Month: October 2024

Steelers’ Justin Fields Not In Danger Of Losing Starting Job?

Russell Wilson logged his first full practice of the regular season today, moving Mike Tomlin toward an ultimate call on where his quarterback situation now stands.

The 13th-year veteran won this job out of the preseason, but Justin Fields had closed the gap after this Steelers offseason pointed to the more experienced player having a decisive advantage. Fields’ age, rushing ability and potential (along with Wilson’s Denver struggles) long made him a threat, regardless of the Pittsburgh party line. Now, the potential Hall of Famer is in danger of seeing a full-on demotion take place. The Steelers are set to start Fields on Sunday, and while Tomlin said he needs to see Wilson sustain health before revisiting his QB decision, he has lost considerable momentum.

Although the Broncos benched Wilson to close last season, the accomplished vet’s contract was at the root of that situation. No such issue exists now, and the Steelers are likely moving toward installing Fields as their starter. With this call approaching, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano notes he has not received indications that Fields is on thin ice entering Week 6. The Steelers being fairly confident in their backup-turned-starter would create an interesting situation soon, as Wilson certainly did not sign with the team to operate in a reserve role.

Wilson beat out Matt Flynn as a rookie and never looked back, starting every Seahawks game until a 2021 finger injury forced him back to the sideline. No debate existed about Geno Smith‘s status at the time; Wilson immediately regained his job upon recovering. Wilson missed time in Denver due to injury, but Brett Rypien obviously never became a threat. Jarrett Stidham ultimately replaced Wilson, but the Broncos’ initial starter finished last season with 26 touchdown passes and eight interceptions.

Granted, Sean Payton did not exactly turn his starter loose as the Broncos mounted a five-game win streak last season; Wilson only eclipsed 200 passing yards in one of the team’s wins during that streak. Denver’s HC also dressed down Wilson publicly prior to the benching. QBR also slotted Wilson 21st last season. Being demoted for Fields would mark new territory for Wilson, who may well consider his options if this scenario unfolds.

The Steelers gave Wilson a no-trade clause, familiar for Wilson but not for most NFLers, and the veteran could look to be moved if he loses his job due to the calf injury that has slowed him on two occasions since training camp. Holding that clause, however, could lead to a Wilson release rather than a trade. That would give him freedom to choose a destination. Of course, it would also require the Steelers to bail on a player who would turn into important depth, as Wilson would be a far better backup option compared to Kyle Allen.

Fields sits 22nd in QBR and was at the helm for three Pittsburgh wins to start the season. He then dropped a 312-55 game in a loss to the Colts. The former Bears first-rounder has thrown five touchdown passes and one interception, though he struggled at points in a loss to the Cowboys. Fields has not submitted an open-and-shut case he should be the Steelers’ starter, especially after Wilson beat him out this summer, but he has long had supporters in the building. Expecting Fields to keep the job, Graziano adds many coaches and players have raved about the fourth-year player thus far.

It would surprise if the Steelers, considering the QB trouble they dealt with during Kenny Pickett‘s two seasons at the helm, would break up this pair so soon. Though, Tomlin’s “volunteers, not hostages” refrain could conceivably apply to his current QB situation soon. This is about to shift to a front-burner matter, as Wilson moves toward being active for the first time this season.

Chiefs, Commanders, Ravens Out On Davante Adams; Raiders Open To Retaining WR?

The pack is thinning in the Davante Adams pursuit. Although the teams most closely linked to the Raiders wide receiver remain in the hunt, some of the second-tier pursuers are no longer part of this mix.

Never a realistic destination due to their AFC West proximity, the Chiefs are indeed out on Adams. The same goes for the Commanders and Ravens, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur. Both Mid-Atlantic teams were believed to be in on Adams, along with the usual suspects since the WR’s trade request, but Baltimore had been drifting out of the picture.

