Bucky
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RIP. My dad has an autograph courtesy of Mike. Mike’s father and my grandfather worked together down in Waukegan, back when there were still White people in Waukegan.
Pittsburgh Steelers General Thread
- Thread starter Don Wassall
- Start date
RIP. My dad has an autograph courtesy of Mike. Mike’s father and my grandfather worked together down in Waukegan, back when there were still White people in Waukegan.
Bucky
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Looks like McCarthy has a plan for the underused Freiermuth!
www.nbcsports.com
Report: Steelers are telling interested teams TE Pat Freiermuth isn't available in trade
The reduced usage of Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has prompted other teams to explore whether he's available in trade.
www.nbcsports.com
Freiermuth's lack of use last season was a real head scratcher. The Steelers were playing up to three tight ends at times and Freiermuth was the best receiver among them, in fact the best receiver on the team after arguably D. K. "Hands of Stone" Metcalf, but was never in the game plan and Rodgers rarely looked his way either. Would be great to see him have a big receiving season in '26 as he definitely has the talent.
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Aaron Rodgers to return to Pittsburgh and his old coach Mike McCarthy for a final season, during which he mentors Will Howard in preparation for him taking over in '27:
sports.yahoo.com
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers supports Will Howard as a long-time starter
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers couldn't stop singing Will Howard's praises, tabbing him as a long-time future starting quarterback.
What the Steelers do or don't do at QB will be one of the interesting things to watch at the quickly approaching draft as Aaron Rodgers is engaging in his usual drama about whether he'll play or not. Article excerpt:
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation remains somewhat in the air less than two weeks before of the 2026 NFL Draft. While it seems like deja vu from 2025, with the heavy expectation being that Aaron Rodgers will join the team at some point this spring/summer. Even so, he is still not on the team. And with OTAs beginning next month, Mason Rudolph and Will Howard will be the two quarterbacks running the show should Rodgers not be present.
Many have labeled the Steelers as a team that will almost certainly take a quarterback in the draft this year, but they don’t feel pressure to do so due to their belief in Will Howard, per Matt Miller of ESPN.
“The Steelers might not have a clear-cut quarterback of the future on the roster, but one internal source said that they won’t be forced to draft one this year,” Miller writes. “That source noted Pittsburgh will play the board first and that Will Howard, last year’s sixth-round pick, has fans in the front office.“
Howard had a lot of buzz in training camp last July before suffering a hand injury that kept him out of preseason play. His name will be one that fans have their eyes on in Latrobe in just a few short months.
www.behindthesteelcurtain.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation remains somewhat in the air less than two weeks before of the 2026 NFL Draft. While it seems like deja vu from 2025, with the heavy expectation being that Aaron Rodgers will join the team at some point this spring/summer. Even so, he is still not on the team. And with OTAs beginning next month, Mason Rudolph and Will Howard will be the two quarterbacks running the show should Rodgers not be present.
Many have labeled the Steelers as a team that will almost certainly take a quarterback in the draft this year, but they don’t feel pressure to do so due to their belief in Will Howard, per Matt Miller of ESPN.
“The Steelers might not have a clear-cut quarterback of the future on the roster, but one internal source said that they won’t be forced to draft one this year,” Miller writes. “That source noted Pittsburgh will play the board first and that Will Howard, last year’s sixth-round pick, has fans in the front office.“
Howard had a lot of buzz in training camp last July before suffering a hand injury that kept him out of preseason play. His name will be one that fans have their eyes on in Latrobe in just a few short months.
Will Howard has big fans within Steelers organization
The Steelers’ young quarterback has fans within the organization.
www.behindthesteelcurtain.com
Leonardfan
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Steelers should just stick with Howard. If Rodgers does not return let Rudolph and Howard compete for the job. I do have more faith in McCarthy to work with and develop a young Qb than the previous regime and then previous coaching staff was high on Howard. Hopefully this isn’t BS lip service and McCarthy’s belief in Howard is an honest assessment.What the Steelers do or don't do at QB will be one of the interesting things to watch at the quickly approaching draft as Aaron Rodgers is engaging in his usual drama about whether he'll play or not. Article excerpt:
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation remains somewhat in the air less than two weeks before of the 2026 NFL Draft. While it seems like deja vu from 2025, with the heavy expectation being that Aaron Rodgers will join the team at some point this spring/summer. Even so, he is still not on the team. And with OTAs beginning next month, Mason Rudolph and Will Howard will be the two quarterbacks running the show should Rodgers not be present.
Many have labeled the Steelers as a team that will almost certainly take a quarterback in the draft this year, but they don’t feel pressure to do so due to their belief in Will Howard, per Matt Miller of ESPN.
“The Steelers might not have a clear-cut quarterback of the future on the roster, but one internal source said that they won’t be forced to draft one this year,” Miller writes. “That source noted Pittsburgh will play the board first and that Will Howard, last year’s sixth-round pick, has fans in the front office.“
Howard had a lot of buzz in training camp last July before suffering a hand injury that kept him out of preseason play. His name will be one that fans have their eyes on in Latrobe in just a few short months.
Will Howard has big fans within Steelers organization
The Steelers’ young quarterback has fans within the organization.
