Category: 2024 Steelers roster

Steelers receivers rank near the bottom on PFF rankings

The Steelers receivers took a hit when the team traded away Diontae Johnson.

One of the biggest moves the Pittsburgh Steelers made in the offseason was to trade starting wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. This left the Steelers wide receiver room minus its best receiver and thrusts Geoge Pickens into the No. 1 receiver role.

Pro Football Reference ranked all 32 NFL receiving units and to no one’s surprise, the Steelers group took a huge hit, checking in at No. 26.

Here’s what they had to say about this group:

George Pickens came in at No. 30 on PFF’s pre-season wide receiver list and leads the pack in Pittsburgh with Diontae Johnson no longer there. Rookie receiver Roman Wilson should get a good amount of playing time this year, too.

Tight end Pat Freiermuth is coming off a 68.8 PFF receiving grade, and running back Jaylen Warren posted a 72.9 mark in 2023. It’s a decent group with a lower ceiling after Johnson’s departure.

We are hopeful Roman Wilson can become a regular target in the offense but we don’t expect the season to start that way. And we’ve talked at length about the potential of the Steelers tight ends. But just purely on the players that the Steelers brought in to replace Johnson, things don’t look great and this ranking is more than fair.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers sign WR Jacob Copeland to 1-year contract

The Steelers added a wide receiver on Friday.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had added a wide receiver. No, not that wide receiver. Sorry, Pittsburgh still hasn’t pulled off a blockbuster trade just yet. Instead, they have simply filled out their 90-man training camp roster by signing wide receiver Jacob Copeland to replace Denzel Mims, who was released earlier this week.

Copeland played his college football at Florida and Maryland. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans in 2023. Copeland spent time with the Titans, Minnesota Vikings and Steelers. Prior to signing with the Steelers this time around, he spent some time in 2024 no the Kansas City Chiefs roster.

The Steelers traded away wide receiver Diontae Johnson early in free agency, leaving a huge void at wide receiver. Copeland isn’t going to be the guy to fill it but the Steelers seem to be banking one of the other guys on the team will. This includes Van Jefferson, Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin III.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

No running backs broke more tackles last season than the Steelers

The Steelers tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren don’t go down without a fight.

When you talk about running backs breaking tackles, they are a product of two things. One is a back’s ability to break tackles and grind out yards. The other can be a product of poor offensive line play and players being forced to break tackles early in carries.

In 2023, no team’s running backs broke more tackles than the Pittsburg Steelers tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. They broke 59 tackles in 2023, with the Baltimore Ravens in second with only 46.

But before you want to claim that this was simply a product of poor blocking by the Steelers offensive line, we did a little digging into the numbers.

Harris rushed for 1,035 yards in 2023 with 500 of them coming before contract. Warren rushed for 784 yards and 480 of those came before contact. This tells me the offensive line did its job and these guys just don’t go down without a fight. Harris averaged 4.1 yards per carry and Warren averaged 5.3.

These two are going to flourish with the improvements on the offensive line and Arthur Smith’s run-first offense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers LB Payton Wilson doesn’t lack confidence: ‘I wanna be the best in the world’

Payton Wilson was one of the best defenders in college football in 2023.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed linebacker Patrick Queen in free agency, the inside linebacker position got a huge boost. You might have thought they were done but it was just the beginning for Pittsburgh. The team then went into the 2024 NFL draft and got one of the biggest bargains when they chose linebacker Payton Wilson at the end of the third round.

Wilson was absolutely dominant in college and played with an NFL level of confidence. A confidence he still has after the first few weeks of OTAs. Wilson talked after OTA practice and didn’t hold back talking about what his goals are.

“I’m just super excited to go to Latrobe and compete,” Wilson said. “Like I said since I was a youngin’, I wanna be the best in the world. … I’m gonna come in and I’m gonna help this team win a Super Bowl.”

In 2023, Wilson was the heart of the North Carolina State defense. He finished with 138 total tackles, six sacks, three interceptions and recovered two fumbles. Wilson will compete with veteran Elandon Roberts for reps at inside linebacker next to Queen.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Is Bengals WR Tee Higgins the guy the Steelers should target in a trade?

Tee Higgins wants out in Cincinnati and the Steelers might make a call.

All the talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers trading for a wide receiver has centered on guys like Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, D.K Metcalf, and Courtland Sutton. But maybe none of those guys are the ones the Steelers should be focusing on.

The Cincinnati Bengals kicked off mandatory OTAs this week and one player absent is wide receiver Tee Higgins. Higgins has yet to sign his franchise tag while he holds out for a massive new contract and it seems unlikely the Bengals will give it to him after picking up the fifth-year option on Ja’Marr Chase knowing he’s going to command a Justin Jefferson-type contract soon.

