Category: 2024 Steelers training camp

Steelers RB Najee Harris with one-word answer to new contract talks

Najee Harris made it clear the Steelers have not talked about giving him a contract extension.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris reported to training camp on Wednesday despite not getting his fifth-year extension and no word of any sort of contract negotiations. Of course, just because we haven’t heard about contract talks doesn’t mean they aren’t happening.

But in this case, that’s exactly what it means. Harris slinked into the dorms at Latrobe and dodged the reporters but later returned and talked about all the contract topics. And when he was asked what the Steelers had said to him about a new contract, Harris offered up a concise one-word answer.

“Nothing.”

This really does make one wonder if the Steelers have just moved on from Harris and are just letting him play out the season and then move on.

If this is the case, we might see an expanded role for Jaylen Warren this season as the team prepares for the future or they might just give Harris a heavy workload before he rides off into the sunset.

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Steeler RB Najee Harris on not getting his fifth-year option: ‘I was disappointed for a minute’

Najee Harris made it seem like him not getting his fifth-year option wasn’t his idea.

After skipping the media upon entering the dorms at training camp, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris addressed the media and the topic of his contract had to come up. Harris hadn’t spoken to the media since rumors swelled that he was the one who asked not to have his fifth-year option so he would pursue free agency at the end of the season.

Harris was asked if he was disappointed that the team didn’t pick up his option and he did say, “I was disappointed for a minute” but then followed it up by focusing on the season and admitting that helping the team be successful is most important right now.

Harris seemed like a slam dunk to get his fifth-year option after rushing for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. No running back had ever accomplished such a feat. But it is great to see Harris at camp and seemingly ready to get to work.

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Steelers rookie OT Troy Fautanu says he’s treating every training camp day like a game

Steelers rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu is ready to compete for a starting job.

The first to arrive at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp is rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu. The Steelers picked Fautanu with their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft and he’s taking training camp seriously even though he brought his guitar with him.

Fautanu was mobbed by the media upon his arrival and he made it clear that he is going to treat every day at training camp like a game day. Fautanu is in one of the bigger position battles here at Steelers training camp as he doesn’t against veteran Dan Moore Jr. for one of the starting tackle spots, opposite Broderick Jones.

We expect to see either Fautanu or Moore as the team’s starting right tackle when the season kicks off and Jones moved to the left side. Fautaunu is the future at right tackle but just like with Jones last season, no one expects the Steelers to rush him into the starting lineup.

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ESPN says Steelers rookie OT ‘improved tremendously’ during offseason

Troy Fautanu has shown steady improvement since joining the Steelers.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers went on the clock in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, they had options. The Steelers had invested amount of time in the offseason scouting the top offensive tackles and they had their pick of several great ones. In the end they opted for former Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu and didn’t look back.

The Steelers just wrapped up OTAs and now in a month will get together for training camp. ESPN was asked to evaluate how each of the NFL’s first-round picks was in offseason workouts to this point, and Steelers writer Brooke Pryor shared her evaluation as well as some insight from Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer.

Although he primarily played left tackle at Washington, Fautanu spent most of his time working at right during the offseason program, and he said he expects to compete at right tackle when the team reports to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for training camp next month. “Troy’s learned a lot of the different techniques very quickly,” offensive line coach Pat Meyer said. “The first couple days his timing was off because the speed of the game is different — now we don’t have any pads on yet, so nothing’s going to be determined until we get into camp — but his timing’s much better in terms of his get-off and run game and his sets and throwing his hands and being aggressive with his hands and whatnot. He’s improved tremendously from rookie minicamp to now.”

The Steelers are banking on Fautanu taking over the starting right tackle spot sooner rather than later and allowing Broderick Jones to move to the left side. With Dan Moore Jr. on the roster, it’s doubtful Pittsburgh will rush Fautanu into the starting lineup and will likely treat him similarly to how they did Jones as a rookie last season.

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