Joe Rutter stories, Page 74
Inside the ropes: Mason Rudolph puts in extra work after picked-off 2-point pass attempt
Bothered by a fade pass that second-year cornerback James Pierre intercepted and returned 100-plus yards for a touchdown during “seven shots,” quarterback Mason Rudolph pulled aside wide receiver Diontae Johnson after practice Friday night. Rudolph and Johnson replicated the fade that came up short on the second play of the...
Steelers add former Ohio State TE Marcus Baugh, waive TE Dax Raymond with injury
In the first roster move since training camp opened, tight end Dax Raymond was waived with an injury designation, a day after he left practice late after being hit and knocked out of bounds. The Pittsburgh Steelers signed tight end Marcus Baugh to replace Raymond on the 90-man roster. The...
Steelers’ Robert Spillane eating off ‘full plate’ as he preps for 1st year as full-time starter
Until Devin Bush’s season-ending ACL tear in Week 6 last season, Robert Spillane had played nine career snaps at inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead of replacing Bush like he did in 2020, Spillane will be playing alongside the former first-round draft pick when the Steelers open the season...
No timetable for Steelers OLB T.J. Watt to take part in first training camp practice
While the Pittsburgh Steelers practice team drills during training camp at Heinz Field, T.J. Watt continues to work on his conditioning. Watt and defensive end Stephon Tuitt have spent portions of camp practices running the width of the end zone. Neither veteran player has suited up for 11-on-11 work a...
Jerry Olsavsky appreciates ‘professionalism’ that Vince Williams brought to Steelers defense
For the past eight seasons, Jerry Olsavsky could count on Vince Williams’ presence on the football field and his emerging leadership off it. Olsavsky was a defensive assistant in Williams’ first two seasons before he was promoted to inside linebackers coach. As he enters his seventh season in that role...
Mike Tomlin, Steelers ‘energized’ by return of fans for training camp at Heinz Field
For a venue that holds 68,400 fans, the gathering that showed up Wednesday for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first public practice at Heinz Field represented less than 10% capacity. The Steelers distributed 6,300 tickets for a workout that lasted about two hours and featured players donning pads for the first time...
Kendrick Green taking chance to work with first-team Steelers offense in stride
Rookie Kendrick Green wasn’t expecting to be the first candidate to line up at center with the Pittsburgh Steelers first-team offense in training camp. He’s also not making a big deal about it, either. “No,” Green said Wednesday when asked specifically about taking first-team snaps in the first week of...
Steelers ready to put on the pads, hit in front of fans for first time in nearly two years
In a nice piece of symmetry, the pads come out Wednesday for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and fans will be allowed inside Heinz Field to see the initial hitting of training camp take place. The Steelers wrapped up their five days of heat acclimation Tuesday with their initial workout at their...
As training camp ramps up, Kevin Colbert likes state of Steelers’ offensive line, overall positional depth
Kevin Colbert used the word “retirement” Tuesday to describe David DeCastro’s departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers last month. The Steelers released the six-time Pro Bowl right guard June 24 with a non-football injury designation, and then signed five-time Pro Bowler Trai Turner to replace him a day later. Was Colbert...
Cap situation provides ‘different environment’ for Steelers to sign T.J. Watt to long-term deal
On the heels of emerging as the NFL’s defensive player of the year runner-up, T.J. Watt set himself up for a big payday before he can become a free agent in 2022. With Watt playing this season on his fifth-year option, worth $10.089 million, he could see his base salary...
New Steelers right guard Trai Turner not concerned about replacing David DeCastro
Trai Turner joined the Pittsburgh Steelers a day after David DeCastro was released in June. He is occupying the same spot once filled by the six-time Pro Bowl right guard. Similarities end there, said Turner, even though he has five Pro Bowl appearances in seven NFL seasons to his credit....
Mike Tomlin ready to ‘turn the volume up’ when Steelers move training camp to Heinz Field
The Pittsburgh Steelers conducted their fourth and final practice of the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex portion of training camp Sunday. When the team reconvenes Tuesday after a day off, the work will be done at Heinz Field for the remainder of camp. “That really signifies the start of training camp,...
