Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Ravens’ Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins Test Positive For COVID-19

Ravens running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins have tested positive for COVID-19 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). They’ll both land on the reserve list today, leaving Gus Edwards as their primary back for Thursday night against the Steelers. 

Ingram has already missed significant time due to injury. Now, he’s out for at least an additional week until he clears the league’s coronavirus protocols. For Dobbins, the timing is especially unfortunate — he’s coming off of a strong showing against the Titans where he rushed for 70 yards off of just 15 carries, good for an average of 4.67 yards per tote.. All in all, the second-round pick out of Ohio State has averaged 5.3 yards per attempt as Ingram’s fill-in.

Edwards has also impressed in a shorter sample size, tallying 376 yards off of 85 carries (4.4 ypc) and three touchdowns. The 25-year-old Rutgers product has averaged 5.1 yards for the Ravens since turning pro — not too shabby for a backup RB.

The Ravens, sans two of their offensive stars, will look to stop a two-game slide on Thursday when they head to Pittsburgh.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/20

Here is Saturday’s usual flood of minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Football Team

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/17/20

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: LB Jake Carlock

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Cut: OT O’Shea Dugas

Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/20

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team 

Steelers Activate QB Ben Roethlisberger, Three Others

Following a brief stint on the COVID-19 reserve list, Ben Roethlisberger will be under center tomorrow against the Bengals. The Steelers announced that they’ve activated their quarterback from the COVID-19 list. The team also activated offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, running back Jaylen Samuels, and linebacker Vince Williams.

The four players didn’t test positive, but they were close contacts of tight end Vance McDonald, who had a positive test earlier this week. As a result, these players had to isolate for several days and test negative before rejoining the squad.

“I’m doing good,” Roethlisberger said (via Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette on Twitter). “I feel great. If my body enjoyed the week off, my mind teaching pre-kindergarten did not enjoy the week off. It’s fun to be home, but I definitely missed the guys.”

Naturally, the team is now making up for lost time in their preparation for Cincinnati. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that Roethlisberger was expected to participate in the Steelers walkthrough this morning, with the team hoping to get their veteran quarterback some extra time on the practice field.

After being limited to only a pair of games in 2019, the 38-year-old has played a major role in the Steelers undefeated record in 2020. Roethlisberger has completed 68.1-percent of his passes (a mark that would be a career high) for 1,934 yards, 18 touchdowns, and four interceptions.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/20

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Steelers Place Ben Roethlisberger On COVID-19 List

The Steelers have placed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the COVID-19 reserve list, per a club announcement. Running back Jaylen Samuels, offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, and linebacker Vince Williams have also been added to the list. 

The news comes just hours after tight end Vance McDonald was parked with the same designation. Per league rules, each Steelers player will have to isolate for several days and test negative before rejoining the team.

Roethlisberger is not believed to have tested positive. Instead, he was deemed a high-risk, close contact, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Depending on what happens from here, the QB may have a chance to start on Sunday against the Bengals.

Meanwhile, Big Ben is hoping to heal up from double knee injuries suffered against the Cowboys. Despite that setback, Roethlisberger and the Steelers won 24-19 and advanced to 8-0 on the year.

2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team

The trade deadline is in the rear view mirror, but teams are still keeping a watchful eye on their salary cap figures. For contenders, the available dollars can be used for late-season signings. For all clubs, a portion of the unspent dollars can be rolled over into future seasons, giving them a larger budget to work with in the first wave of free agency.

Here are the most recent figures for each team, via Over The Cap:

  1. Cleveland Browns – $31MM
  2. New York Jets – $30.4MM
  3. Dallas Cowboys — $28MM
  4. Jacksonville Jaguars– $26.3MM
  5. Philadelphia Eagles– $23.9MM
  6. Washington Football Team – $23.3MM
  7. New England Patriots – $21.8MM
  8. Denver Broncos – $19.8MM
  9. Miami Dolphins – $15.6MM
  10. Detroit Lions – $14.2MM
  11. Cincinnati Bengals– $12.3MM
  12. Indianapolis Colts – $10.7MM
  13. Los Angeles Chargers — $8.4MM
  14. New York Giants – $8MM
  15. Chicago Bears – $7.6MM
  16. Houston Texans – $7.5MM
  17. Los Angeles Rams – $6.9MM
  18. Pittsburgh Steelers – $6.9MM
  19. Green Bay Packers – $6.7MM
  20. Arizona Cardinals– $6.2MM
  21. New Orleans Saints – $6MM
  22. Las Vegas Raiders – $6MM
  23. Kansas City Chiefs – $5.7MM
  24. Carolina Panthers – $5.5MM
  25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $5.3MM
  26. Tennessee Titans – $4.6MM
  27. Minnesota Vikings – $3.8K
  28. San Francisco 49ers – $3.7MM
  29. Seattle Seahawks – $3.3MM
  30. Baltimore Ravens – $3.3MM
  31. Buffalo Bills – $3MM
  32. Atlanta Falcons – $1.8MM

Texans To Trade J.J. Watt In Offseason?

Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt was mentioned in trade rumors in advance of the November 3 deadline. Though he ended up staying put, he may be playing his last games with the only team he has ever known. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Watt is a virtual lock to be dealt this offseason.

Watt, 31, recently indicated that he does not want to be part of a rebuild, and the 1-6 Texans, who will be looking for a new GM and new head coach at season’s end, appear to be heading in that direction. Plus, Houston is without a first- or second-round selection in 2021, and while Watt is unlikely to fetch a draft pick that high, the club is desperate for whatever draft capital it can get.

The Texans had a number of players that other teams were interested in trading for, but acting GM Jack Easterby was in an awkward position due to his interim title, and he did not want to make a deal unless he was overwhelmed by an offer.

“[Watt will] be traded by March, bank on it,” said one GM. “That’s a hard trade to make in the middle of the season and there are going to be questions about the medicals. [Easterby] can’t make that trade in November. And the owner probably wasn’t quite ready to make it, but it’s coming.”

Indeed, owner Cal McNair was reportedly reluctant to eat salary to facilitate a trade, but given Watt’s age and medical history, McNair will likely need to change his tune this offseason. Watt is due to make $17.5MM in 2021, the last year of his current contract.

Watt, the 11th-overall pick of the 2011 draft, is a Houston legend for his on-field dominance and his off-field charitable work. But he missed significant time due to injury in 2016, 2017, and 2019, and his best days are probably behind him. Still, even an aging Watt can be a force, and there will be a number of contenders interested in his services.

La Canfora names the Steelers and Packers as two potential landing spots.