Wednesday, June 14

Office Space: It could be argued from a philosophical standpoint that Kenny Pickett's office is the pocket.

But now the second-year quarterback has an actual office on the second floor of the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex adjacent to the coaches.

Pickett's been upgraded after last season.

"He had had a computer set up for video that was in the team meeting room," quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan explained. "And he would spend time as a rookie, I mean early on he went through and established a protocol of a rhythm of what to watch on the player day off and then Wednesday and just going through extra research assignments and things to get ready for the upcoming game. And sometimes there would be other activities, player development, going on in that same area. 

"As we've kind of shifted a few things around there's an extra office that's up there up on the same floor as the coaches where there's a couple computers set up there. I know (free safety) Minkah (Fitzpatrick) comes up there and those are the two (New) Jersey boys right there and they have a chance to go ahead and do extra work. And that's great, that's what you want you leaders to do."

Pickett's helmet has also been fitted with a camera this spring.

The Steelers are able to "overlay," as Sullivan described it, what Pickett is seeing on a given snap with the All-22 end zone view of the play.

"It's just an additional resource, an additional teaching tool," Sullivan said. "Anything we can do to help that young man, we're going to do it."

Several players have commented throughout OTAs and Mandatory Veteran Minicamp about the increased leadership role they perceive Pickett to have adopted entering his second season.

Sullivan maintained leadership has been a part of what Pickett has provided "from Day One.

"He was always a guy first and foremost who has and does to this day set the example in terms of his work ethic and being a guy who's first in and last out," Sullivan maintained. "And when you look out here out on the practice field, whether it's walk-through reps, whether it's the actual competitive, 7-on-7 group work or team work, he's setting the example but then also interacting with his teammates, giving them feedback, telling them what he's anticipating, what he's expecting, encouraging, correcting, all the things that you want a good quarterback, as a leader, to do."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

Growth apparent: Wide receiver George Pickens is still listed at 6-foot-3 and 200 poundsq, but wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson has nonetheless detected growth.

"More in tune," is how Jackson assessed Pickens at the outset of is second season. "I'm seeing more professionalism out of him. He has a better feel for the offense, a better grasp of the offense. I'm seeing some better route running out of him. We just have to continue this growth and development on him.

"He's gonna play a major part in our success this year and I gotta get him ready to play. He knows that and he has to get himself ready to play. If he's playing well we'll be a dynamic passing game, so we gotta get him to play well. I gotta get him to play well."

Pickens was most consistently a threat on deep balls last season.

The Steelers' goal for this season is to continue to grow Pickens' game.

"We're hoping to add to his repertoire," Jackson said. "Last year he showed the vertical part of his game. He has a lot more to his game. Hopefully, this year we can get him doing a bunch more of what he's capable of doing. We gotta get him to be better after the catch. He's gotta be able to take a slant and go 60 (yards) with it.

"He showed one part of his game last year. We're working and improving the other parts of his game."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

Ready for more; Running back Najee Harris has surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons but has yet to average more than 3.9 yards per carry.

That may change this season.

The offensive line has been bolstered in the draft and in free agency. The Steelers, likewise, added a wide receiver in free agency and have 2022 fourth-round pick Calvin Austin III back after a rookie season lost to injury. Tight end was addressed with the selection of third-round pick Darnell Washington. And quarterback Kenny Pickett is a more mature, established starter, as opposed to the rookie third-teamer he was initially a season ago.

All of the above might mean big things are ahead for Harris.

The third-year former No. 1 pick has also demonstrated an approach that's encouraging.

"I think so," running backs coach Eddie Faulkner assessed. "I've seen consistent development. I feel his attention to detail and focus this year is as good as it's been so I'd anticipate that to translate on the field.

"But obviously got a lot of work yet to do."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

When the time is right: Anytime a team selects a player in the first round of the NFL Draft, the first thing fans want to know is how long will it be before that player starts?

That question is amplified when a team moves up in the first round of the draft as the Steelers did to acquire offensive tackle Broderick Jones earlier this year.

But Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer doesn't want to put the horse before the cart. The time for Jones to move into the starting lineup will come when it comes. And Meyer doesn't want to rush the process.

"He's a young, talented player. When we feel he's ready, he's going to be ready," Meyer said Wednesday. "He's in a good competition right now. Eventually, he's going to be ready. He's talented. He's young. He's athletic. He's got all the tools. The thing is, he wants to be great. If he stays with that, he has that attitude to be great, when the time is ready for him, he's going to be in there."

Jones has been working at left tackle along with incumbent starter Dan Moore throughout the offseason program. But that doesn't mean Moore hasn't been willing to help the rookie in the process of transitioning from college to the NFL.

