Pittsburgh Steelers / NFL category
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: What is the Steelers’ ideal quarterback depth chart?
You ask. I answer. It’s time for “Mailing It In,” a weekly Q&A that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. Most of the questions come via X, but you can also hit me up at jraystarkey@gmail.com. Let’s gooooooo … Nolan in New Ken, @nolan_in_NK: Good day to you, Joe! As we sit...
Steelers tender Aaron Rodgers contract with 10% raise, hold his exclusive rights once camp startsVideo
A procedural deadline passed in NFL free agency Monday, and the Pittsburgh Steelers acted via a method that makes it a little more likely that they keep Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers extended a UFA tender to the 42-year-old, four-time NFL MVP quarterback, offering a salary at 110% of what he...
First Call: Art Rooney II discusses Makai Lemon mishap; Penn State coach says offense ‘wasn’t built’ for Drew AllarVideo
Tuesday’s “First Call” looks at Art Rooney II’s comments about the Makai Lemon fumble on draft night. One of Penn State’s coaches is backing the draft choice of Drew Allar by the Pittsburgh Steelers. A receiving target of Aaron Rodgers is heading to Dallas. A Duquesne men’s basketball player is...
Mt. Lebanon grad, 7th-round pick Eli Heidenreich could turn into chess piece for Steelers
Trying to choose one position to describe Eli Heidenreich was always futile, even as a title-winning high school player at Mt. Lebanon. Running back? Slotback? Wide receiver? Slot receiver? Wildcat quarterback? “He’s a football player,” said Bob Palko, his former high school coach. “That was the beauty of it.” The...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ draft approach doesn’t mesh with attempts to retain Aaron Rodgers
If the Steelers truly want Aaron Rodgers to return as their quarterback in 2026, their approach to the NFL Draft didn’t make much sense. They are — presumably — holding out hope that a 42-year-old quarterback comes back for one more run to get a 10-7 team to a slightly...
2 tight ends, including USC’s Luke McRee, among Steelers’ undrafted free agent signings
USC’s Luke McRee was among a pair of tight ends and four others who signed as undrafted free agents with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Arizona State’s Chamon Metayer was other tight end, with Indiana cornerback Devan Boykin, Missouri linebacker Daylan Carnell, Kansas kicker Laith Marjan and Syracuse defensive lineman Kevin Jobity...
Steelers invite Mt. Lebanon’s Alex Tecza, a Navy fullback, to rookie minicamp
Another member of the Mt. Lebanon’s PIAA championship team is headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alex Tecza will join former Mt. Lebanon and Navy teammate Eli Heidenreich at Steelers rookie minicamp May 8-10 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. The official social media account of the Navy football team posted...
Mark Madden: After drafting Drew Allar, the Steelers no longer need Aaron Rodgers
Did the Pittsburgh Steelers have a good draft? Probably not. In the first round, they got outmaneuvered for the player they wanted. There were six first-round caliber wideouts in the draft. The Steelers settled for one below that line. They took a return specialist in the fourth round. Way too...
First Call: Mike Tomlin’s prediction on Aaron Rodgers; Cowboys address trading Makai Lemon pick to EaglesVideo
Mike Tomlin forecasts Aaron Rodgers’ future on NBC. The Cowboys address trading away their pick in front of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first round of the NFL Draft. The Steelers are bringing back a familiar face. The Penguins look to stay alive against Philadelphia. And the Pirates need to...
Madden Monday: Steelers’ draft was ‘a 2-part screw up’
As days have passed since the Pittsburgh Steelers’ failed attempt to land USC wide receiver Makai Lemon in the first round of the NFL Draft, I’ve narrowed my focus on what truly bothered me from that night. I’m not upset that the Steelers ended up with Max Iheanachor as the...
Mike Tomlin joins NBC as analyst, says Steelers’ veterans ‘were worthy’ of new coach
Mike Tomlin, while making his broadcasting debut Sunday, said he resigned as Pittsburgh Steelers coach in part because the team’s veteran players “were worthy” of new leadership. NBC officially announced Tomlin would be joining the network’s “Football Night in America” as a studio analyst. He was interviewed Sunday by “NBA...
Howard? Rudolph? Allar? Reminiscent of 2018, Steelers have decisions to make at QB
A veteran future Hall of Fame returning starter. A trusted longtime backup. The previous year’s late-round rookie who turned some heads. And added to the mix is a third-round draft pick with intriguing pedigree. That likely will be the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback position room once training camp opens in...
Steelers stick to their draft board – and it led them to an offense-heavy haul this year
One by one, over a span of about 46 hours, the Pittsburgh Steelers put together what has the appearance of their own little starting lineup on offense. First came the tackle Thursday. Then the wide receiver, with a quarterback soon to follow. That evening ended with an interior offensive lineman,...