[RELATED: Raiders Aiming To Unload WR Soon]

The Commanders were listed as an Adams dark-horse destination over the weekend, but this is the second time GM Adam Peters has stood down on a big-ticket pass catcher. Brandon Aiyuk, who played a season with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, would have been amenable to a Washington trade. But the Commanders did not show much interest in the 49ers WR this offseason. Now, the Commanders are passing on Adams, who comes with a salary teams are not keen on paying.

Adams ignited Baltimore speculation by tweeting a picture of Edgar Allan Poe last week, but the Ravens have not discussed the wideout with the Raiders in several days. The Cowboys balked due to the Raiders’ insistence they pay all of Adams’ prorated salary, per The Athletic. Dallas was mentioned as a team who checked in with the Raiders but deemed not interested soon after. Other clubs are joining Jerry Jones‘ team.

The Saints and Jets are still in this, and veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson adds Derek Carr‘s injury — an oblique issue expected to cost the QB multiple games — does not change New Orleans’ interest in this big swing. The Steelers have reached out as well, per The Athletic, while the Bills are monitoring this situation. Buffalo joined Baltimore in deeming the Raiders’ asking price as too high, but the Bills being somewhat concerned about their receiver situation may change the equation. The Steelers have been looking at WRs since establishing Brandon Aiyuk trade framework.

While ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler points to the Saints as being a slight favorite here now, ESPN colleague Adam Schefter indicates (video link) Raiders talks with the Saints and Jets may be slowing down due to the Robert Saleh firing and Carr injury respectively affecting those respective teams. This somewhat contradicts Anderson’s account re: the Saints, but while Adams is still interested in being dealt to New York or New Orleans, this process does appear to have hit a lull.

The main reason for the slowdown: the Raiders’ hope they can unload Adams for strong draft compensation and convince the acquiring team to pay the entirety of his prorated base salary. At least one team negotiating with the Raiders was told the AFC West club does not intend to pay any of the wideout’s remaining 2024 base, Fowler adds. This hardline stance obviously will give teams pause about giving up a plus asset — the Raiders want a second-round pick and more — for a soon-to-be 31-year-old receiver who is due $11.92MM for the season’s remainder.

On the New Orleans front, Anderson adds the prospect of giving up a higher-end draft choice here has not gained much traction. While the Saints are known for their salary cap wizardry, they only hold $2.6MM in space as of Wednesday. Mickey Loomis‘ club would need to make significant adjustments to accommodate all of Adams’ money — to the point it might be a nonstarter for the Saints if the Raiders refuse paying any of Adams’ salary.

As for the Jets, The Athletic notes they are still talking to the Raiders despite having fired Saleh. That decision conceivably moves Joe Douglas closer to the chopping block, but the sixth-year GM is still running point on negotiations that will help the 2024 Jets. Considering the jobs on the line and Aaron Rodgers‘ urging for this reunion, it would surprise if New York was not in this until the end.

Adams had pledged continued support for the Raiders’ cause, denying trade rumors for a while, but Fowler adds the quarterback situation — which has featured a months-long, on-and-off competition between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell — has factored into the receiver’s decision to ask out. Adams displayed clear frustration during the Raiders’ short-lived Jimmy Garoppolo QB1 period, making it unsurprising a player who built a Hall of Fame case with Rodgers and produced first-team All-Pro numbers with Carr would want much more of the Raiders’ current situation.

That said, the onus for an Adams trade to take place as soon as possible falls on the Raiders, who are paying the disgruntled wideout nearly $1MM per week until he is dealt. The Raiders carry more than $26MM in cap space and need a long-term quarterback, making it a bit odd they are holding the line financially when paying some of Adams’ money would bring better trade compensation. Also complicating Adams’ situation: his hamstring injury will sideline him for Week 6, Fowler adds. A previous report pointed to Adams being ready for Week 6; a three-week injury absence stands to give teams more pause.

