Category: Former Steelers

Ex-Steelers TE Zach Gentry is sleeping with the enemy

The Cincinnati Bengals added Zach Gentry to their practice squad a week after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Zach Gentry is sleeping with the enemy Cincinnati Bengals. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday that the former Pittsburgh Steelers tight end has signed with their practice squad.

Gentry, 26, was selected by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft out of the University of Michigan. He was released on August 29 in an effort to reduce the roster to 53 players.

Pittsburgh released its Week 1 depth chart on Monday, which currently includes three tight ends: Pat Freiermuth, rookie Darnell Washington and second-year Swiss army knife Connor Heyward who’s also listed as the team’s only fullback.

The acquisition of Washington via their third-round pick and Heyward’s success as a rookie pretty much made Gentry expendable. While he was solid in run support, he offered little to nothing as a receiver. But it’s a punch to the gut that he landed with arguably their fiercest rival in the AFC North.

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REPORT: Ex-Steelers first-round linebacker Jarvis Jones arrested

Former Steelers linebacker and current Georgia Bulldogs staff member Jarvis Jones was arrested for reckless driving and speeding.

Jarvis Jones is in hot water, and his position with the Georgia Bulldogs is in jeopardy. The former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round linebacker was arrested prior to the Bulldogs season opener for reckless driving and speeding, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was booked and later released on $2,400 bond.

Per ESPN, at least a dozen Bulldogs players have been charged with moving violations since the team defeated TCU in the championship game in January.

Jarvis Jones is synonymous with the term bust. Although opinions vary across the board, in a 2022 study by Bookies.com, he was named the Steelers’ biggest draft bust of the century. 31.3 percent of Steelers Wire readers voted him the biggest bust in the history of the franchise, followed by Artie Burns and Devin Bush.

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Ex-Steelers Guard Kevin Dotson speaks out after his trade to the Rams

Kevin Dotson talked about his former Pittsburgh Steelers in his first media session with the Los Angeles Rams.

The writing was on the wall for Kevin Dotson all offseason after the Pittsburgh Steelers added guards Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig in free agency. His days were surely numbered. It was just a matter of when and how. Would they let him ride out of the final year of his contract buried on the depth charge or release or trade him?

That answer came on August 27 when Dotson was jettisoned to the Los Angeles Rams for a picks swap.

But there’s no ill will.

His former team came up when speaking with the media for the first time as a member of the Rams.

“Everyone on the Steelers, they’ll vouch for me knowing I’m a good guy, so I just try to bring that energy here too,” Dotson said.

Being replaced and then traded can deflate anybody’s ego, but he knows it’s a business and remains confident in his ability to help in Los Angeles.

“I know what I’m capable of. I knew the Steelers knew what I was capable of, but, ya know, it’s a business, you gotta do what you have to do to be great so they did what they had to do.”

Sometimes players simply need a change of scenery to rejuvenate their career. Though Dotson is slated to back up left guard rookie Steve Avila, he has fewer hurdles to jump for playing time.

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Ex-Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster’s knee still a concern

The Patriots have been cautious with former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster who’s still recovering from a knee injury.

JuJu Smith-Schuster left the Pittsburgh Steelers last year for greener pastures and won himself a Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs. But his one-year contract was just that, and soon he landed with his third team in as many seasons when the New England Patriots signed him in free agency.

Smith-Schuster finally got the big payday he’d been waiting for his entire career, but the Patriots might now regret it. His time in New England has been messy, particularly concerning his knee — an injury he dealt with throughout his tenure in Pittsburgh.

“The underrated story here: JuJu Smith Schuster’s knee is a mess, and that thing could explode at any point,” Albert Breer said on NBC Sports Boston. “So, you almost have to keep an extra receiver because of that.”

Smith-Schuster suffered a knee injury during the Kansas City Chiefs–Cincinnati Bengals AFC championship game last season and exited in the third quarter. He had to work extensively with trainers to get healthy enough to suit up for the Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, in which he caught seven passes for 53 yards.

He had surgery to clean up his knee after the Super Bowl, and swelling became an issue during a flight to Japan in the offseason. Time to recuperate forced him out of the Patriots spring camps, but he never missed a day of training camp.

Smith-Schuster refuted Breer’s claim, saying he was trying to find a story. “I don’t think my knee is a ticking time bomb,” he told MassLive. “If anything, it’s something that’s getting stronger every day.”

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