Think you can figure out which Steelers player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!
Hey Steelers fans! We’re back for another day of the Behind the Steel Curtain in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.
The goal of the game is to guess the correct Steelers player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.
After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.
The TL:DR? In this dead part of the summer, we’re using a random number generator to find a singular play from the Steelers’ 2024 season, then using it as an excuse to talk about last season and some general football insights.
This week, the random number generator chose the 137th play of the Steelers’ Week 3 clash against the Los Angeles Chargers. For any “One random Steelers play” superfans out there (*crickets*) this is the second straight time the generator has chosen play No. 137.
The context: Steelers ball on the Chargers’ 37-yard line. Pittsburgh is up 20-10 with 3:07 left in the fourth quarter. It’s second and six.
The random number generator gods did us a favor on this one — after talking about multi-tight end sets all week in regards to the Steelers’ trade for Jonnu Smith, here’s Pittsburgh doing exactly that last year.
You could call this 22 personnel or 13 personnel (first number is backs; second is tight ends) as Connor Heyward is listed as a TE/FB on the Steelers’ roster. He’s lined up at fullback here in an offset I-formation but motions in from receiver. I’m curious how others would define it, but for the sake of this play, I’d say it’s 22. Ultimately, it’s just semantic.
And while Jonnu Smith isn’t much of a blocker, it’s actually a preview of sorts of how the Steelers could use their bevy of tight ends in 2025: Darnell Washington in-line, Pat Freiermuth on the line of scrimmage in a condensed formation, and Smith as a motion man lining up all over the place.
As evidenced by the number of tight ends on the field, as well as the context, the Steelers are trying to run out the clock here. The Chargers counter with a 3-4 formation to crowd the box; they also blitz safety Derwin James.
The Steelers’ play-call is an Arthur Smith staple: split zone.
Here’s what I wrote about split zone in the article linked above:
Remember how outside zone is built around moving the offensive line laterally in one direction? That horizontal emphasis can mean the defensive end on the backside of the play is left unblocked; if he’s athletic enough, it results in an easy pursuit tackle of the running back if the run doesn’t develop fast enough.
That’s when split zone comes in, with an H-back or tight end moving the opposite direction of the zone run and cutting off the backside defender. It also creates some misdirection and adds a lead blocker if the ball-carrier decides to hit the cutback lane.
That last part is especially true. Although the Steelers’ play here is a zone run to the left, split zone can operate as a counter run of sorts if the runner follows the lone blocker headed right.
That’s what happens here. Steelers right guard James Daniels fails to seal off his blocking assignment’s outside shoulder and running back Cordarrelle Patterson is face to face with 310-pound nose tackle Poona Ford moments after the handoff:
At this point, Patterson has already committed to the cutback. He sees better chance running right: Broderick Jones has a dominant rep against the defensive tackle and Darnell Washington walls off the middle linebacker.
Connor Heyward does a good job here as well. His initial assignment is kicking out the edge defender on the right, Tuli Tuipulotu, but he pivots to take on the blitzing safety, Derwin James — a more immediate threat.
As much as we talk about vision being important for zone running backs, so is decisiveness. The blitz takes up Connor Heyward’s attention, and Pat Freiermuth can only do so much against Tuipulotu without getting a block in the back penalty. There isn’t a gaping lane available anywhere, but Patterson puts his head down and commits to the decision.
Patterson runs hard, bowls over Tuipulotu, and continues chugging downfield. What should’ve been a stop near the line of scrimmage turns into a 12-yard gain.
A few things I liked later in the play include Zach Frazier and Spencer Anderson hustling downfield, as well as Darnell Washington finishing his pancake of linebacker Troy Dye just for kicks 12 yards behind the play.
The Steelers would go on to win 20-10.
The moral of the play? Well, split zone can be pretty cool. And players who’ve been on the bad side of offseason roster discourse (Broderick Jones, Cordarrelle Patterson, Connor Heyward) still have some impressive plays on their 2024 tape.
What are your thoughts and takeaways on this random Steelers play? Any suggestions for the series? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!
View of the American flag on the field prior to the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Come and join this merry band of Steelers’ faithful for some lively debate about our Steelers, good food, music, and the merits of the odd cold beverage.
Live from Delaware, it’s Saturday Night! I, NAS204PSU, am here to bring you this Saturday Night Open Thread (aka SNOT).
Holy Blue, what a crazy week to be a Steeler fan. Ramsey and Smith are in, Minka is out. I did not see that coming, the fireworks continue this offseason.
This 6 pack of questions is here to get the conversation going is below, also let us know what you’re eating/drinking!
Give me a stat for 2025 that would make the Jalen Ramsey trade “worth it.”
Jonnu Smith had a breakout year last year. Who do you think gets more TE TDs in 2025: Muuuuuuuuuuth or Jonnuuuuuuu?
3. Now that Minka has returned to Miami, do you think the 2019 trade was a good one? (Steelers gave a 1st, 5th,6th and received Minka, a 4th(Kevin Dotson), 7th (Tre Norwood)
4.Omar Khan signed a 3-year extension. What does he/steelers have do over the next 3 years for Khan to earn another extension?