Adams requesting a meeting with Antonio Pierce to express his demand to be traded to a better team surprised his coach, according to The Athletic. Adams had stumped for Pierce to be elevated to the full-time HC post, but the parties’ relationship has deteriorated since. The Raiders said they would accommodate him due to not wanting uncommitted players. Adams was then informed of the Pierce Instagram like regarding a trade the next morning during his appearance on Up & Adams.

It should now be noted that Pierce is not slamming the door shut on Adams playing for the team again. Pierce said he and Adams have talked since the trade request surfaced, and it sounds like the Raiders — potentially in a posturing move — are open to keeping Adams.

“He is in good spirits, we talked … so everything’s good. … He is still a Raider. He has never not been a Raider,” Pierce said, via Tafur. “When he’s healthy and can play, we’ll play him. He’s working everyday to get that hamstring right and he’s in the right headspace mentally. Like I said, we talked recently, had a good conversation and he’s ready to play football.”

Unless Pierce’s Wednesday words do prompt a reconciliation, the Raiders are preparing to say goodbye to the first receiver they have seen snare first-team All-Pro honors since Hall of Famer Cliff Branch in 1976. Teams will save more than $940K each week by waiting, as the NFL’s offseason deadline change resulted in a Nov. 5 trade endpoint for this year.

Previous positions of strength now areas of concern for Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have dropped their second-straight loss in a 20-17 defeat by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but that isn’t the only thing the game cost them.

At the onset of training camp and the preseason, it was believed that the Steelers had several strong position groups on the team. Through five weeks of the regular season, those positions have seemingly weakened from those positions of strength, with the team now going deep on their bench to fill many of the holes left behind by potential starters and backups.

Here is a list of those position groups and how their units have devalued heading into Week 6’s matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Offensive Line

Everyone and their brother knew that the Pittsburgh Steelers had to rebuild their offensive line over the last few seasons. That left them investing high draft picks and financial capital to find the optimal lineup. Yet, it was still a work in progress.

Draft selections were used in the first two rounds over the last two seasons to bring in a new left tackle (Broderick Jones), right tackle (Troy Fautanu), and center (Zach Frazier). A fourth-round pick was used this year for a reserve guard (Mason McCormick) and last season a seventh-round pick for guard/tackle Spencer Anderson.

Highly prized free agent signings highlighted the last few offseasons including guards Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels. As the season unfolded, Seumalo missed the first four weeks due to injury and Daniels was placed on injured reserve last week: ending his season. The injuries between Seumalo and Daniels forced McCormick (rookie) and Anderson (first-time starter, second-year pro) into duty.

Frazier planned on being eased into the lineup behind veteran center Nate Herbig, but the latter would also be placed on injured reserve in August, ending his season. Fautanu was hurt throughout training camp but returned in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos to start as the right tackle, supplanting Jones, who is intended to take over for Dan Moore Jr. as the team’s left tackle. Instead, Fautanu is also on IR with grim prospects of him returning before the end of the season.

Luckily, Seumalo has returned to provide some veteran stability to the offensive line which now has rookies Frazier and McCormick starting with Jones continuing to play out of position. The Steelers can ill afford anymore injuries as the depth is now playing full time and those behind the starters have even less experience, or potential, to adequately fill in.

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Running Back

Najee Harris has been a polarizing figure in the Steelers backfield as he enters his fourth and final season. The front office declined a fifth-year option, allowing Harris to possibly become an unrestricted free agent next season. That had many believing Harris’ days in Pittsburgh were behind him. The hope was Jaylen Warren would supersede Harris eventually, as the duo continued to offer a 1-2 punch over the last two seasons.

A variety of injuries has prevented Warren from seeing substantial time on the field in 2024. Outside of a nine-carry day in Denver in Week 2, he had five carries combined in two of the other first three games before being inactive for the last two.

Veteran Cordarrelle Patterson was a pleasant surprise spelling both players in spot duty, but also succumbed to the injury bug following the Week 4 loss to Indianapolis.

