Tag: Miles Killebrew

Huge special teams mistake cost Steelers 7 points

Steelers’ fake punt misfire led to a Commanders TD, shifting momentum to Washington in their toughest game of the 2024 season.

It is safe to say Steelers’ CB James Pierre may be getting the cold shoulder from the Steel City, following what appeared to be a beautifully designed fake-punt call by Pittsburgh’s special teams coach Danny Smith—only for Pierre to drop the pass from special teams ace Miles Killebrew.

On fourth down, deep within the Steelers’ own 20-yard line, the shocking 18-yard pass from Killebrew seemed to catch Washington’s special teams unit off guard, and would have given Pittsburgh a crucial first down. However, due to Pierre’s botched execution, the Commanders took over in the red zone on downs.

A handful of plays later, this decision on special teams ultimately gifted Commanders RB Austin Ekeler a one-yard rushing touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 and shifting momentum away from Pittsburgh.

The special teams unit eventually rebounded in a big way, recovering a fumble off a muffed punt in the second quarter, immediately granting red-zone positioning to the Steelers offense.

Pittsburgh will need all three facets of their game to be near-perfect, as the 7-2 Commanders are their toughest opponent of the 2024 season so far.

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Bill Belichick includes 4 Steelers in his midseason best

4 Steelers make Belichick’s midseason team.

When it comes to evaluating talent, there are few who can claim to be as good as Bill Belichick. Belichick is one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history and he has six Super Bowls as a head coach to back it up. He also won two more as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.

So when Belichick put together his midseason All-Belichick team, we paid attention. We paid even closer attention when we realized he put four members of the Pittsburgh Steelers on the list.

On defense, Belichick included defensive tackle Cam Heyward and outside linebacker T.J. Watt on the list. Heyward has returned from an injury last season, got himself a big new contract and is playing like a young player once again. As for Watt, he’s once again a frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year.

Belichick also gave props to the Steelers special teams. He put safety Miles Killebrew, who is perhaps the best kick blocker in the NFL and kicker Chris Boswell on the team. Boswell has been the team’s most reliable scoring threat in Pittsburgh for years and this season is no different. Boswell is averaging 10.6 points per game and the team is averaging 23.4 points per game.

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1 pending free agent Chargers should target: AFC North Edition

Listing one free agent from the Steelers, Ravens, Browns and Bengals who could be a fit for the Chargers.

The Chargers won’t be aggressive when it comes to signing free agents, as they’re currently $35 million over the projected salary cap.

While they’re cash-strapped, general manager Joe Hortiz will make some moves to have some spendings available to them so they can sign some.

That said, I will list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.

Next up is the AFC North.

T.J. Watt, Miles Killebrew named to the PFWA All-NFL team

The Steelers landed two on the PFWA All-NFL team.

The Pro Football Writers of America put out their All-NFL team for the 2023 season and two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers made the cut. EDGE defender T.J. Watt made it for the fourth time and safety/special teams ace Miles Killebrew was named PFWA All-NFL for the first time.

Watt led the league in sacks in 2023. Watt finished with 19 sacks and is the first player to lead the league in sacks in three separate seasons since sacks have been counted as an official statistic.

Killebrew didn’t play much on defense but his contributions on social teams, in particular blocking kicks, made him elite among his peers.

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Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt named 1st-team All-Pro by the AP

T.J. Watt and Miles Killebrew are both first team All-Pro.

Justice is served. The Associated Press put out their All-Pro team on Friday and Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt was named to the first team. This is after being snubbed by the NFLPA All=Pro team.

Watt led the league in sacks in 2023 with 19. Watt is the first player in NFL history to lead the league in sacks in three separate seasons. The Steelers will be without Watt this weekend against the Buffalo Bills. Watt injured his knee in the regular-season finale but not before he racked up two more sacks.

Steelers safety and special-teams ace Miles Killebrew also make the first team. Killebrew has become a kick and punt blocking star.

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Steelers S Miles Killebrew inks deal to remain in Pittsburgh

Steelers take care of business with special teams standout Miles Killebrew.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have taken care of their first contractual business of the offseason with safety and special teamer Miles Killebrew.

According to a source of NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers are bringing Killebrew back on a two-year, $4 million contract.

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1 pending free agent Chargers should target: AFC North Edition

Listing one free agent from each team in the AFC North that could be a good fit for the Chargers.

The Chargers are set to enter free agency with the most salary cap available since Tom Telesco took over as general manager in 2013.

Even though the franchise has some in-house players that will need to get paid, there’s a great chance that Telesco and company will be aggressive in signing other soon-to-be free agents to bolster its roster.

With that being said, we are going to list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.

Next up is the AFC North.

B.J. Hill, Bengals

If the Chargers re-sign Justin Jones, there could be a reunion between him and Hill as the two were previously teammates at North Carolina State. Despite being overshadowed by Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence, and Leonard Williams during his time with the Giants, Hill still consistently produced, both against the run and generating pressure. Now with Cincinnati, his presence in the middle of the defensive line has helped with its road to the Super Bowl. Hill amassed 29 pressures, six sacks, and 25 run stops on the season.

