Tag Archives: steelers wire news

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Ben Roethlisberger praises rookie OT Dan Moore Jr. for effort

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If you are a fourth-round rookie offensive tackle, you don’t necessarily expect to be a starting left tackle right out of the gate. However, it is a role Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. has accepted and done his very best.

On Sunday, Moore had a very tough draw with Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett. Garrett is one of the best pass rushers in the league and Pittsburgh didn’t give Moore as much help as you might have assumed but he held his own. Nevertheless, despite this, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was very happy with how Moore performed.

“I thought Dan did a great job,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s tough to ask a rookie to go against that guy, and what he did today was pretty special. I can’t say enough about the line, run game and pass pro, they are the heart of this group.”

The Steelers are on the verge of being forced to make a decision about the tackle position going forward with the return of Zach Banner. Moore hasn’t been perfect by any means but has he been worse than starting right tackle Chuks Okorafor? Let us know in the comments which guy you think Banner will replace or do both guys keep their jobs.

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Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger takes not-so-subtle shot at Browns QBs

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For many years, the Cleveland Browns were something of a running joke in the NFL. This was especially true among the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base. The reason was for many seasons of Cleveland futility, the winningest quarterback in the Browns home stadium was none other than Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

However, the arrival of Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has changed that, a point Roethlisberger was relieved to share when he spoke to the media on Wednesday. Roethlisberger also talked about the rivalry, playing in his home state and getting back to the business of football after the bye week.

Roethlisberger owns a 24-3-1 record lifetime against the Browns. Unfortunately, one of those losses was in the first round of last year’s playoffs. So while this game is important for plenty of reasons, a little payback might be one of them.



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Analyst on Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger: ‘He’s cooked. He’s toast.’

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After two down performances, the NFL media is making the rounds speculating if Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has enough left in the tank to lead this team back to the playoffs this season.

The vast majority of media talking heads don’t think Roethlisberger has it anymore and that campaign seems to be led by former NFL wide receiver and current ESPN radio host Keyshawn Johnson. On his show, Keyshawn, JWill and Max, Johnson was blunt in his description of Roethlisberger.

“He’s cooked,” Johnson said. “He’s toast.”

Through two games, Roethlisberger is well below his career average in completion percentage and quarterback rating. He is only averaging 241 passing yards per game and his team is 1-1.

The problem with the entire discussion is, it doesn’t really matter if Roethlisberger is done or not. The Steelers have no succession plan and if they would bench him for Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins, the season instantly becomes a wash and would only serve to evaluate the backup quarterbacks.

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Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger offers comparison for TE Pat Freiermuth

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In the first quarter of Saturday’s preseason game with the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger connected with rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth twice for touchdowns.

After the game, when asked about Freiermuth, Roethlisberger dropped a subtle but effective comparison to former Steeler Heath Miller.

Miller and Roethlisberger played together for 11 seasons, and Miller is widely considered the best tight end in franchise history. This makes the comparison to Freiermuth even more interesting.

Pittsburgh drafted Freiermuth in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Penn State. Freiermuth is a freakish athlete with impressive length and body control. He showed on Saturday night if you throw it, he will find a way to go up and get it.



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3 things the return of Tyson Alualu means to the Steelers

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If nothing else good came of the COVID-19 pandemic, the re-singing of Tyson Alualu by the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of them. It was assumed Alualu was planning to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars this season and the Steelers would have to figure out how to replace him.

But Alualu is back and this is big for the Steelers. Here are the three big things the return of Alualu means for Pittsburgh.

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The injury bug hit the middle of the Steelers defense hard last season. Inside linebacker Devin Bush along with Alualu both missed time and the entire defense suffered. If the Steelers are going to count on Robert Spillane in the middle all season, Alualu in front of him makes me much more comfortable.

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The Steelers have significant draft needs on both sides of the football. Getting Alualu to sign with Pittsburgh could have a serious ripple effect in terms of the draft and give the Steelers more leverage to focus on the offensive side of the ball early.

(AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

Alualu is now the second Steelers starter facing free agency to decide to come back to Pittsburgh with more money on the table elsewhere. This is the type of culture winning franchises have.

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Steelers and JuJu Smith-Schuster talking contract

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According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, the Pittsburgh Steelers want wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster back and have been in contact with his team about a new contract.

This situation sounds like a case where the Steelers front office is going to give Smith-Schuster a number in terms of a contract, let him go out and test his value in free agency and he can either sign elsewhere or Pittsburgh will welcome him back with open arms.

It will be interesting however, to see if Smith-Schuster gets a fair deal from the Steelers if he will even bother to look elsewhere. He’s made it clear this offseason he wants to be in Pittsburgh so this could be a rare occasion with loyalty and a strange salary-cap situation converge to work some good luck for Pittsburgh.



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Bucs WR Antonio Brown talks his past before Super Bowl

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There was a time not so long ago when wide receiver Antonio Brown was widely considered the best wide receiver in the NFL. But one thing that escaped him during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers when he was breaking records was a Super Bowl. This Sunday, Brown has a chance to change this as a reserve with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brown spoke to the media on Wednesday and went out of his way to paint himself the victim in the whole debacle with the Steelers. “Scrutiny, adversity, you name it, I’ve been through it,” Brown said. “But it didn’t stop me. It didn’t make me want to give up.”

It’s important to remember that every one of the things that became a barrier to Brown’s success in the NFL after leaving Pittsburgh was a self-inflicted wound. All the off-field theatrics are on him. Brown may get himself a Super Bowl ring this weekend and I’m glad to see he seems to be showing a glimmer of sanity at this point in his life.

But I want to pass the question off to Steeler Nation. Will you be rooting for Brown to win a Super Bowl this weekend? Let us know in the comments below.

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