5. What’s your favorite national park and why?
6. There a lot of pro fireworks displays, but also many amateurs having their own show. What’s your favorite firework to set off yourself?
The NFL’s 2025 HC carousel brought five new sideline leaders; this year’s GM market eventually featured four new hires. Two teams made quick-trigger decisions involving front office bosses this offseason.
Not long after the Raiders fired Antonio Pierce, they booted Tom Telesco — brought in to give the inexperienced HC a seasoned GM — after just one season. New minority ownerTom Brady, who certainly appears to have downplayed his Raiders role in a recent interview, wanted a fresh start. That meant firing Telesco despite the GM’s Brock Bowers draft choice last year. John Spytek, an ex-Brady Michigan teammate who was with the Buccaneers when the team signed the QB icon, replaced him. Formerly the Chargers’ front office boss, Telesco had entered every season in a GM chair since 2013.
Ran Carthon received two years in charge in Tennessee, but owner Amy Adams Strunk — a year after the surprise Mike Vrabel firing — moved on and arranged an interesting power structure this offseason. The Titans installed Chad Brinker, who had been one of Carthon’s two assistant GMs, as president of football operations. The ex-Carthon lieutenant holds final say over new hire Mike Borgonzi, who did run the Titans’ draft this year. Borgonzi, who interviewed for the Jets’ GM job as well, comes over after a lengthy Chiefs tenure.
The in-season Joe Douglas firing brought a Jets GM change for the first time in six years. As Woody Johnson overreach became a regular talking point in New York, the Jets started over with Darren Mougey. Johnson changed up his workflow upon hiring Mougey, however. Rather than the GM directly reporting to the owner (as Douglas had), both Mougey and Aaron Glennwill do so. Mougey, though, does control the roster.
Telesco’s January firing left Trent Baalke as the NFL’s lone second-chance GM. The Jaguars had kept Baalke despite firing Doug Pederson, but as the team’s coaching search brought significant concerns from candidates about the presence of the resilient GM, Shad Khan eventually made a change. This move came after top HC candidate Liam Coeninitially turned down a second interview, doing so after Ben Johnsonconcerns about the situation circulated. Gladstone is now in place as the NFL’s youngest GM, at 34, coming over from the Rams.
This offseason also brought three GM extensions — for Jason Licht, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Omar Khan. Licht is heading into his 12th season at the helm. Adofo-Mensah joined Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell in being extended this offseason. Also a 2022 GM hire/promotion, Khan signed a Steelers extension this week.
Although Jerry Jones and Mike Brown have been in place longer, the Cowboys and Bengals’ owners hold de facto GM titles. Mickey Loomis is not only the longest-tenured pure GM in the NFL; the Saints boss trails only Hall of Famer Tex Schramm as the longest-tenured pure GM in NFL history. Hired four years before Sean Payton in New Orleans, Loomis heads into his 24th season at the controls. Loomis hired his third HC as a GM (Kellen Moore) in February.
Here is how long every GM has been in place across the NFL:
Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
Monti Ossenfort (Arizona Cardinals): January 16, 2023
Adam Peters (Washington Commanders): January 12, 2024
Dan Morgan (Carolina Panthers): January 22, 2024
Joe Hortiz (Los Angeles Chargers): January 29, 2024
Eliot Wolf (New England Patriots): May 11, 2024
Mike Borgonzi (Tennessee Titans): January 17, 2025
John Spytek (Las Vegas Raiders): January 22, 2025
Darren Mougey (New York Jets): January 24, 2025
James Gladstone (Jacksonville Jaguars): February 21, 2025
Footnotes:
Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
The Eagles bumped Roseman from the top decision-making post in 2015, giving Chip Kelly personnel power. Roseman was reinstated upon Kelly’s December 2015 firing.
Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018
Think you can figure out which Steelers player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!
Hey Steelers fans! We’re back for another day of the Behind the Steel Curtain in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.
The goal of the game is to guess the correct Steelers player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.
After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.
The former second-round pick revealed what ended his 2024 season.
Former Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool announced he’s prepared for an NFL comeback after missing the 2024 season with a torn ligament and tendon in his toe.
Claypool announced the comeback bid in a July 1 Instagram post. He last signed with the Buffalo Bills in May 2024 but was released with an injury settlement in mid-August. Claypool’s post was the first mention of the injury being season-ending.
“It’s been a year since I’ve posted on Instagram, and almost nobody knows what actually happened to me,” wrote Claypool. “Signing with Buffalo was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me. I was the strongest, fastest, and most prepared I had ever been. I was playing my best football — working my way up from LAST (14th) string to taking first-team reps by camp.”
The Steelers drafted Chase Claypool in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The 6’4, 238-pound receiver ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His career got off to a hot start with an 873-yard, nine-touchdown rookie season, followed up by a 860-yard, two-touchdown sophomore campaign.
Pittsburgh traded Claypool to the Chicago Bears in 2022, receiving the second-round pick the team would use to draft cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
However, Claypool’s production drastically slowed with the Bears, with the receiver logging just 77 yards in 2023. That season, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins in a Day 3 pick swap. The next year, he signed with the Bills on a one-year deal.
