers executive, received a second interview for the team’s general manager position, the organization announced Tuesday. Whaley, 49, also interviewed for the position in March. The Steelers waited until the conclusion of the NFL Draft to hold a second round of interviews for the position...
Steelers waive LB Tegray Scales, 2 others from offseason roster
The Pittsburgh Steelers reduced their roster Tuesday by waiving three players, including linebacker Tegray Scales, ending his third stint with the organization. Long snapper Rex Sunahara also was waived, and cornerback Isaiah Johnson was cut with an injury designation. Scales, who made his NFL in 2020 when he appeared in...
Steelers’ defensive tackle Cameron Heyward is NFL’s Good Guy Award recipient
An eventful couple of weeks continued Tuesday for Cameron Heyward when the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle was named the recipient of the Good Guy Award by the Pro Football Writers of America. Heyward was presented the award Friday, which also was his 33rd birthday, by members of the PFWA local...
New Steelers WR coach ready to work with draft picks George Pickens, Calvin Austin
He wasn’t on the job for three months as wide receivers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Frisman Jackson was given two high-production players to add to his position group. The special treatment in the NFL Draft didn’t go unnoticed by linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky. “Jerry was making fun of...
Steelers add veteran safety Damontae Kazee on 1-year contract
Providing another starting option in the secondary, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed free agent safety Damontae Kazee to a one-year contract. Kazee agreed to terms after the conclusion of the NFL Draft, but the contract wasn’t signed until Tuesday. Kazee, a five-year veteran, played primarily free safety throughout his career. With...
Steelers decline 5th-year option on inside linebacker Devin Bush
For the second year in a row, the Pittsburgh Steelers have declined the fifth-year contract option for their former first-round draft pick. It was inside linebacker Devin Bush’s turn Monday, meaning he will not be guaranteed a $10.892 million salary in 2023. ESPN.com first reported the Steelers declined Bush’s option,...
Kevin Colbert ends final Steelers draft by doubling up at QB, WR among 4 selections
Kevin Colbert didn’t get emotional in the war room as he was preparing to make the final pick of his 23rd NFL Draft with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coach Mike Tomlin tried his best Saturday to get his boss to crack, offering a reminder when the Steelers sent in the card...
Steelers NFL Draft bio on brief: Chris Oladokun
Chris Oladokun Seventh-round, No. 241 Quarterback, South Dakota State 6-1, 213 Stats: Completed 62.3% of his passes for 3,164 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his lone season at South Dakota State. He also had two rushing touchdowns. … At Samford in 2019, he completed 62.1% of his passes...
Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Connor Heyward
Connor Heyward Sixth-roundpick, No.208 overall Tight end/fullback, Michigan State 5-11, 233 Stats: Played in 49 games with the Spartans from 2017-21. He started 28 times, including 13 in 2021. His first 15 starts were at running back, the remaining ones at tight end following a position switch. … Finished career...
Steelers grab another WR, drafting Memphis’ Calvin Austin III in 4th round
The Pittsburgh Steelers showed they were serious about upgrading the wide receiver position in the NFL Draft, taking two pass catchers in a span of three picks. In the fourth round Saturday, the Steelers used the No. 138 overall selection to take speedy Memphis slot receiver Calvin Austin III. He...
Steelers address defense in 3rd round with lineman Leal from Texas A&M
After taking a quarterback and wide receiver with their first two draft picks, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned their attention to defense in the third round Friday night. DeMarvin Leal, a 6-foot-4, 283-pound defensive lineman from Texas A&M went to the Steelers with the No. 84 overall pick. The Steelers selected...
Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: George Pickens
George Pickens Second-round pick, No.52 overall Wide receiver, Georgia 6-3, 195 Stats: In 24 career games at Georgia, he caught 90 passes for 1,347 yards, averaging 15 yards per catch, with 14 touchdowns. After tearing his ACL in spring practice a year ago, he missed all but the final four...
No need for a tour guide as Steelers introduce ‘pretty special’ 1st-round pick Kenny Pickett
When Kenny Pickett arrived at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Friday, he was ushered inside a part of the joint practice facility that was foreign to him. For the past five seasons, when he was a quarterback at Pitt, he would walk through the door on the right side of...
Who will be on Steelers’ radar on 2nd day of draft? A look at top WR and D-line candidates
After getting their quarterback of the future, the Pittsburgh Steelers will seek players that perhaps can be immediate impact players on the second day of the NFL Draft. General manager Kevin Colbert said that in the team’s business model, the top three draft picks need to develop into starters. With...
Steelers take Pitt quarterback Pickett in 1st round of NFL Draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers had their pick of the quarterback litter when it was their turn in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Or should it be, their Pickett of the litter? The first quarterback off the board was Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, who went to the Steelers with the No. 20...
Joe Rutter: If Jordan Davis falls, Steelers will be ready to take him in 1st round of NFL Draft
In the season after Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, it would be easy and predictable to target the Pittsburgh Steelers taking a quarterback in the first round. It really makes too much sense. Scouts and general manager Kevin Colbert heavily scouted the position in the fall. Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin met...
Looking back at the best, worst of Kevin Colbert’s 22 years overseeing Steelers’ draft
Asking Kevin Colbert to pick his favorite draft class is like having him pick his favorite child. And Colbert has 22 drafts on his resume compared to three kids that he and wife Janis have raised. Colbert was asked to reminisce Monday at his final pre-draft news conference, and he...
Steelers notebook: Too much work remains for Kevin Colbert to think about last days as GM
Kevin Colbert’s time as Pittsburgh Steelers general manager is winding down and can be measured in weeks if not days. Colbert, 65, hasn’t allowed himself to get sentimental about the approaching end of his 22 years with the organization or the 15 years he has spent working alongside coach Mike...
If Steelers draft quarterback, ‘we have to get that right,’ GM Kevin Colbert says
Recognizing that they likely would replace franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers began searching for a successor in earnest last fall. General manager Kevin Colbert said he and his scouts watched the top passing prospects play at least two times. In some cases, it was...
Intrigue awaits Steelers as they consider drafting QB from ‘less gifted’ group
Leigh Steinberg knows quarterbacks. The famed NFL agent has represented Hall of Fame passers Troy Aikman, Steve Young and Warren Moon, and he advised Ben Roethlisberger early in the retired Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback’s career. Steinberg, 73, counts Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa among...
With costs for veteran WRs soaring, NFL teams could stock up in deep draft class
As evidenced by the contracts handed out during the offseason, the cost of doing business with NFL wide receivers is skyrocketing. In March, the Las Vegas Raiders traded for Davante Adams, then gave the former Green Bay Packers star the biggest deal ever afforded to a pass catcher — $141.25...
Steelers retain strong safety Terrell Edmunds on 1-year, $2.5 million contract
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a starting player at every position on the field heading into the NFL Draft next week after strong safety Terrell Edmunds agreed to terms on a one-year contract, according to reports. NFL Network reported Friday that Edmunds will return on a contract worth $2.5 million....