Tim Benz: What the Steelers didn’t get in the 2026 NFL Draft
The 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers draft won’t be remembered for who the franchise picked or who they left on the board. It’ll be remembered for who they missed. Here is the moment Makai Lemon thought he was getting drafted by #Steelers and realizing in real time that the #Eagles traded up,...
Robert Spears-Jennings bio: Steelers 7th-round pick (No. 244 overall) in 2026 NFL Draft
Robert Spears-Jennings Seventh-round pick, No. 224 overall Safety, Oklahoma 6-foot-1, 205 pounds Stats: In 2025, had 59 tackles, one interception, two pass breakups and one forced fumble in 13 games (12 starts). Hometown: Broken Arrow, Okla. Tidbits: Spears-Jennings ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash time among safeties at the 2026 NFL...
‘A fantastic partner’: NFL officials thrilled with Pittsburgh’s record-setting role in 2026 Draft
When a ceremonial football was handed off Saturday, not long after the 257th pick was announced, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ duties as NFL Draft host officially ended. Steelers executive Dan Rooney stuffed a football into the arms of former Washington quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, signifying that Pittsburgh and...
Pittsburgh scores a touchdown with record-breaking NFL Draft
Pittsburgh spent years building the foundation to host the 2026 NFL Draft. This week, the City of Champions delivered. Indeed, months before a Steelers quarterback throws a single pass at Acrisure Stadium for the 2026-27 season, the city had already scored a touchdown. Pittsburgh smashed draft attendance numbers twice as...
Eli Heidenreich bio: Steelers’ 7th-round pick (230th overall) in 2026 NFL Draft
Eli Heidenreich Seventh-round pick, No. 230 overall Running back/wide receiver, Navy 6-foot, 198 pounds Stats: Team-high 51 receptions, school-record 941 receiving yards and school record-tying six receiving touchdowns this past season. Hometown: Mt. Lebanon "This guy does everything" @KyleBrandt Remember the name Eli Heidenreich @EHeidenreich44 @NavyFB pic.twitter.com/fGJQup2K1p— Good Morning Football...
Steelers draft Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings early in 7th round
The Pittsburgh Steelers were looking at Robert Spears-Jennings early in the day during the draft Saturday. When they selected for the fourth time that day, they finally made the call for Spears-Jennings. “I was surprised,” assistant head coach/secondary Joe Whitt Jr. said of Spears-Jennings still being available in the seventh...
Mt. Lebanon native Eli Heidenreich drafted by hometown Steelers in 7th roundVideo
Eli Heidenreich proudly tells how the U.S. Naval Academy readied him to handle stressful situations, and Saturday was surely unlike any day he’d ever had before. The Mt. Lebanon native and Navy football star heard his name called at the NFL Draft, in his hometown and by his hometown team....
6th-rounder Gabriel Rubio is 2nd generation NFL Draft pick for Steelers
Twenty-eight years after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected his father, Notre Dame defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio became a second-generation NFL Draft pick by the franchise. The Steelers drafted the 6-foot-5, 321-pound senior in the sixth round Saturday, one round earlier than his father, Angel, who was a seventh rounder in 1998....
Gabriel Rubio: Steelers’ 6th-round pick (210th overall) in 2026 NFL Draft
Gabriel Rubio Sixth-round pick, No. 210 overall Defensive lineman, Notre Dame 6-foot-5, 321 pounds Stats: In his 39-game college career, Rubio had 66 tackles (27 solo, 7 for loss) with 1½ sacks and a forced fumble. Hometown: St. Louis Notre Dame DT #97 Gabriel Rubio TOSSES a 3rd year starter...
Riley Nowakowski bio: Steelers 5th-round pick (No. 169 overall) in 2026 NFL Draft
Riley Nowakowski Fifth-round pick, No. 169 overall Fullback, Indiana 6-foot-2, 250 pounds Stats: Had 32 receptions for 387 yards and two touchdowns last season. Added two 1-yard TD runs. Hometown: Milwaukee Tidbits: Nowakowski was listed as a tight end at Indiana, but the Steelers will roster him as a fullback....
NFL Draft recap 2026: A look at each Steelers pick, plus commentary, analysis
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2026 NFL Draft with 12 picks, starting with the 21st overall in the first round. Here’s who they picked. 2026 Steelers Draft Picks: Round 1, Pick 21 Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State Steelers select Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor with 1st-round pick For the third...
‘Just a blue-collar, gritty guy’: Steelers take Indiana FB Riley Nowakowski in 5th round
In the first draft under offensive-minded head coach Mike McCarthy, the Pittsburgh Steelers continued to address that side of the ball in adding Indiana’s Riley Nowakowski with a fifth-round choice Saturday. Nowakowski, who was taken 169th overall, is being listed as a fullback by the Steelers. He was regarded as...
