Wednesday, September 16

Oh Mama: Linebacker Patrick Queen spent his first four season in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, which meant he was always on the opposite side when 'Renegade' would blare over the loudspeakers at Acrisure Stadium, firing up the crowd and getting the Terrible Towels waving.

While he said he didn't really pay attention to the song his first few seasons, keeping in mind one was during 2020 when stadiums were close to empty due to Covid, it wasn't until Ravens Coach John Harbaugh mentioned it in a team meeting that he took notice.

"The first two times I didn't notice it," said Queen. "And then Harbs (John Harbaugh) said something about it in the meeting. I just remember he was like, 'We will be in a close game. The towels will be waving. We will feel it. We're going to make it our own song.' So, I definitely didn't notice the first few years until he said something about it. But once you realize what they're doing, it's just an electric feeling. It's an electric place."
And now, he can't wait for Sunday to hear Renegade blaring while he and the defense are on the field for the home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.

"I'm ready to hear Renegade in the fourth quarter," said Queen. "That's what I've been waiting on.

"I just can't wait to get in front of fans and just play our hearts out, play as fast as we can. Give the fans the best game we can and get a win."

Getting the win is going to be a challenge against a Chargers team that has a 2-0 record like the Steelers.

And Queen knows, the defense has to step up big.

After two weeks the defense is ranked fifth in the AFC and NFL, but stats don't mean a lot to Queen.

"We don't seek complacency," said Queen. "We just got to go out there and keep doing what we've got to do, keep building, keep getting better day by day. That's something I've been saying. Every day we've got to come out here and grind and get better. Gel with each other even more because we know the games get tougher as they go."

A key factor for the defense is going to be stopping the run. Under offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who Queen is familiar with as he spent three seasons with the Ravens, the Chargers ground game is ranked first in the AFC and second in the NFL.

"I faced (Roman's offense) for three years every day in practice," said Queen. "Smashmouth football. January-type football home. He's going to try to see if he can test your will. And that's what we've got to go out there and try to stop. So, it's going to be smashmouth football, it's going to be your man versus our man. I can't wait."

Leading the way for the ground game is J.K. Dobbins, the former Ravens running back who has 27 carries for 266 yards and two touchdowns through just two games. Dobbins, who has dealt with injuries the last three seasons, leads the NFL in rushing yardage and Queen knows what his former teammate can bring.

"I want to shut that down," said Queen. "He is the leading rusher right now. So being able to go out there and shut him down, give me bragging rights and help this team win.

"He got everything. He got vision, got the speed, he got the burst. He's just an all-around good back. He can do every single thing on the field. I think people might underestimate him this year, knowing that he had injuries and stuff. But he looks like his old self to me."

Getting after it: Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert didn't practice on Wednesday while dealing with an ankle injury, but that doesn't mean the Steelers defense isn't preparing for him.

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has already seen what Herbert is capable of in new offensive coordinator Greg Roman's offense and the focus is keeping Herbert contained this week.

"I feel like he is a great fit," said Porter. "He understands the offense pretty well. He's a great quarterback with the ball in his hand. We have to get after him and play some great defense."

Another aspect the defense has to focus on is the one-two punch of running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who are both listed as starters and have the Chargers ground game ranked No. 2 in the NFL after two weeks.

Both players joined the Chargers this offseason after starting their careers with the Baltimore Ravens, so they are backs the defense is familiar with.

"I feel like it's pretty good," said Porter of their ground game. "They are two familiar backs that we've seen in the past, them being with Baltimore. We have to get after them. We know their tendencies. We know the weaknesses.

"It's football at the end of the day. We have to get after them."

Roman also came to the Chargers from the Ravens, but Porter said he sees more of a Michigan influence in the offense which comes from Coach Jim Harbaugh, who spent the last nine years as the school's head coach.

"It felt like Michigan when I was watching the tape and I'm kind of excited because of that, because of the old rivalry I had at Penn State," said Porter. "So, I'm just ready for all of it."

Happy to be back: Cornerback James Pierre was all smiles on Wednesday, happy to be back with the Steelers after he was signed to the practice squad the day before.

"It feels pretty good. Just ready to stick my hand in a pile, get back to work, back with the guys.

"Just being in the National Football League, you got to always be ready and ready to go when they call your phone, be ready.

"I'm just ready to go. Ready to do anything for the organization. They take care of me; I take care of them.

"It means everything. The NFL is just precious. You've got to take your time, make plays and never take it for granted.

"In the NFL, every day you've got to come with it. You've never arrived. You have to come with it every day."

Pierre was originally signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft out of Florida Atlantic.