It's something Meyer has been happy to see. The offensive line unit has been on the field working before each practice, and then spends at least half and hour after each session, continuing to work as a unit.

"Everybody matures at a different pace. It's just how quickly is he going to gain the knowledge to do that?" Meyer said. "The thing that has got him going is that he's got a good group of guys in Dan Moore and Chuks (Okorafor) and the guys are staying after and helping him.

"That's what good rooms do. Good rooms help each other, regardless of 'Hey, I'm competing with this guy.' Good rooms and good lines help each other. Inevitably, whether he takes someone's job or doesn't take someone's job, our job as a group is to get better and play the best five we can. Last year, we were fortunate to have all five starters stay in there for the most part, which is great. But that rarely happens. We know we're going to have whoever is No. 6, No. 7, No. 8, they're going to be playing a lot of ball for us in a typical year. Those guys that are staying helping each other, that shows you what kind of pros they truly are."

That's especially important for a player in Jones who is just 21 years old and made just 19 career starts.

The Steelers aren't going to rush the process, even with a player they felt good enough about to move up from the 17th pick to the 13th selection in the first round of this year's draft to acquire.

And if or when Jones does break into the starting lineup, it will make the line better as a whole, even just from a depth standpoint.

"We'll just deal with that when and if that happens, whether it's due to injury or somebody beats somebody else out. That's always the case," Meyer said. "If it's an injury, it is what it is. If it's an injury and somebody is playing better than somebody, you move them in. We're going to put the combination of the five best we can up front to give us the best chance to win. That's our job to find out what is the best combination we have, who are the best backups on game day, in case something happens."

-- Blog Entry by Dale Lolley

Trending up: It wasn't that long ago the Steelers were seemingly searching for a potential replacement for longtime tight end Heath Miller following his retirement after the 2015 season.

After several years and attempts to replicate what they had in Miller, the Steelers have completely revamped their tight end room to the point that it is now a position of strength.

Starter Pat Freiermuth was a second-round draft pick in 2021. Zach Gentry (2019), Connor Heyward (2022) and rookie Darnell Washington, a third-round pick this year, have also been added in recent years.

What was once a question mark has now become one of the deepest, most versatile positions on the roster.

It has tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts excited about what the group can be.

"Oh man, I'm giddy about the whole room," Roberts said. "Zach is still transitioning. To see him go from quarterback to tight end and see how he's developed. Pat has really gotten his first offseason because he came in with the shoulder thing. Just to see his development he was having from Year 1 to Year 2 and then Year 2 to Year 3 before he had the stress in his foot. Connor, what is he, somebody asked me? He's a football player. He's a core guy on teams. He gives us some offensive flexibility. He can do some things in the backfield protection-wise. We're excited about those guys. It takes a little bit of pressure off Darnell because of that room. He gets a little bit of time to grow. I think he's going to be a real problem for people to handle."

They come in all shapes and sizes.

Freiermuth, as Roberts alluded to, has missed some practices this offseason because of soreness in his foot. But he's caught 123 passes for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns in his first two seasons.

Gentry, who was re-signed in the offseason, has built himself from being a college quarterback into a 6-8, 280-pounds power blocker. At 6-7, 264 pounds, Washington has similar size to Gentry, but ran in the 4.6-range at the NFL Scouting Combine and can be an issue both blocking and catching passes.

And Heyward, at 6-0, 230 pounds, showed he could be a downfield threat as a rookie while also offering a skillset that makes him a chess piece who can be used as a fullback or H-back.

"It gives us the ability to do different things because they're so different," Roberts said. "You're not pigeon-holed into things. Connor, you can line him up in the backfield, you've seen a little bit of that. You can line him up on the line. Pat, you get him out in space and put him in-line. You get Zach and Darnell, man we really get big up front. They want to play us small ball, we can go ahead and try to run it with Najee (Harris) in the backfield. If it's big ball, we can spread them out and go ahead and throw the ball. It's different looks for the defense."

-- Blog Entry by Dale Lolley

Tuesday, June 13

Slotting reps inside: One of the big questions for the Steelers this offseason that still has to be sorted out is who handles the slot duties with the departure of Cameron Sutton in free agency and the release of Arthur Maulet.

That duo shared the snaps for the Steelers in the nickel and dime last season, but defensive backs coach Grady Brown feels the team has capable potential replacements in veterans Chandon Sullivan, Duke Dawson and Elijah Riley.

"I'm excited to watch the nickels compete," Brown said Tuesday as the Steelers kicked off the first day of their mandatory minicamp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "I talked about that in our meetings, making sure that we give all three guys, as much as possible, equal opportunity. All three of them are viable candidates and I'm excited to see all three of them work this week."

