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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ESPN recommends the return of former Steelers cornerback

Ahkello Witherspoon is still an option for the Steelers to round out their cornerback depth chart.

With just a month to the start of training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have some important roster decisions to make. The one everyone wants to talk about is that pesky wide receiver position but ESPN went in a different direction.

They projected one final move for each NFL team to make ahead of training camp and instead of a big swing for a receiver, they think the Steelers should bring back cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.

Here’s what they had to say about bringing back Witherspoon:

Even with the arrival of Cameron Sutton to play in the slot, the Steelers could still use more veteran depth at corner. Witherspoon, a former Steeler, was surprisingly good for the Rams last season — he ranked 18th in success rate in coverage and 37th in coverage DVOA with 14 passes defensed. He will likely be inexpensive to sign, as he’s 29 years old and could back up all three Steelers starters.

Witherspoon was with the Steelers in 2021 and 2022 but suffered an injury-shortened second year. In 2021, Witherspoon got three starts late in the season and actually led the team with three interceptions.   While we are not opposed to the idea of Witherspoon returning to the team as depth along with Cory Trice Jr., if there is only one move the team makes, it has to be for a wide receiver.

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Steelers coach doesn’t sugar-coat wide receiver situation

Pittsburgh’s lack of attention to the wide receiver problem is somewhat puzzling.

It’s late June and training camp is only a month away. So we understand if the Pittsburgh Steelers are still working out the kinks in this new offensive scheme. After all, the team has a completely new quarterback depth chart, two rookies set to start on the offensive line and a brand new offensive coordinator.

But the position everyone is worried about is wide receiver. After trading away Diontae Johnson at the start of free agency, the team had cobbled together some options to replace him but even from the outside looking in things don’t look great.

New Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni didn’t mince words when he talked about this group.

“We are a work in progress,” Azzanni said.

You don’t typically hear that from a position coach in a public setting, but new Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni knows what he’s dealing with in his room beyond George Pickens. There’s a little bit of everything in terms of experience and expectations but no difference-makers who jump off the page.

There is still a hope that Pittsburgh can find a player either in free agency or via a trade before the start of free agency who can come in and help speed this work in progress up.

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Steelers RB Najee Harris wise to decline interviews at OTAs

Najee Harris won’t address the media until training camp.

According to beat writer Joe Rutter, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris will not be doing any interviews during OTAs or minicamps and will address the media during training camp in late July.

Harris has opted not to talk to the media right now after the team decided not to pick up his fifth-year option. This means Harris will be playing in 2024 without any security for the future with the Steelers.

This alone might not be a reason for Harris to avoid reporters but after rumors swirled that Harris might have been the one who asked not to have his fifth-year option picked up because he’s ready to move on from the Steelers, Harris is wise to avoid those types of distractions.

Harris has been a steady, productive performer in his first three seasons in Pittsburgh. He’s topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons despite questionable offensive line and quarterback play. Harris should have things a bit easier this season with the addition of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in charge and two new offensive linemen.

However, the presence of running back Jaylen Warren muddies the waters as the team might want to transition to him as the feature back this season.

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Steelers release full training camp schedule

Here is the Steelers schedule of open practices during training camp.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced this week that their 2024 training camp practices will begin on Thursday, July 25 and run until Wednesday, August 14. The Steelers will once again hold training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. This will mark the 57th time the Steelers have held camp at Latrobe.

* Thursday July 25 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)
* Friday July 26 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)
* Saturday July 27 1:55 p.m. (Open to Public)
* Sunday July 28 1:55 p.m. (Open to Public)
Tuesday July 30 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)
Wednesday July 31 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)
Thursday August 1 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)
Friday August 2 7 p.m. (Latrobe Memorial Stadium)
Saturday August 3 1:55 p.m. (Open to Public)
Sunday August 4 1:55 p.m. (Open to Public)
Tuesday August 6 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)
Wednesday August 7 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)
Thursday August 8 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)
Friday August 9 Preseason Game vs. Houston (7 p.m. KDKA-TV)
Sunday August 11 2:55 p.m. (Open to Public)
Monday August 12 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)
Wednesday August 14 10:30 a.m. (Open to Public)

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A wide receiver trade still in play for Steelers

One Steelers insider thinks the Steelers could trade for a receiver during training camp.

If the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t happy with their wide receiver situation at this point, they have no one to blame but themselves. The Steelers traded away Diontae Johnson very early in free agency and have made only tertiary efforts to replace him.

But this isn’t to say the Steelers still cannot make a big move to upgrade the position. Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo did his weekly Steelers chat and he indicated the team might let things play out all the way into training camp and if the team isn’t happy, then look to make a trade.

I think they will evaluate rookie Roman Wilson and the new veteran receivers they signed over the next few weeks in OTAs and minicamp. They’ll also evaluate in the first few weeks of training camp. If by then Khan doesn’t feel like he has a legit No. 2 receiver on his roster then I think he’ll look to make a deal. There will be options with post-June 1 cuts or trades.

If the hope is to find a starter already on the roster, it has to be rookie Roman Wilson. But if Wilson is deemed better suited to line up in the slot, Pittsburgh might be forced to overpay in a trade for a top-tier veteran like DK Metcalf, Courland Sutton or Brandon Aiyuk.

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3 ways the Steelers must change their preseason philosophy in 2021

What should we expect from the Steelers in the preseason?

The NFL made a change to their preseason schedule for 2021, cutting the schedule down to only three games. However, for the Steelers, it is business as usual as the team is playing an extra preseason game with their Hall of Fame Game matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.

This, along with a serious influx of new players could have a significant impact on the Steelers preseason plans. Here are three things the Steelers need to do.

Steelers to stream Friday night training camp practice

You can watch the Steelers practice on Friday night.

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Even Mother Nature can’t slow down the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are planning another night practice on Friday and will live stream it via their website and various social media platforms.

Due to weather concerns, the practice has been pushed out to 6:45 p.m. and will last approximately one hour. This will be another opportunity for fans to check out the team with just over two weeks before the team’s first regular-season game. Typically during training camp, fans get to get up close and personal with the players but this year is different.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Steelers training camp is closed to the public and has been moved to Heinz Field. Instead of fans lined up to watch practice, the Steelers have made limited arrangements like this one to let fans get a taste of training camp life.

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Steelers to pump in artifical noise Saturday night at Heinz Field

The NFL is experimenting with the Steelers tonight.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers take the field Saturday night for their televised practice, there is a twist. According to the team, they will experiment with pumping ambient noise into the stadium to see if it can have a positive impact on the broadcast and create a more natural game experience for fans watching at home.

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