Joe Rutter stories, Page 60
Steelers teammates, coaches, loved ones pay respects at Dwayne Haskins’ memorial service
Dozens of friends and teammates joined the wife of late Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins and packed Allegheny Center Alliance Church for a private service Friday that celebrated the 24-year-old’s life. The memorial service was preceded by a two-hour public viewing session at the North Side church. Most of the...
A year after taking Najee Harris, Steelers could seek his backup on 3rd day of NFL Draft
No matter which player the Pittsburgh Steelers pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, they only can hope to duplicate the same type of value they received from Najee Harris in 2021. All Harris did in his first professional season was play 84% of all offensive snaps and,...
Tight end class that lacks elite prospects likely holds little interest for Steelers in NFL Draft
For the second year in a row, the Pittsburgh Steelers watched a veteran tight end depart in the offseason. Unlike this time last year, they won’t feel obligated to replace him with a player taken high in the NFL Draft. A few months after Vance McDonald retired after the 2020...
Steelers could take advantage of deep tackle class with early pick in NFL Draft
Kevin Colbert’s “regret” last offseason was not fortifying an offensive line that resulted in the Pittsburgh Steelers starting rookies at left tackle and center. “An affordable veteran that maybe could have eased the growth time for that group,” Colbert said in February, “but we knew it was going to be...
Liberty quarterback Malik Willis visits with Steelers to wrap up top 30 process
The final top quarterback prospect from this year’s draft class visited with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. Malik Willis, who could be the first quarterback selected in the draft when it begins April 28, conducted a top-30 visit at the UMPC Rooney Sports Complex. Wednesday is the final day that...
911 calls reveal Dwayne Haskins was walking to get gas when struck, killed by dump truck
Dwayne Haskins was walking to get gas for his disabled car when he was struck and killed by a dump truck April 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to a pair of 911 calls. The calls were obtained by a Miami television station and released Wednesday. Haskins, 24, was pronounced...
Steelers announce return to Saint Vincent College for training camp after 2-year absence
Shoulder pads will be popping, footballs will be flinging and fans will be packing the hillside at Saint Vincent College again this summer. After a two-year absence because of the pandemic, the Pittsburgh Steelers will return to the Unity campus to conduct training camp this year, the team announced Wednesday....
Steelers’ restricted free agent Marcus Allen signs $2.54 million contract tender
Pittsburgh Steelers restricted free agent Marcus Allen signed his contract tender Tuesday, and he will earn $2.54 million if he makes the 53-man roster. Allen, an inside linebacker who converted from safety, faced a Friday deadline to sign his offer. Allen, 25, is entering his fifth NFL season and third...
Despite free-agent moves, Steelers could target interior offensive lineman in NFL Draft
When the Pittsburgh Steelers went on an uncharacteristic spending spree in free agency, they added a new center and guard to an offensive line that underperformed in 2021. The running game, despite the addition of first-round back Najee Harris, still ranked No. 29 in the league. And Ben Roethlisberger, in...
Former Penn State staff member David Corley named Steelers assistant QB coach
With two relatively young quarterbacks on the roster and a third potentially joining them in the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers hired David Corley as assistant quarterbacks coach. The announcement was made Tuesday. Corley, 42, was the running backs coach at Richmond in 2021 and spent the 2018 season as...
As draft approaches, strong safety remains missing link on Steelers defense
Strong safety is a weak spot for the Pittsburgh Steelers. General manager Kevin Colbert said as much a few weeks ago at the NFL annual meeting. Colbert said the Steelers have players capable of starting at 24 of 25 positions on the roster, including specialists. The exception is strong safety,...
Despite bleak draft history, Steelers could be tempted by ‘strong’ cornerback draft class
As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the NFL Draft, they can take comfort in knowing they fortified the cornerback position in free agency. By signing Ahkello Witherspoon and Levi Wallace to matching two-year, $8 million contracts, the Steelers are set on the outside for at least the 2022 season. Those...
Selecting linebackers in 1st round no sure thing for NFL teams seeking next Micah Parsons
As the Pittsburgh Steelers can attest, selecting an inside linebacker in the first round of the NFL Draft is a risky proposition. For every standout player such as Devin White, there is at least one — if not more — Devin Bush who still is trying to reach his potential....
Draft’s top pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson embraces style of Steelers’ T.J. Watt
Aidan Hutchinson likes to pattern his game after some of the NFL’s premier edge rushers, so it’s no surprise he regularly pops in the highlights of the league’s defensive player of the year. Asked at the NFL Combine which pass rusher he most admires, Hutchinson put T.J. Watt at the...
Georgia teammates are head of the class as Steelers look to bolster aging defensive line
It wouldn’t be fair to say the Pittsburgh Steelers ignored the defensive line in the past seven NFL drafts. It also wouldn’t be truthful to say the Steelers made that position group a priority, either. Since taking Stephon Tuitt out of Notre Dame in the second round of the 2014...
Mississippi’s Matt Corral becomes latest QB prospect to visit with Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to do their due diligence in visiting with the top quarterback prospects in the NFL Draft, which will begin in two weeks. Mississippi’s Matt Corral is the latest quarterback to visit the team at its facility on the South Side. Nevada’s Carson Strong visited Wednesday, and...
Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. predicts Pitt’s Kenny Pickett will go to Steelers in 1st round
Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett is considered a first-round talent in the upcoming NFL Draft, and two noted prognosticators have the Pittsburgh Steelers taking him with the No. 20 overall pick. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein each kept Pickett in his adopted home city in their respective...
Center/guard J.C. Hassenauer signs 1-year contract tender with Steelers
J.C. Hassenauer, who finished the 2021 season as the starting center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, signed his one-year exclusive rights tender for next season. Hassenauer, 26, is heading into his third NFL season and will compete for a backup spot along the interior of the offensive line in 2022. He...
Former Ohio State teammates ‘hurting’ after death of Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins
Dwayne Haskins was still on the mind of Ryan Day when the Ohio State football coach conducted a news conference Monday morning. Day opened his media session by paying tribute to Haskins, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback who was killed Saturday morning when he was struck by a dump truck on...
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward to receive honorary doctorate from Carlow
Just call him Dr. Heyward. Cameron Heyward, known for his considerable charity work when he’s not manning the defensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers, will receive an honorary Doctorate of Science degree May 8 — two days after his 33rd birthday — when he is the keynote speaker at the...
Dwayne Haskins is latest Pittsburgh athlete to die during playing career
Dwayne Haskins was trying to get his once-promising NFL career back on track with the Pittsburgh Steelers when he died Saturday at age 24 after being struck by a vehicle in Florida. The former first-round draft pick had completed his first season with the Steelers and was planning to compete...
ILB Rob Spillane signs restricted free agent tender with Steelers
Inside linebacker Robert Spillane, a restricted free agent, signed his one-year tender Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced Friday. Spillane’s tender is worth $2.433 million. Spillane provides depth behind starters Myles Jack, who joined the Steelers in free agency, and Devin Bush. In 14 games last season that included four starts,...
North Carolina QB Sam Howell visits with Steelers
Another day, another top quarterback prospect meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers. North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is conducting a Top 30 visit Friday at the team’s UPMC Rooney Sports Complex facility. On Thursday, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder visited with the Steelers. The Steelers also hosted Clemson safety Nolan Turner on Friday....
After testing waters in free agency, Ahkello Witherspoon embraces return to Steelers secondary
Ahkello Witherspoon took a patient approach to his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it led to a starting job at cornerback by the end of the season. Things worked out so well for the 27-year-old cornerback that he used the same tactic in free agency. Witherspoon bided his...
Steelers signing former Browns, Eagles LB Genard Avery to 1-year deal
To bolster the depth at outside linebacker, the Pittsburgh Steelers are signing veteran Genard Avery, formerly of the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, to a one-year contract. Avery, who turns 27 in April, was a fifth-round pick of the Browns in 2018 out of Memphis. He will compete for a...