Sullivan, a six-year veteran, has the most experience of that group and was added in free agency after spending the 2022 season with the Vikings. He has appeared in 71 career games with 31 starts, almost exclusively in the slot for the Packers and Vikings.

Dawson, meanwhile, is in his fourth NFL season and appeared in 26 games in 2019 and 2020 for the Broncos before spending time on the practice squad with Denver and then winding up on injured reserve with the Panthers in 2022. The Steelers signed him to a reserves/futures contract in January.

Riley, meanwhile, has been with the Steelers since 2022, when they claimed him off waivers from the Jets in August. He has appeared in 17 career games, including seven starts. Last season, he played in four games for the Steelers.

What is Brown looking for from that trio?

"From a Steelers standpoint, when you think about Mike Hilton, when you think about what (Arthur) Maulet brought to the table, you go back to Deshea Townsend, watching him play as a Steelers, I don't think it has changed much for us," Brown said. "The calls that you make might change a little bit. But you need that guy who is a hybrid run defender but is good enough to play pass coverage. You always need that guy."

One other player who could factor into the mix is veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson. Head coach Mike Tomlin and Peterson both have expressed an interest in the potential future Hall-of-Fame cornerback moving around in the defense, which also could include some time in the slot.

Peterson has expressed that desire in meetings with Brown.

"I think more importantly, Mike T expressed that to all of us when we started to pursue him," Brown said. "But you think about it, when you lose Sutton, you need someone to replace that. When you have versatility, what I have learned in the NFL, we cannot allow quarterbacks to be comfortable pre-snap. We need to affect them pre-snap. When you have a guy that can move around and there's some anxiety or trepidation, whatever word you want to use for the quarterback, where is he going? It always helps us. Then, when he snaps the ball, you hope your pass rush takes over and our technique will take over on that call."

-- Blog Entry by Dale Lolley

Starting over: Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi return for the Steelers on the defensive line, but the cast of characters behind the two veterans is much different than it was a year ago.

The Steelers added Keeanu Benton in the second round of the draft and also signed veteran defensive linemen Breiden Fehoko, Armon Watts and Manny Jones to a group that also includes holdovers Montravius Adams, Isaiah Loudermilk, DeMarvin Leal and Jonathan Marshall.

But Adams, Loudermilk, Leal and Marshall all are younger players.

It's led to a lot of teaching for defensive line coach Karl Dunbar.

"We've got a bunch of new guys and it makes you go back to the drawing board to teach them the basic way we do things," Dunbar said. "But it's good. It keeps the group hungry, getting the new blood in there. It's good."

It helps that Heyward has clearly taken on the role of elder statesman and isn't afraid to mentor the younger players, despite the fact players such as Loudermilk, Leal and Benton have all been drafted in the past three years to eventually be his replacement.

"He does a great job of taking care of his body. He does a great job of teaching the young guys how to take care of their bodies during the offseason and prepare for a long season," Dunbar said of Heyward. "I'm so thankful and grateful that we have him here."

With all of the bodies in the defensive lineman room, it's going to be a very competitive training camp for the Steelers at Saint Vincent College later this summer. The Steelers typically keep only six or seven defensive linemen on the active roster. The Steelers currently have nine defensive linemen with NFL experience currently on their roster.

But Dunbar isn't worried about that.

"Last year we kept eight guys if you count the two guys on the developmental (squad), because you can keep 16 guys on the developmental," Dunbar said. "That's a good thing, because it's a long season. You never know if somebody is going to get nicked and you go from there. It's fun."

-- Blog Entry by Dale Lolley

Starting over: Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi return for the Steelers on the defensive line, but the cast of characters behind the two veterans is much different than it was a year ago.

The Steelers added Keeanu Benton in the second round of the draft and also signed veteran defensive linemen Breiden Fehoko, Armon Watts and Manny Jones to a group that also includes holdovers Montravius Adams, Isaiah Loudermilk, DeMarvin Leal and Jonathan Marshall.

But Adams, Loudermilk, Leal and Marshall all are younger players.

It's led to a lot of teaching for defensive line coach Karl Dunbar.

"We've got a bunch of new guys and it makes you go back to the drawing board to teach them the basic way we do things," Dunbar said. "But it's good. It keeps the group hungry, getting the new blood in there. It's good."

It helps that Heyward has clearly taken on the role of elder statesman and isn't afraid to mentor the younger players, despite the fact players such as Loudermilk, Leal and Benton have all been drafted in the past three years to eventually be his replacement.

"He does a great job of taking care of his body. He does a great job of teaching the young guys how to take care of their bodies during the offseason and prepare for a long season," Dunbar said of Heyward. "I'm so thankful and grateful that we have him here."

