Steelers/NFL category, Page 295
Dwayne Haskins relishing chance to start for Steelers in preseason finale
The last time Dwayne Haskins started an NFL game, he faced the Carolina Panthers and was pulled in the fourth quarter. Circumstances will be similar for Haskins on Friday night. He is starting against Carolina — this time as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers — and he could spend...
Matt Canada to stay up in booth while serving as offensive coordinator
He’ll have the ear of the quarterback but as an eye in the sky. Matt Canada, as he has during preseason games, will perform his duties as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator from the coaches’ booth this season. The Steelers’ three previous offensive coordinators — Randy Fichtner, Todd Haley and Bruce...
Rookie Tre Norwood the latest to audition for Steelers’ nickel DB job
From Arthur Maulet and Antoine Brooks, to James Pierre and Justin Layne, the Pittsburgh Steelers have tried out no shortage of candidates to play as a fifth defensive back when they deploy the nickel subpackage. Formally add rookie Tre Norwood to the list. Coach Mike Tomlin termed himself “excited” to...
As preseason closes, competitions endure for Steelers at punter/holder, long snapper
The life of a specialist in the NFL, from afar, can look like a lonely one. It’s not uncommon throughout a training camp or regular-season practice that you’ll see anywhere from 4-8 dozen players gathered on one field, spiritedly going at one another on offense and defense. On an adjacent...
Mike Tomlin will keep Mason Rudolph, Najee Harris on bench in Steelers’ preseason finale
Dwayne Haskins will get to face a first-team defense, but rookie running back Najee Harris won’t when the Pittsburgh Steelers conclude the preseason schedule Friday night against the Carolina Panthers. Coach Mike Tomlin announced Wednesday that Haskins, the former first-round draft pick of Washington in 2019, will start at quarterback...
Tim Benz: It may seem backward, but Steelers’ approach to finding steady 5th defensive back makes sense
When it comes to finding a steady fifth defensive back, the Steelers’ thinking may appear upside down. However, I’d argue that they are actually on the right path. Since he was drafted out of Tennessee in 2017, Cameron Sutton has been a player whose versatility has been the main reason...
NFL.com’s ‘best-case, worst-case scenarios’ for Steelers’ Najee Harris in his rookie year
This week, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah came out with his “best/worst-case projections for notable rookies.” It was an exercise to show the best possible and worst possible results for a big pack of potential NFL rookie contributor based on several variables for their teams. Of course, on the offensive side, Jeremiah’s...
Since being drafted by Steelers, Kendrick Green has gotten leaner, meaner
Since his first few weeks of on-field work after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kendrick Green literally has gotten leaner and meaner. Leaner, as in the 12-13 pounds he said he trimmed off his 6-foot-3 frame between minicamp in June and the start of training camp in July. Meaner,...
Steelers’ James Pierre trying to become 2nd member of extended family to make impact in AFC North
Rivals in the AFC North on the field, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre are family away from it. Jackson and Pierre grew up in neighboring communities along the Atlantic coast of Florida: Jackson in Pompano Beach; Pierre six miles away in Deerfield Beach. Pierre...
DB Antoine Brooks Jr. big surprise among 5 Steelers cuts
Among the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second round of cuts was a player who it was believed had started the day still in the running to be a starter. Second-year defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. was waived/injured, ending the former sixth-round pick’s quest to become the first-team nickel cornerback. Brooks opened camp...
With preseason winding down, Cam Sutton may be only option for Steelers at nickel corner spot
The Pittsburgh Steelers view the versatile Cam Sutton as the best option to fill the slot cornerback position this season. Sutton also happens to be — with the final preseason game fast approaching — the only option for the job. Entering training camp, veteran free agent Arthur Maulet and second-year...
First Call: Ex-Steeler ‘Duck’ Hodges gets cut; so much for the idea of Mason Rudolph to Atlanta; ancient Pirates history relived
Tuesday’s “First Call” tells us what’s become of former Steelers cult hero Devlin “Duck” Hodges in Los Angeles. What some thought was a potential trade destination for Mason Rudolph has come and gone. The Yankees and Braves recreated some old time Pirates history. And “Hard Knocks” needs a soft landing...