Down two of their three players in the backfield rotation, Pittsburgh has now turned to the practice squad to give Harris a break and also to provide blitz pickups and additional blocking on passing downs. Aaron Shampklin and Jonathan Ward played on Sunday against the Cowboys, and combined for 25 yards on six carries. Neither were targeted in the passing game.

The Steelers desperately need Warren or Patterson back ASAP before they overload Harris in Arthur Smith‘s run oriented offense. With the threat of a strong rushing attack, the Steelers are unable to effectively sell RPO and play action calls, reducing the wrinkles they have for offensive success.

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Outside Linebacker

The Steelers edge rushers are important far beyond T.J. Watt. One of the ways Watt is able to succeed at such a high level has been because of his counterparts on defense, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig.

Highsmith was rewarded with a new contract extension during the 2023 offseason after a 14.5 sack 2022 season. He had seven sacks in 2023 and is consistently one of the top pass rushers in the league with 80 pressures over his last 50 games.

Unfortunately, Highsmith too has been lost to injury, which appeared to be no big deal as the young Herbig jumped right in and accumulated two sacks right away against the Chargers. He had another half-sack against the Cowboys, but pulled up limping after pursuing Dallas QB Dak Prescott in Sunday’s game and did not return.

Adding insult to injury (pun intended) the Steelers also lost another fill in at the position, DeMarvin Leal, who plays both defensive end and outside linebacker as asked in the Steelers 3-4 schemes. This left the team down to Jeremiah Moon on Sunday. Moon, who just came off of injured reserve, ended up playing 37% of the entire game due to the three injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. He also had to pitch in on special teams for nine plays as there was no one left to hand those duties to.

We’ve seen the same old story in the past in Pittsburgh, where edge rushers such as LaMarr Woodley, Bud Dupree, and even T.J. Watt get injured and tend to leave the rest of the pass rush stranded. James Harrison, the previous Steelers franchise sacks leader, was left out to dry when Woodley couldn’t stay healthy and likewise Watt when Dupree went down. It’s well known what the Steelers defense looks like when Watt is lost for extended time: and it isn’t good.

The Steelers will need some healthy reserves to keep Watt fresh and not overexerting himself. Hopefully at least Highsmith or Herbig won’t be out for too long and can jump back into where they left off.

Previous positions of strength now areas of concern for Steelers appeared first on Steel City Underground.

Watch: Steelers strike back with Fields to Freiermuth TD

The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium for Sunday Night Football on October 6, 2024. The Week 5 primetime matchup had the hallmarks of the old rivalry between the two teams: grinding ground game, punishing hits, choppiness, and a battle to the final minutes.

In back-to-back weeks, quarterback Justin Fields found a way to get tight end Pat Freiermuth the ball for a touchdown. Against the Cowboys, a play between the duo put the Steelers in position to secure the win if the Pittsburgh defense could hold.

Starting their drive at their own 37, the Steelers offense snapped the ball to open the series at the 10:28 mark in the fourth quarter. Methodically, Fields drove the team down the field. On 3rd & 1 at the Dallas 34, Fields found George Pickens for a pass completion but the receiver was hit late, out of bounds, by Malik Hooker; the Cowboys defender was flagged for unnecessary roughness and an offsides penalty against Dallas was declined.

With a new set of downs, Najee Harris carried the ball for no gain at the Dallas 6 on first down. On 2nd & Goal, at the 4:56 mark in the fourth quarter, Fields looked like he might hit Harris on a dump-off to the far left, but flipped a shovel pass to Freiermuth who bullied his way across the goal line to put the Steelers ahead, 17-13, after the successful PAT from Chris Boswell.

It felt like the Steelers had found a way to strike back with the Fields-to-Freiermuth combination and win the game. Unfortunately, Dak Prescott led a comeback drive that took 15 plays to finish off with a final seconds game-winning touchdown because the Steelers defense kept holding up near the goal line, including Elandon Roberts making a big hit that jarred the ball loose and forced a fumble that Dallas recovered.

 

Watch: Steelers strike back with Fields to Freiermuth TD appeared first on Steel City Underground.