Steelers notebook: Injuries, absence leaves offensive line bare at center in 3rd workout
When the third workout of training camp ended Saturday afternoon, nary a candidate for the starting center’s job was anywhere to be found on the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex practice field. Rookie third-round draft pick Kendrick Green, who had been working with the first team, was excused from practice by...
Steelers edge rusher Melvin Ingram: ‘I feel like a kid. I’ve got a lot left in me’
If Melvin Ingram III is to be believed, he is the NFL’s version of Benjamin Button, someone who ages in reverse. When he turned 30 a couple of years ago, the veteran edge rusher boasted that he felt like he was 21 again. In his first interview since joining the...
Keith Butler looking to fill in missing pieces while maintaining Steelers’ defensive production
A defense that led the NFL in sacks and was second in forcing turnovers in 2020 received a jolt this week when inside linebacker Vince Williams abruptly retired on the eve of training camp. Williams became the fourth starter, counting nickel corner Mike Hilton, to exit a Pittsburgh Steelers unit...
Mike Tomlin, Steelers players caught off guard by Vince Williams’ retirement from NFL
Vince Williams never was elected a captain by his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t one of the most revered members of the locker room. A day after he surprisingly announced his retirement after eight seasons with the organization, Williams was lauded for his play on the field...
Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger get started breaking in new offensive line as camp begins
Ben Roethlisberger is used to being greeted by new faces when training camp begins. Happens every year, not just to the Pittsburgh Steelers but every team in the NFL. Never since his rookie season, however, has Roethlisberger encountered so many newcomers lining up in front of him on the offensive...
Steelers LB Vince Williams retires on eve of first training camp workout
On the eve of the first training camp workout, Steelers inside linebacker Vince Williams surprisingly announced his decision to retire after an eight-year career with the organization. After being released in March in a salary-cap move, Williams returned to the Steelers a month later on a one-year, $1.075 million salary....
Steelers’ final unsigned draft pick, center Kendrick Green, agrees to 4-year contract
When the Pittsburgh Steelers players begin reporting Wednesday for training camp, they will have all of their draft picks under contract. Third-rounder Kendrick Green, the No. 87 overall player selected, agreed to his four-year rookie contract, agent Jason Bernstein announced on his verified Twitter account. The slot value for Green...
Steelers make Melvin Ingram signing official, add veteran OT Chaz Green
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to sharpen their 90-man roster as training camp approaches in two days. On the day they made the signing of veteran pass rusher Melvin Ingram III official, the Steelers also announced the signing of journeyman tackle Chaz Green to a one-year contract. Green, a third-round pick...
WR Diontae Johnson tops 5 players under the microscope for Steelers as training camp nears
When compiling a list of players on the proverbial hot seat for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s hard to ignore the 39-year quarterback who is returning for an 18th season after dealing with a decline in productivity at the end of 2020. Ben Roethlisberger was covered in our initial training camp...
Offense will face more questions than usual when Steelers open training camp
For a team that won its first 11 games and returned to the top of the AFC North after a two-year absence, the Pittsburgh Steelers will enter training camp facing more issues than candidates at a political debate. That tends to happen to an organization when it loses four of...
As Steelers prepare to open camp, T.J. Watt’s contract represents biggest off-field issue
When he reported to mandatory minicamp after skipping all of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ optional organized team activities, T.J. Watt said he wasn’t going to talk about his contract situation. No long-term deal has been struck since the Steelers broke for their summer hiatus in mid-June, meaning Watt’s contract uncertainty will...
Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins denies having tooth dislodged during altercation with wife
Dwayne Haskins is disputing the report that he is missing part of a tooth following a July 3 altercation in Las Vegas that resulted in domestic battery charges being filed against his wife. Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins faces an Aug. 3 hearing as a result of a disagreement that resulted in facial...
Alan Faneca lobbies for Steelers teammate Hines Ward to join him in Canton: ‘He is a Hall of Famer’
When he is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8, Alan Faneca will become the third player and fourth member from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Super Bowl XL championship team to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Jerome Bettis, of course, is already a member. Troy Polamalu and...