Bucky
Hall of Famer
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- 12,019
Would like to Rodgers back for one last hurrah. Do agree their QB room is in good shape even if the HOF QB isn’t back.
I’m hoping Brock Hoffman wins that LG spot. That would give Steelers 3 honkeys along that interior OL. Wouldn’t mind them drafting a White LT in the 1st! Georgia’s Monroe Freeling or Clemson’s Blake Miller anyone?!?! How awesome would it be to have a 4/5 snowplow and a poly RT!
Mid rounds Penn State’s Nolan Rucci, Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan, and Wisconsin’s Riley Mahlmann are all underrated tackles.
I’m hoping Brock Hoffman wins that LG spot. That would give Steelers 3 honkeys along that interior OL. Wouldn’t mind them drafting a White LT in the 1st! Georgia’s Monroe Freeling or Clemson’s Blake Miller anyone?!?! How awesome would it be to have a 4/5 snowplow and a poly RT!
Mid rounds Penn State’s Nolan Rucci, Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan, and Wisconsin’s Riley Mahlmann are all underrated tackles.
Leonardfan
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A look at the Steelers 2026 Draft Class
A look at the 10 players the Steelers selected in the 2026 NFL Draft
www.steelers.com
After drafting just one player from Iowa during a 25 year stretch, the Steelers have drafted five in the past three drafts, including Kaden Wetjen and Gennings Dunker back to back last week. They now have seven Hawkeyes on the roster. Logan Lee was drafted two years ago. Sebastian Castro, who has a fair amount of Spanish background but not enough to "pass" as White, is a backup safety.
Kirk Ferentz, now the country's longest tenured college coach, is from Pittsburgh and was a star in high school in the area. This article about the Iowa-Steelers pipeline has some interesting read-between-the-lines quotes.
“They’re so well coached at Iowa,” Steelers offensive line coach James Campen said after the selection of Dunker. “They come out, they have established pad level and footwork.”
Campen was speaking specifically about Iowa offensive linemen, but he might as well have been describing the DNA of the program in regards to its emphasis on fundamentals, team-first attitude and work ethic.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for that football program,” Campen said, “and the people who run it.”
Campen and the Steelers weren’t the only ones who felt that way, judging by this year’s draft.
A program-record seven Hawkeyes were selected last weekend. The haul bumped the number of players drafted in the Ferentz era to 101.
“That just means I’ve been here awhile,” quipped Ferentz, 70. “I’m proud of our guys getting drafted. I’m prouder of how our guys typically don’t flame out. They normally go where they go, and even if they get cut, like they make it hard on the team cutting them. And the guys that do play tend to play longer.
“They just don’t do stupid stuff at all. They know how to work and show up every day, all the basic stuff that sounds so easy but that a lot of people struggle with. That’s good.”
Article: https://triblive.com/sports/a-lotta...gain-and-again-turn-to-iowa-players-in-draft/
Those compliments don't apply to RB Kaleb Johnson, who was taken in the third round last year and had a golden opportunity to win the starting job but was completely unprepared and lazy.
A lot of people thought Mike Tomlin had an inordinate amount of control over who the Steelers drafted, but it looks now like it was ultra-Caste Clown Kevin Colbert, who specialized in ignoring White talent during the "Crawfords" era, who was in charge. Omar Kahn, who is half-Indian and half-Honduran, is now the GM and now with the hiring of Mike McCarthy the Steelers should remain on the rise as one of the better NFL teams to root for from a demographic standpoint.
Kirk Ferentz, now the country's longest tenured college coach, is from Pittsburgh and was a star in high school in the area. This article about the Iowa-Steelers pipeline has some interesting read-between-the-lines quotes.
“They’re so well coached at Iowa,” Steelers offensive line coach James Campen said after the selection of Dunker. “They come out, they have established pad level and footwork.”
Campen was speaking specifically about Iowa offensive linemen, but he might as well have been describing the DNA of the program in regards to its emphasis on fundamentals, team-first attitude and work ethic.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for that football program,” Campen said, “and the people who run it.”
Campen and the Steelers weren’t the only ones who felt that way, judging by this year’s draft.
A program-record seven Hawkeyes were selected last weekend. The haul bumped the number of players drafted in the Ferentz era to 101.
“That just means I’ve been here awhile,” quipped Ferentz, 70. “I’m proud of our guys getting drafted. I’m prouder of how our guys typically don’t flame out. They normally go where they go, and even if they get cut, like they make it hard on the team cutting them. And the guys that do play tend to play longer.
“They just don’t do stupid stuff at all. They know how to work and show up every day, all the basic stuff that sounds so easy but that a lot of people struggle with. That’s good.”
Article: https://triblive.com/sports/a-lotta...gain-and-again-turn-to-iowa-players-in-draft/
Those compliments don't apply to RB Kaleb Johnson, who was taken in the third round last year and had a golden opportunity to win the starting job but was completely unprepared and lazy.
A lot of people thought Mike Tomlin had an inordinate amount of control over who the Steelers drafted, but it looks now like it was ultra-Caste Clown Kevin Colbert, who specialized in ignoring White talent during the "Crawfords" era, who was in charge. Omar Kahn, who is half-Indian and half-Honduran, is now the GM and now with the hiring of Mike McCarthy the Steelers should remain on the rise as one of the better NFL teams to root for from a demographic standpoint.