Tim Benz: Little details of Pat Freiermuth’s game could lead to a big impact on Steelers offense
The big picture on Pat Freiermuth is that the Steelers hope he will be an answer at tight end for years to come. Freiermuth’s measurables are impressive. He’s 6-foot-5, 251 pounds with 9 7/8-inch hands. And with a 4.72 40-yard dash, he’s fast enough for a tight end of that...
New to Steelers, Trai Turner forced to immediately embrace leadership role
The brace on his left knee notwithstanding, Pittsburgh Steelers guard Trai Turner proclaimed himself fully healthy. “I feel pretty good. I don’t have any limitations, per se,” Turner said after practice Monday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “Just out here playing ball.” Turner is playing ball as the starting right...
Joe Haden not worried about slowing down as he enters 12th NFL season, 5th with Steelers
Although Cameron Heyward gets teased by his teammates about being the old man on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, he is younger than three other players on that side of the ball. One is cornerback Joe Haden, who is 22 days older than the Pro Bowl defensive tackle. Haden, though, has...
Steelers notes: Chase Claypool practices, Minkah Fitzpatrick does not but is ‘fine’
T.J. Watt wasn’t the only All-Pro absent from drills at Pittsburgh Steelers practice Monday. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was a non-participant, watching the second half of the session in street clothes. “He’s fine,” was coach Mike Tomlin’s two-word response when asked about Fitzpatrick’s status. Named an AP All-Pro in each of...
Mark Madden: Optimism is growing for Steelers season, but key decisions remain
I had the Steelers pegged at 7-10 before training camp started. But within the limited context of a preseason exclusively featuring games against bad NFC teams, the Steelers are providing cause for limited optimism. Like 9-8 tops. Don’t go overboard. But to merit ascension to borderline playoff contention, the Steelers...
Tim Benz: If Steelers fans are giving Dwayne Haskins a chance to improve, they should give Mason Rudolph the same shot
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin often says that his team “has no time for hypothetical conversations.” Former head coach Bill Cowher famously stated his disdain for the “what if” game. Well, I have a disdain for the annual fourth preseason game of the NFL season. Yet the Steelers are...
First Call: Joe Schobert recaps 1st game with Steelers; former Steeler injured in Baltimore; former Pirate shines in Tampa
Monday’s “First Call” looks at linebacker Joe Schobert’s first game as a Pittsburgh Steeler. Also, there is a twist that may have had him playing in Baltimore instead. One ex-Pirate shines, and another gets hurt during a battle of American League powerhouses. And Pittsburgh braces itself for the long-awaited, uh,...
Stock up, stock down for Steelers after 3rd preseason game
The Pittsburgh Steelers won their first 11 games in 2020. They’ve won their first three games of the 2021 season. Unfortunately, these ones don’t count. But being 3-0 is better than being 0-3 — and having the first (and only) game in which the starters start result in a 20-0...
Norwin alum Shasko Bonnett wins halftime kicking contest at Steelers game
The second kicker up in a three-person contest at Heinz Field on Saturday night — with 40,000-plus looking on — Ariel Shasko Bonnett lined up her field-goal try from the 5-yard line. A chip shot? Not for someone who had only began kicking a week ago. She is much more...
Red zone is comfort zone for Steelers’ rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth
Pat Freiermuth missed by a year the chance to make money off his name, image and likeness rights in college at Penn State. The 6-foot-5 tight end is learning quickly, however, about the best way to profit in the NFL. It’s by making big and, at times, difficult catches in...
Tim Benz: Steelers answering questions about thin roster spots as preseason wins mount
It’s always wise to caution putting any stock in the results of Steelers preseason games. Especially with this 3-0 start in 2021. After all, the Steelers are playing nothing but NFC teams that finished out of the playoffs — and with sub-.500 records — in 2020. Over the first two...
Ben Roethlisberger shines in debut with new offense; Steelers win
Ben Roethlisberger’s first try at running offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s offense couldn’t have gone better for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nothing beats perfection, right? When Roethlisberger departed after three series in the Steelers’ 26-20 preseason victory Saturday night against the Detroit Lions, he had a perfect 158.3 passer rating. With a...
Steelers notebook: James Pierre appears ahead in battle for No. 3 CB
Through the first four weeks of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, the hottest position battle for a starting spot was at nickel cornerback between Arthur Maulet and Antoine Brooks. The answer — if Saturday’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions is any indication — neither. For the first snap in which...