He played in 66 career games, with six starts in three seasons. He recorded 59 tackles, including 52 solo stops, eight passes defensed, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He also had 35 special teams tackles with the Steelers.

Pierre signed with the Washington Commanders this past offseason, but was released before the start of the regular season.

Coming back home to Pittsburgh is perfect for him, especially since he got the call from the team on a special day.

"Everybody was excited, my mom, everybody," said Pierre. "On my birthday too, so it was kind of crazy. I was very excited just because the Steelers gave me everything in life. They gave me a life. First team to believe in me. They gave me a call, so I was like, they saw something in me, so I kept going. I came here and got to work."

Moore holding steady: While the Steelers have had Broderick Jones and then Troy Fautanu start a game each at right tackle in their first two games, Dan Moore Jr. has remained a constant on the left side of the line.

And Moore has played well. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Moore has been the 10th-best offensive tackle in the NFL over the first two weeks of the season.

The Steelers have selected Jones and Fautanu in the first round of the past two drafts, at least in part with the idea that those two will be their starting offensive tackles. But Moore's play has forced that to the back burner for now.
He's done that with plain, old-fashioned hard work.

"Dan has been solid. Dan has been Dan," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday of Moore. "Dan is never moved by what's going on around him. There's a maturity to his approach to business. Oftentimes it is reflected in the consistency of his play."

Moore admitted Wednesday that hasn't always been easy, but he hasn't wavered in his approach.

"I mean you try not to have doubt, you just control what you can control," Moore said. "Obviously there's things that you can't control in certain situations, so you focus on what you can get better every single day and hope the cards play out in your favor."

So far, so good for Moore.

But this week, he'll face a stiff test — perhaps his stiffest to date this season — in Chargers' outside linebacker Khalil Mack, a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Moore has never faced Mack before, but has squared off against many of the NFL's best edge rushers in the past.

"He's a solid rusher," Moore said of the 33-year-old Mack, who had 17 sacks in 2023. "Obviously, he's farther into his career, but he still got juice, still got really good power and strength. So definitely something I'm gonna have to do with."

-- Blog post by Dale Lolley

Roster updates: It was a busy day of roster moves for the Steelers, so the key here is to catch you up on anything you might have missed.

The team promoted tight end Rodney Williams to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.

Williams spent the majority of the last two seasons on the Steelers practice squad.

He was originally signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft but released during the preseason.

Williams played college ball at Tennessee-Martin, where he played in 53 games, starting 26. He finished with 99 receptions for 1,217 yards and seven touchdowns, finishing his career ranked ninth in school history in receptions.

The team also signed receiver Jaray Jenkins and tight end Matt Sokol to the practice squad.

The team also placed receiver Ben Skowronek on the Reserve/Injured List.

Jenkins signed with the Steelers in June but was released before the start of the season.

He originally signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. He played in the preseason, pulling in two receptions for 32 yards, but was released prior to the start of the regular season.

Jenkins played at LSU where he played in 43 games, starting 20, in four seasons. He finished with 89 receptions for 1,370 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Sokol was signed by the Steelers during training camp but released prior to the start of the regular season.

Sokol originally signed with the Los Angeles Chargers following the 2019 NFL Draft. He has spent time on the practice squads of the Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and New England Patriots. He also spent time on the Chargers active roster.

Sokol played college football at Michigan State where he appeared in 52 games. He had 31 receptions for 348 yards and two touchdowns.

Skowronek, who was elevated from the practice squad for the Falcons and Broncos games, was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the 249th overall pick.

He appeared in 45 games for the Rams, starting 12, while pulling in 58 receptions for 575 yards. He was traded to the Houston Texans this offseason.

Making the list: The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the list of Modern-Era Nominees for the Class of 2025, and the Steelers are well represented.

A total of 167 players are eligible, including eight Steelers who spent all or at least a portion of their career in black and gold. Those nominated include kicker Gary Anderson, linebacker James Farrior, nose tackle Casey Hampton, linebacker James Harrison, fullback John Kuhn, defensive back Allen Rossum, linebacker Mike Vrabel and receiver Hines Ward.

The list of Modern-Era nominees will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November. A total of 20 Finalists will be presented to the full 50-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting to choose the Class of 2025. Those candidates will consist of 15 Modern-Era Players Finalists, three Seniors Finalists, a Coach Finalist and a Contributor Finalist.

The Selection Committee will meet early next year (on a date to be determined) in advance of Super Bowl LVIX. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the selection process bylaws provide that between four and eight new members will be selected.

Bringing you the action: For fans who don't want to miss any of the action, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch the Steelers live and on the go! Watch live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, live audio and more - all in one place.

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