Russell Wilson To Work With Steelers’ Second Team, In Play To Be Active In Week 6

Mike Tomlin has taken full advantage of the extended runway Russell Wilson‘s injury has provided Justin Fields. After not naming a starter until days after the preseason, the veteran Steelers HC is taking his time on a second starter call.

The loser of the Steelers’ summer QB battle, Fields has started the first five games while Wilson has recovered from his nagging calf injury. Pittsburgh will still start Fields in Week 6, but Wilson is moving close to being active — as a non-emergency quarterback — for the first time this season.

Wilson is set to practice fully for the first time this season, Tomlin said Tuesday. The 13th-year QB will do so when the Steelers begin practicing Wednesday, but while Wilson won the job out of preseason, he will work with the team’s second-string offense this week. Tomlin said (via SI.com’s Albert Breer) Wilson will take the second-team reps in order to not disrupt Fields’ preparation. Wilson has a chance to be active for the first time, with Tomlin adding (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) the “door is ajar” to Wilson suiting up against the Raiders.

These past several weeks marked Wilson’s second rehab effort on his balky calf. The injury initially sidelined him early during training camp, and after the free agency addition returned for preseason play, it recurred just before Week 1.

Wilson’s second injury hiatus has lasted longer than the first, with a slew of limited practices doubling as a gradual ramp-up period. Will that ramp-up be for a return to a starting role or the backup? Tomlin has dodged this decision for a bit and has said (via Breer) Wilson must prove he can stay healthy, but with the veteran passer en route to full strength, the seasoned leader will need to make a true decision (again) soon.

Long viewed as the QB who would start for the Steelers this season, Wilson held his pole-position status until he won the race. But the competition narrowed, as Fields impressed many in the building. In his five starts, Fields has submitted up-and-down work. QBR slots the dual-threat passer 22nd. Fields had delivered low-wattage, game-managerial showings to help the Steelers to 3-0. He threw for 312 yards while rushing for 55 in a loss to the Colts, but the pass rusher-deficient Cowboys stymied him in Week 5. Fields posted just 131 passing yards (4.9 per attempt) and 27 on the ground, an effort that may have reopened the door for Wilson.

Pittsburgh’s 3-0 start created an expectation that Fields would keep the job. He is 10 years younger than Wilson, at 25, and looks to have a better chance of being an option — based on Wilson’s Broncos years and recent injury trouble — to be the Steelers’ 2025 starter. But the Steelers named Wilson their initial starter for a reason. After Kenny Pickett‘s struggles, it would surprise if Tomlin gave Fields an especially long leash.

It will be interesting to see if Wilson or his camp voices frustration with Tomlin’s plan, should the de facto backup reach the point where he feels he is healthy and not being given a shot to reclaim his job. For now, though, Fields will keep the controls and hope to rebound after last week’s effort.

5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s loss against the Cowboys

Our SCU staff and contributors pick the “surprises” from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ latest matchup each week. Check out more below to see which plays and situations surprised us the most!

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their second loss of the 2024 season falling 20-17 to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Here are some surprises from that game.

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George Pickens

Pickens’ name is a hot subject matter heading into the early week as head coach Mike Tomlin had to explain why his top receiver was out-snapped by players lower on the depth chart. Of Pittsburgh’s 58 offensive plays, Pickens played 59% of the game, behind Van Jefferson‘s 81% and Calvin Austin‘s 76%. Scotty Miller played 22% of all snaps while newly acquired Brandon Johnson saw the field for five plays (9%) too.

Tomlin gave a debrief about the lack of playing time in his postgame presser, but it was fluff about “quality of play”. Reading the tea leaves, something is going on with Pickens and it is attributed to his attitude, effort, or both.

Pickens was seen on the sidelines jawing before Broderick Jones and Russell Wilson calmed him down, and then nearly started a fight at the end of the game.

Pickens final state line? Three receptions on seven targets for 26 yards and no touchdown.