Higgins had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons before a hamstring injury cost him all or part of five games in 2023. The Bengals were still willing to give him his fifth-year option but but it’s clear he wants to play somewhere else. The Steelers desperately need a No. 2 or even co No. 1 receiver to pair up with George Pickens and Higgins would be a great fit.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers DC says Patrick Queen will wear the green dot this season

Patrick Queen will be responsible for the defensive play calls this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed linebacker Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41 million contract this offseason to be a difference maker. Early in OTAs it already appears the Steelers might have found the next great Steelers inside linebacker in the same class as guys like Lawrence Timmons and Ryan Shazier.

Another thing Queen brings is leadership. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin spoke at OTA practice on Wednesday and noted that Queen will wear the green dot this season.

“We signed him because he had a great year, but it wasn’t just a one-off,” said Austin. “He’s played well ever since he was at Baltimore. We think he’s a three-down linebacker for us. He’ll go in with the green dot and he’ll be the guy out there on every snap.”

Wearing the green dot means Queen will be the guy in communication with the sidelines and making the defensive play calls. It also means he won’t come off the field much which is great news for the Steelers defense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

CBS Sports misses the mark on Steelers more important loss of offseason.

The Steelers traded away Kenny Pickett this offseason to the Eagles.

The Pittsburgh Steelers front offense has rolled over a significant amount of the roster this offseason at multiple positions. But with additions means other players have to go. CBS Sports detailed who they considered the most significant loss of the offseason for each team but we think they probably missed the mark for the Steelers.

They went with quarterback Kenny Pickett for Pittsburgh. Pickett was the Steelers first-round pick in 2022. However, after just two seasons of struggles, Pittsburgh decided it was time to move on.

Here’s what they had to say about the loss of Pickett:

The Steelers had some of the biggest quarterback turnover throughout the NFL. On top of bringing in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Pittsburgh also traded former first-round pick Kenny Pickett — and a fourth-rounder — to the Eagles in exchange for a third-round selection.

In fairness, they refer to the loss as notable which doesn’t automatically mean a negative. But even if we remove the idea of negativity I’m not sure even the idea of it being the most significant applies. The loss of of wide receiver Diontae Johnson casts a huge shadow over this offense regardless of who is playing quarterback. The upgrade at quarterback is undeniable but who Russell Wilson throws to will have a huge impact in how much his addition really matters.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers announce addition of CB Cameron Sutton

The Steelers announced the signing of Cameron Sutton on Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had officially signed cornerback Cameron Sutton to a one-year contract. In a corresponding roster move, the Steelers released wide receiver Izaiah Gathings to make room on the roster.

Sutton started his career and was at his best with the Steelers. Pittsburgh drafted Sutton in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. Sutton became the Steelers full-time starting cornerback in 2021 and in 2022 was the team’s best corner.

The Detroit Lions signed Sutton as a free agent in the 2023 offseason but there’s no denying he took a step back. But the team is hopeful he will return to form in the system he was so good in just two seasons ago.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers running out of time in the wide receiver market

If the Steelers want an elite receiver, the price just keeps going up.

Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers traded away wide receiver Diontae Johnson, there have been rumors swirling about the team potentially going big and trading for an elite receiver to replace him.

But with the news on Monday that the Minnesota Vikings signed star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to a massive four-year, $140 million contract with $89 million guaranteed. This not only resets the market for wide receivers but it resets the market for all non-quarterbacks with the largest contract ever given to a player who isn’t a quarterback.

Why does this matter to the Steelers? Because the cost of paying any top wide receiver has just gone up. The Steelers have been connected to Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf and Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton. Pittsburgh could still trade for any of these players but after the series of huge receiver extensions going out this offseason, keeping these players past their current contracts just got much more expensive.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

NFL Network calls new Steelers safety most underappreciated player on the team

The Steelers quitely added safety DeShon Elliott in free agency.

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are a handful of guys on either side of the football who get all the praise heaped on them. Defensively, we hear about T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Patrick Queen, Joey Porter Jr. and Minkah Fitzpatrick all the time. But who is the most underappreciated guy on the Steelers defense?

NFL Network named the most underappreciated player on every roster and for the Steelers he went with new safety DeShon Elliott. Here’s what he had to say about Elliott:

Now on a fourth team in Year 7 of his professional career, Elliott’s vagabond existence might lead some to question his reliability, but that’d be a mistake. While injuries did impact multiple seasons at Elliott’s first NFL stop in Baltimore, whenever the man played for the Ravens, he proved dependable. And over the past two seasons, he capably started 13 games for the Lions and 15 games for the Dolphins, providing the kind of rock-solid returns at defensive back that should never be overlooked in today’s pass-happy league. Elliott’s ability to seamlessly transition between teams and schemes is a testament to his versatility. Boasting ample experience as a free safety, strong safety and nickelback…

Elliott was definitely an underrated addition in a very bus[lawrence-auto-related count=3]y offseason. His health will be the most important factor for his ability to impact the defense this season. This is even assuming Elliott can beat out incumbent Damontae Kazee for the starting spot at strong safety.