Still just 26 years old, Claypool is looking to get another chance in the NFL.
He wrote on Instagram: “I am back to being the strongest and fastest I’ve ever been and couldn’t be more excited to step back out on the field and let my actions speak for themselves.”
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images
Happy birthday, America.
Welcome back to BTSC’s Friday night open thread:
Thanks for stopping by, to each of you taking the time to check in tonight. I hope everyone’s pets are handling the fireworks well tonight. Thankfully, my Nona doesn’t mind the noise too much as long as she’s inside the house. Speaking of fireworks, let’s have let’s make a game out of all the different types of fireworks. Which fireworks would represent players on the current roster? Ie: Roman Wilson, is a Roman Candle. Make puns or go as in-depth as you like.
Share with us some of your favorite 4th of July traditions or memories.
Do you have any favorite 4th of July-related media? My parents always watch the movie The Patriot. I was always partial to Independence Day.
Song of the Night:This week I’m going with a song from one of my favorite summer movies growing up: The Sandlot. In the movie, this song plays during a scene where the kids go to the eponymous sandlot at night to play during the 4th of July celebrations in their neighborhood. It’s a scene that’s always stuck with me, in no small part due to the legendary Ray Charles. Enjoy and have a safe holiday, everyone!
The 2025 offseason has been defined in no small part by extensions amongst the league’s top edge rushers. A number of high-profile situations on that front remain unresolved at this point, which will make for interesting storylines over the coming weeks. Still, pass rushers once again account for some of the top cap charges around the NFL.
Just like on offense, here is a breakdown of the top 25 defensive cap hits in 2025:
Crosby briefly held the title of the league’s highest-paid pass rusher when his latest Raiders extension was signed. That $35.5MM-per-year pact was quickly overtaken in value, but it put to rest speculation about a potential trade. Now fully healthy, Crosby’s level of play in 2025 will be critical in determining Vegas’ success.
Garrett currently leads the way in terms of AAV for edge rushers (and, in turn, all defensive players). He landed $40MM in annual compensation from the Browns in a deal which ended his long-running trade request. The four-time All-Pro sought a change of scenery to a Super Bowl contender but then altered his stance following communication with Cleveland’s front office. Garrett is now on the books through 2030.
Other notable pass rushers face an uncertain future beyond the coming campaign, by contrast. That includes Watt, who is not close to reaching an agreement on a third Steelers contract. The former Defensive Player of the Year is reported to be eyeing a pact which will again move him to the top of the pecking order for pass rushers. He thus finds himself in a similar situation to fellow 30-year-old All-Pro Trey Hendricksonwith the Bengals.
While Hendrickson is believed to be aiming for a new deal similar in average annual value to those like Bosa and Hunter’s, Parsons could leapfrog Watt atop the pecking order by the time the season begins. Little (if any) progress has been made since Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reached a handshake agreement on the framework of a deal. Time remains for a pact to be finalized before training camp; failing that, the possibility of a hold-in will increase.
Recent years have seen a major spike in the valuation of interior defensive linemen capable of producing against the pass. It comes as no surprise, then, to see a multitude of D-tackles on the list. Buckner and Chris Jones are among the veterans with the longest track record of success in terms of sacks and pressures (along with disruptive play against the run, of course). Payne, Lawrence, Simmons and Williams were among the players who helped moved the position’s market upward with similar second contracts during the 2023 offseason.
Gary, Sweat and Greenard will again be counted on to lead the way in terms of pass rush production for their respective NFC North teams. Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota each have upside elsewhere on the depth chart, but expectations will remain high for those three based on their lucrative deals. The highly competitive division will no doubt come down to head-to-head games, and they will be influenced in large part by the performances of each defense.
The cornerback market reached $30MM per year this offseason thanks to Derek Stingley Jr.‘s Texans extension. Given the term remaining on his rookie pact, though, his cap charge for this season checks in at a much lower rate than that of teammates like Hunter or other top CBs. Ward and Jaylon Jones are on the books through 2027, and the same is true of Sneed. The high-priced Tennessee trade acquisition did not enjoy a healthy debut season with his new team in 2024, but he appears to be set for full participation in training camp.
Safety and linebacker are among the positions which have witnessed slower growth than others recently. Still, a few top performers are attached to deals landing them on this list. Smith has been a first-team All-Pro performer during his tenure with the Ravens; he will be expected to remain one in 2025 and beyond. James and Bates will likewise be counted on as key playmakers in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Fitzpatrick will, interestingly, return to his original team after being part of the blockbuster Steelers-Dolphins trade from earlier this week.
Vea helped the Buccaneers rank fourth against the run last season while Clark and the Packers finished seventh in that regard. Both veterans have multiple years remaining on their deals, although in both cases the final season does not include guaranteed money. Vea and/or Clark could thus find themselves discussing an extension next offseason.
Allen is among the players listed who could have a new deal in hand before Week 1. The former Cardinal is coming off a career-best 8.5 sacks from the 2024 season. To no surprise, then, Allen is high on Denver’s list of extension priorities, and it will be interesting to see if the pending 2026 free agent works out a new pact prior to the start of the campaign.