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Najee Harris

The Dallas Cowboys came into town with the 27th run defense and were without their top two edge rushers, who are league-wide stars, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.

The Steelers were without backups Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson too. This would make one assume this would be a big day for Steelers running back Najee Harris, but they say assuming makes an “ass out of you and me” when you do so!

Harris struggled, as did his offensive line, as he carried the ball 14 times for 42 yards – a 3.0 yards-per-carry average.

Practice squad call ups Aaron Shampklin and Jonathan Ward spelled Harris. Shampklin had four carries for 14 yards (3.5 YPC) while Ward ran twice for nine yards (4.5 YPC). The Steelers failed to rush for over 100 yards for the first time this season, despite Justin Fields carrying the ball six times for 27 yards in addition to those noted above.

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Steelers Defense

The Steelers defense was on point Sunday, forcing Dak Prescott and the Cowboys to turn the ball over three times, and nearly a fourth time near the conclusion of regulation.

Prescott was sacked by T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig for the final play of the first quarter, as Watt stripped the quarterback of the ball and Herbig recovered. It would be Watt’s 100th career sack, a milestone he hit faster than any other player in the NFL other than Hall of Famer Reggie White.

However, the defense wasn’t done with that strip-sack combo that prevented a Cowboys score. Donte Jackson would pick off Prescott at the goal line at the end of the second quarter, taking away more points for Dallas. Joey Porter Jr. would also haul in an errant deep pass with 10:44 remaining in the fourth, returning the ball for 16 yards and giving the Steelers offense momentum on the next drive – in which they would take the lead.

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… And Steelers Defense

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Steelers defense on Sunday. The unit would give up 445 yards to the Cowboys, allowing 60% of their opposition’s third downs to be converted as well as a fourth-down conversion. They gave up 25 first downs total on 75 of the Cowboys offensive plays, a whopping one in every three plays moving the chains.

While the defense forced Prescott to turn the ball over three times, they struggled to contain him for much of the evening, as the Dallas QB completed 69% of his passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns.

The defense was further pressed as the game wore on, losing outside linebacker Nick Herbig in the third quarter. He would be spelled by DeMarvin Leal, who flirts as a defensive end but has been filling in as edge depth: Leal would also leave the game, leading to Jeremiah Moon playing 37% of the game in his first regular season action. (Moon is the team’s fifth option at the outside linebacker spot, as the Steelers were already down Alex Highsmith who was ruled out earlier in the week.)

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Cowboys Final Drive

But those defensive storylines would pale in comparison to the sequence of events that unfolded after the Steelers took a 17-13 lead with five minutes left in the game.

The Cowboys would run the football on six of their first eight plays on the ensuing possession, running the clock down to the two-minute warning. Rico Dowdle would carry the ball four times for 20 yards during the first set of plays. Prescott would then find his tight end Jake Ferguson on a third-and-nine to convert with 1:26 to go. The pass got the Cowboys out to the Steelers 22-yard-line, as Dallas marched up to the four and then a Prescott scramble on first-and-goal would be ruled out-of-bounds setting up a second down situation on the half-yard line.

The Steelers nearly came away with a miracle play when LB Elandon Roberts punched the football from Dowdle’s grasp on a goal line dive attempt, but Prescott would recover the loose football back at the five yard line. An incomplete Prescott pass on third down setup a do or die 4th-and-4 with 26 seconds and the game on the line.

The Cowboys would spend a timeout before the Steelers would burn their last to setup the game’s deciding play. The Steelers defense came out of the break, and failed to send a blitz, allowing Prescott time to scan the field and find an open receiver for the game-winning touchdown.

The deflating final play, following the timeout, seemed to be an exclamation point on long night that officially ended at 12:59 a.m. Monday morning due to a weather delay. The conditions created sloppy play on both sides, and exposed a gassed Steelers defense that had already bent but failed to break until the very end.

5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s loss against the Cowboys appeared first on Steel City Underground.