Miles Killebrew, Steelers

This past season, the Chargers’ special teams coverage units primarily consisted of youth, with Nick Niemann, Chris Rumph, Kemon Hall and Amen Ogbongbemiga finishing atop of special teams snap percentage. Expected to be in search of more core players under new special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, Killebrew would fulfill that. In 2021, Killebrew logged two blocked punts and seven total tackles in 334 special teams snaps. Further, along with his special teams services, Killebrew would supply safety depth.

David Njoku, Browns

The Chargers will be in the market for a tight end, with Jared Cook set to be a free agent. After facing some ups and downs since being selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, Njoku has gradually shown his true value. Oozing with athleticism and pass-catching chops, Njoku’s posted the highest receiving grade in 2021 (70.9), marking the best since his rookie season, and his 7.0 yards after the catch per reception and 1.56 yards per route run were both career-high marks, per Pro Football Focus. While he would primarily be brought in to serve as another weapon for Justin Herbert, Njoku has shown improvement as a blocker.

Latavius Murray, Ravens

The Chargers are set with Austin Ekeler as their No. 1 running back for the foreseeable future, but they need a reliable running mate to avoid wear and tear to Ekeler. Murray was added by Baltimore prior to the 2021 season after losing its top three running backs throughout training camp. The move ended up paying dividends, as Murray was a solid contributor, finishing with 501 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and an average of 4.2 yards per carry. Throughout his eight-year career, Murray has been reliable in his role and durable. Further, there is also a connection between Murray and Joe Lombardi, as the two were together with the Saints in 2019 and 2020.

Here’s everything we know about Steelers newest LB/SS Miles Killebrew

A career overview of the Steelers’ first outside free agency signing, hybrid defender Miles Killebrew.

The Pittsburgh Steelers made their first outside free agency move on Saturday and agreed to terms with veteran linebacker/safety Miles Killebrew.

Killebrew, a 2016 third-round pick by the Detroit Lions, came to the Motor City by way of Southern Utah University, where he was a four-year starter at safety. Killebrew reached the triple-digit mark in tackles each of his last two seasons. He also displayed an aptitude for pass coverage with three interceptions, one returned for a score. He also contributed seven pass breakups.

Killebrew’s player bio in the NFL draft prospects tracker stated the following coming out of Southern Utah:

Violent player who looks to punish and intimidate with the force of his strikes, but who won’t compromise his form as a tackler just for the highlight reel hit. Killebrew is average in coverage, but has the size and physicality that makes him stand out in the box.

According to Michael Rothstein of ESPN, Killebrew was drafted as a possible long-term solution at safety. Like Steelers’ Marcus Allen, Killebrew converted from safety to linebacker and bounced between the two positions. He struggled to find a role on defense but was a special teams standout. Killebrew played in 1,630 special teams snaps and just 590 defensive snaps.

At 6’2 and 222 pounds, Killebrew left the Lions with 78 appearances (four starts), two interceptions (one for a touchdown versus Cardinals’ Carson Palmer in 2017), six passes defended, 105 tackles (88 solo), two quarterback hits and a blocked punt. Killebrew only played one defensive snap in 2020 versus 361 snaps on special teams.

Killebrew will purely be a special teams guy in Pittsburgh but projects to continue his path as a defensive utility player. Interestingly enough, Teryl Austin, Pittsburgh’s assistant defensive and secondary coach, was defensive coordinator for Killebrew’s first two seasons in Detroit.

Pittsburgh has yet to disclose details of Killebrew’s contract. Per OverTheCap.com, he earned $2 million in his final season with the Lions —  $1,862,500 in salary and a $137,500 signing bonus.

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Miles Killebrew agrees to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Miles Killebrew agrees to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Another Lions reserve and key special teams player is heading to a new team. Miles Killebrew has agreed to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year contract. The news report was first made by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Killebrew was a fifth-round pick by the Lions out of Southern Utah in 2016, part of then-GM Bob Quinn’s first draft class. An oversized safety, the Lions tried him at both LB and S but he never really found a home on defense. He managed just one defensive snap in 2020 and played less than 100 in his final three.

Where he stood out was on special teams. Killebrew proved a capable blocker on returns and was consistently one of the best Lions on coverage units.

Ranking the Detroit Lions unrestricted free agents heading into the 2021 offseason

Ranking the Detroit Lions unrestricted, restricted, and exclusive rights free agents heading into 2021 offseason.

The Detroit Lions will enter the 2021 offseason with 18 of the 53-players on the active roster unrestricted free agents. They also have one restricted free agent and three exclusive rights free agents.

In this piece, we have separated the players into six ranked tiers based on the level of importance to the team and the role they would fill if they return next season.