A weekly Steelers (and AFC North) links roundup
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:
- Lamar Jackson urges GM Eric DeCosta to sign CB Jaire Alexander (Baltimore Beatdown)
- Cuyahoga County Council: Browns are going to Brook Park (Dawgs By Nature)
- Dax Hill hopes to be ready for Day 1 of training camp following ACL injury (Cincy Jungle)
Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:
Steelers rookies connect with Pittsburgh community through nonprofit events
(From WTAE’s Ashley Liotus): “It means a lot, man, for us being rookies. We come around the city, really get to know the city and see what’s going on, then just give back to our community at the end of the day, because this is our community now and we’re going to be here for a minute,” said defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, a first-round draft pick from Oregon.
The Steelers rookie class took part in a week of community activities, including meeting local kids at Urban Impact in Pittsburgh.
Social media complaints about ticket sales for Ireland game pile up
(From Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper): A reader of PFT sent us a screenshot showing that there were more than 639,000 prospective buyers ahead of them in a virtual queue to purchase tickets for the September 28 game between the Steelers and Vikings at Croke Park in Dublin. The message from Ticketmaster says to expect a wait of more than an hour before a chance to buy tickets will be available.
Bots and resellers cramming queues are drawing complaints from NFL fans hoping to catch a Steeler game across the pond — the first NFL regular season game in Ireland. Per The Irish Times, tickets are starting at just under $100 USD.
The data behind Aaron Rodgers’ fit with the Steelers: What could change, what could remain
(From PFF’s Ben Linsey): The Steelers’ offense may also be molded to Rodgers’ strength with quick passes to the flat. That has consistently been an area where Rodgers has been among the league leaders, and Pittsburgh will likely call more such plays in 2025.
Rodgers led the NFL in the combination of screen and bubble passes both in the stretch from 2019 to 2022 with LaFleur (155) and last season with the Jets (50). As a team, Pittsburgh had just 27 such attempts last season (22nd in NFL).
PFF isn’t always the most popular name around NFL circles, but this article offers some solid stats and insights into how the Steelers’ new quarterback fits with the team. Quick passing and play action are key points, which BTSC also highlighted in our own film-supported breakdown of what Rodgers will bring to the Steel City.
‘We’re just dads at the end of the day’: Steelers defense has a rookie Father’s Day class with a special bond
(From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko): The Steelers have several draft picks that they’re expecting a lot out of in 2025, but there’s another rookie class with a major milestone to celebrate Sunday.
That would be the six Steelers defensive players who all became first-time dads since last June, and they’ll all get to celebrate their first Father’s Day this weekend. In less than a year, life changed for inside linebacker Cole Holcomb, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive tackle Logan Lee, defensive end Dean Lowry, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and cornerback D’Shawn Jamison.
A fun, Father’s Day adjacent read from the PG — it’s interesting to see how Steelers players deal with non-football challenges.
Five Takeaways from Steelers Minicamp Day 3: Payton Wilson Eyes 3-Down Role, Another New Guy Who Gets it
(From Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders): After three days of minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, it’s easy to see that the old man still has it. [Aaron Rodgers’] delivery still looks as effortless as ever. The amount of velocity he gets on throws, even from odd foot placements, is incredible.
Even at 41, he throws the ball as hard as any quarterback I’ve ever covered and he does it with a degree of nonchalance that makes you think he could probably put a little bit more on it, if he really wanted to.
As is obvious (and as the article does state), Rodgers is obviously no longer in his prime. But his arm talent hasn’t completely disappeared with age.
What did we learn from Steelers OTAs/minicamp?
Going off of just reports about football in shorts, it’s difficult to draw any sort of conclusions. But with over a month left until training camp, it’s the last real bit of football to talk about for a while.
A few things that stood out to me from the last few weeks of reporting:
- It’s secondhand information and hard to tell for sure, but the vibes do seem good following the Aaron Rodgers signing. He has at least some gas left in the tank, and his teammates are understandably excited to play with a guy many of them grew up watching.
- T.J. Watt’s absence from mandatory minicamp was hardly a surprise or reason for panic, but it did confirm there are some contract disagreements between him and the team.
- Payton Wilson has bulked up a bit and seems to be working hard towards a Year 2 breakout.
- The Steelers offensive line remains far away from being a sure thing, but Broderick Jones has mentioned he’s more comfortable moving back to his college position of left tackle — he’s also lost some weight.
- One of the biggest weaknesses on rookie running back’s Kaleb Johnson’s draft profile was his pass protection, and the Iowa product has been working hard to improve in his first few months with his new team. While live defenders will be different from medicine balls at OTAs, the rookie’s work ethic and willingness to improve his game are great to hear.
…And that’s not everything. What are your thoughts from Steelers OTAs/minicamp? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!