First Call: Steelers still look to improve RB depth; NFL tweaks helmet rule; ex-Pirates pitcher continues to shine out west

Monday’s “First Call” shows the Pittsburgh Steelers are still attempting to strengthen depth at running back. Some interesting tinkering with the NFL rule book is taking place. And a former Pirates pitcher continues to dominate in the National League West.

A little help?

The Steelers are still looking to get better at running back.

After free-agent signee Jeremy McNichols was placed on injured reserve (shoulder) shortly after arriving at Saint Vincent College, the Steelers signed former Ohio State running back Master Teague.

Now they are surfing the veteran free-agent ranks again. According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Steelers worked out both Wayne Gallman and Jalen Richard on Friday.

Some notable Friday workouts include:
49ers: WR Dede Westbrook, WR Willie Snead
Steelers: RB Jalen Richard, RB Wayne Gallman
Saints: DB T.J. Carrie

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 5, 2022

Richard, 28, played for the Raiders from 2016-21. He has 264 career carries for 1,333 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He also has 191 career catches for 1,590 yards and three TD receptions.

Gallman, 27, was a New York Giants fourth-round draft choice out of Clemson in 2017. In four seasons with the Giants, he carried the ball 338 times for 1,444 yards and nine touchdowns, pitching in with 80 receptions for 498 yards and two touchdowns. Gallman spent 2021 bouncing between San Francisco, Atlanta and Minnesota.

Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network said JaQuan Hardy also got a tryout. He was called up from Dallas’ practice squad for three games as a rookie last year, totaling four rushes for 29 yards and one touchdown.

Subtle change

The NFL has made a tweak to the lowering-of-the-helmet rule.

Via Pro Football Talk, the rule now reads as follows: “It is a foul if a player lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent. The rule has changed in two ways. First, the NFL has removed the requirement that the player initiate contact. Second, the word ‘forcible’ has been added to the rule.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the word ‘initiate’ was erased from the rule because it became a sticking point in connection with fines imposed on players for violating the rule. It was commonplace for players to argue that they did not ‘initiate’ the contact, and it was making it harder for the fines to stick via the internal appeals process.”

OK, great. But didn’t the league just create a different kind of gray area by putting the word “forcible” in the description?

To me, it just seems like the league swapped out one semantic problem for another.

Heading out west

After salvaging the final contest of a three-game series in Baltimore, the Pirates are going west. They play four games in Arizona from Monday through Thursday. Then they have a three-game weekend set in San Francisco.

The Diamondbacks have been up and down since the All-Star break. After winning a series against the Washington Nationals, they swept three games from the Giants, then got swept in three games in Atlanta.

From there, they split six games, going 1-2 in Cleveland, while taking two of three from the Colorado Rockies at home.

At 48-59, Arizona is four and a half games better than the Pirates (44-54) in the National League standings.

Wednesday night’s matchup is the most interesting of the series. The Pirates will face old friend Madison Bumgarner. In Pittsburgh, he’s best remembered for shutting down the Pirates in the 2014 NL Wild Card Game, twirling a four-hit complete game shutout en route to an 8-0 win as a member of the Giants. However, his career numbers against the Pirates are unimpressive. The lefty is just 3-6 in 11 starts with an ERA of 3.29.

Bumgarner is 6-10 with a 3.96 ERA this year. The Pirates will counter with Mitch Keller. He has only given up six earned runs over his last five starts.

Back in a groove

Former Pirate Tyler Anderson is back on track for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After a rare bad start for L.A. last time out, Anderson was on point versus the San Diego Padres on Sunday. He spun seven shutout innings as the Dodgers blanked San Diego 4-0. Anderson is now 13-1 with an ERA of 2.72.

Last time out, Anderson allowed five earned runs in five innings against the Giants resulting in his lone loss of the season. But, in four of his last five appearances, Anderson has pitched at least six innings of shutout baseball.

Former Pirate Josh Bell went 0 for 3 in the game. He’s 3 for 15 since joining the Padres via a trade with the Washington Nationals at the deadline last week.