With all of the bodies in the defensive lineman room, it's going to be a very competitive training camp for the Steelers at Saint Vincent College later this summer. The Steelers typically keep only six or seven defensive linemen on the active roster. The Steelers currently have nine defensive linemen with NFL experience currently on their roster.

But Dunbar isn't worried about that.

"Last year we kept eight guys if you count the two guys on the developmental (squad), because you can keep 16 guys on the developmental," Dunbar said. "That's a good thing, because it's a long season. You never know if somebody is going to get nicked and you go from there. It's fun."

-- Blog Entry by Dale Lolley

On the same page: Inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry confirmed he's in complete agreement philosophically with head coach Mike Tomlin regarding how the position needs to be played.

So there's no need for Curry to attempt to reinvent the Steelers' wheel.

"The biggest thing is, when I got here the expectations for everybody were laid out by Coach Tomlin from Day One," Curry maintained. "So everybody understands that we're gonna be a physical and tough football team. So everybody in the room knows that's the expectation."

Curry is in his first season with the Steelers after spending the previous four in Seattle.

He isn't concerned about getting his point across becoming a complicated process.

"You show what's acceptable and you show what's unacceptable, it's that simple," he continued. "And every man in the room has to be able to see the tape and take that critique and learn what's gonna be acceptable for linebackers and what's gonna be unacceptable. And once you lay those two things out there, they'll understand the expectations.

"I would say go look at how the Steelers have played defense around here for years. Guys have been running and hitting for years, playing physical and tough for years. So you show them the men that have played in this uniform before them and they understand what's acceptable. And if it doesn't look like that, then it's unacceptable."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

And then there were three: The addition of veteran outside linebacker Markus Golden as a potential No. 3 at the position behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith is bigger than big in the estimation of position coach Denzel Martin.

"It's huge," Martin acknowledged. "When we had our three, when it was Alex, T.J. and Bud (Dupree), that's when we're, we feel, our best.

"We want to have that room well insulated and be able to rush all throughout the game."

Golden has 111 career regular-season games, 68 career regular-season starts and 47 career regular-season sacks on his NFL resume.

He also turned 32 in March.

"I think he has a lot left in the tank," Martin maintained. "I think he's a great pro. He understands, he studies, he knows what he needs to do. He knows how to take care of his body, most importantly.

"That's what i think takes a guy like that to the next level."

Martin and Golden were roommates at the University of Missouri, but Martin insisted he wasn't the member of the Steelers' organization most responsible for vetting Golden in the free agency process.

"No, no, we have plenty of more qualified people to vet him," Martin emphasized. "I was just somebody that knew him, that's all it was. I can say, 'Hey, that was my guy. I know him very well. I know what he's going to bring to this team.'

"Basically, that's kinda where I stayed."

Martin knows Golden well enough to suspect Golden won't follow in the footsteps of Melvin Ingram, an accomplished, veteran linebacker who initially filled the No. 3 outside linebacker position at the outset of the 2021 season but quickly found the role unsatisfying.

Ingram played six games for the Steelers before eventually being traded to the Chiefs.

"I think he's fine," Martin said of Golden. "I don't see him in that Melvin Ingram mode. Melvin's a great player, too. There's no negatives with Melvin or anything like that, it's just things happen. Life happens, really, is how I see it.

"Marcus is going to come in, he's going to work hard and do everything we ask him to do."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

A fair question: Special teams coordinator Danny Smith said the Steelers would consider taking advantage of the rules adaptation that dictates possession for the offense at the 25-yard line following a fair catch on a kickoff "based on situation," in the regular season.

"It's gonna be interesting, the early part of the season, what people are going to do with it," Smith suggested. "What if we don't have a returner? What if you don't have your returner in that game? What if this kicker's out of sight and their coverage is kicking (butt) and you don't have your guy?

"That fair catch doesn't sound so bad."

Smith maintains quality kickoff returners haven't been legislated out of style just yet.

"People diminish that until you're in a critical game in the AFC North (Division) in the weather and the ball's in play," he said. "So what do you want? Early in a season? Not so much. Indoor games? If they wanna give you one, those kind of things.

"But honestly, in the division we play and the weather we play in, you're gonna have to return some balls. Your job is to get field position for an offense, yeah, you better have one."

Smith recalled last season's game at Carolina, when the Steelers kicked off from the 50-yard line, as the type of situation in which the new stipulation might have an effect.

"Squibs may come into play there," he said. "Now, I think you're gonna see kickers mastering the squib kicks like they do onside kicks in those situations. Not, obviously, from the 35 so much. Not, obviously, from the 20 so much. But from the 50, those kicks that occur, I think you're going to see people try to master the squib."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta