Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Steelers C Zach Frazier Facing Multi-Week Absence

As the Steelers determine their Week 7 quarterback, Justin Fields or Russell Wilson will be taking snaps from a different center. Zach Frazier will become the second Steelers center this season to miss time.

A second-round rookie, Frazier stepped into Pittsburgh’s starting lineup due to Nate Herbig‘s rotator cuff tear in August. Frazier has started the team’s first six games, but an ankle injury will sideline the rookie for a bit. While officially given a week-to-week timetable, Frazier will miss multiple games, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac.

Frazier’s earliest return window looks to be after Pittsburgh’s Week 9 bye. A Week 10 return would allow the Steelers to avoid using an injury activation, as Frazier would miss just two games. An IR placement would knock Frazier out until Week 12, and Dulac did not confirm Frazier would be set to return in Week 10. If Frazier is indeed expected to miss more time following the bye week, the Steelers will assuredly consider placing him on IR this weekend.

This has not been a good year for Steelers O-line health, yet the team has withstood these maladies to start 4-2. Frazier’s injury follows Troy Fautanu‘s more significant setback. The first-round rookie tackle is out for at least the entire regular season, having seen a multi-injury year lead to what may well be a lost season. Fautanu is not out of the picture for the playoffs, though Herbig is on season-ending IR. The Steelers also did not have Isaac Seumalo in their lineup until Week 5. They did not use IR for the left guard, but he still missed four games. To top this off, contract-year right guard James Daniels is out for the season with an Achilles tear.

Among Steelers starters, only Dan Moore Jr. will enter Week 7 having not missed any time this season. Broderick Jones, who has started five games, has also appeared in all six. Frazier’s absence will lead to Ryan McCollum starting, Mike Tomlin said this week. A 2021 Texans UDFA who caught on with the Steelers in 2022, McCollum has played in all six Pittsburgh games this season. The 26-year-old blocker has made one career start — with the Lions three years ago — and did not see any game action in 2022 or ’23.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/24

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Malik Knowles

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/24

Today’s minor moves in the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Nichols is reportedly out for the season, per the Cardinals, but Prater could still return after an additional four-game absence. He’s already missed two games so far with a left knee issue. The 40-year-old was a perfect six-for-six on field goal attempts this year while 10-for-10 on extra points.

The Browns lose an important depth lineman in Harris. Harris started games at left tackle and center as an injury replacement this year, but he’ll be out for at least the next four games with an ankle injury.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris reported that Abernathy will be out for a “significant time,” per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Steelers Considering Benching Justin Fields, Turning Back To Russell Wilson

Although the Steelers handily defeated the Raiders in Week 6, Justin Fields‘ work is now under scrutiny. The quarterback has strung together two shaky passing performances, and consideration is now being given to benching the offseason trade pickup.

Mike Tomlin has refused to name Fields his full-time starter, but Russell Wilson practiced fully last week and suited up in a QB2 capacity in Las Vegas. Wilson won the Steelers’ starting job out of the preseason but has been unable to shake a calf injury. Tomlin has wanted Wilson to show he can stay healthy before reopening the conversation about the full-time QB job. Fields’ recent play looks to have pushed this conversation back to the forefront.

The Steelers are set to give Fields and Wilson first-team reps in practice this week, Tomlin said. The 18th-year Pittsburgh HC said Wilson has knocked off the rust that came from aggravating the calf issue, via Underdog Fantasy’s James Palmer and ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor, and is under consideration to start in Week 7.

Further clouding this situation, Tomlin said (via Palmer) the Steelers are open to using both quarterbacks. While an arrangement not too dissimilar from Kordell Stewart‘s mid-1990s part-time role would be an interesting continuation to the Steelers’ 2024 QB plot, Wilson was all but assured he would win this job this offseason. The potential Hall of Famer’s new team had established him as the clear frontrunner, but once he suffered the calf injury early in training camp, the 13th-year vet saw the more athletic Fields narrow the gap. The Steelers waited until a few days after the preseason ended to name Wilson the starter.

While the Broncos did demote Wilson to close out last season, his contract was at the root of the move to Jarrett Stidham. Wilson has never been a true QB2. The decorated passer being moved into that role on a full-time basis would almost certainly not sit well, considering he won the job initially. That makes this week of practice pivotal for Wilson’s career and Fields’ future.

It still makes more sense for the Steelers to consider a second contract for Fields than Wilson, seeing as the former is more than 10 years younger. Fields’ age-25 season started decently, with the Steelers 3-0, and then included a 312/55 day in a loss to the Colts. A depleted Cowboys defense kept Fields in check, however, and he was 14-for-24 for 145 yards — albeit with two rushing touchdowns — against the Raiders. A penalty also negated a Fields INT, helping bring Wilson back into the mix for Week 7, when the Steelers will host the Jets.

Reports of Fields having done enough to keep his job have emerged this season, but a September offering pointing to Wilson being likely to return to the starting role suddenly appears more relevant. Should Fields play fewer than 51% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, the Bears would only receive a 2025 sixth-round pick. Fields hitting that threshold, as he is currently on track to, would send a 2025 fourth to Chicago. The Bears will have a vested interest in how Wilson performs in practice this week, as Tomlin shifting course would affect the NFC North team’s draft assets.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/14/24

Monday’s practice squad transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/14/24

Here are the latest transactions from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Houston Texans

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Jones will get to make his Cardinals debut in Week 7 after serving a five-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Arizona requested and received a one-week roster exemption so Jones could get acclimated to his new offense before being added to the 53-man roster. He will bring a veteran presence to a young Cardinals receiver room that lost Marvin Harrison Jr. to a concussion on Sunday.

Aidan O’Connell Could Impact Possibility Of Davante Adams Trade?

In keeping with recent reports suggesting that the trade market for Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams could be cooling, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms that Adams may indeed remain with Las Vegas for the rest of the season. That is primarily because the club continues to push for a second-round pick plus additional compensation in an Adams trade, and it also wants the acquiring team to cover the entirety of Adams’ remaining 2024 base salary.

In addition to the Raiders’ demands – to say nothing of how the Jets’ firing of HC Robert Saleh and the multi-week injury to Saints QB Derek Carr might impact trade talks – a more unexpected factor could play a role in keeping Adams in Nevada. Per Schefter, the Raiders’ recent decision to bench quarterback Gardner Minshew in favor of second-year passer Aidan O’Connell could make Adams reconsider his desire to be traded.

Last year, Adams was frustrated when Las Vegas deployed Jimmy Garoppolo under center, and those frustrations dissipated when O’Connell emerged as the QB1 (a move that Adams endorsed and to which he tied his future with the Raiders). Sources tell Schefter that Adams believes O’Connell is one of the best signal-callers he has played with, and he is intrigued by the prospect of catching passes from the Purdue product once again.

That said, both Schefter and Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required) report that the Jets, Saints, Steelers, and Bills continue to discuss a potential deal with the Raiders. Schefter adds that Pittsburgh brass was expected to continue those discussions in person yesterday, as the Steelers are in Las Vegas for their Week 6 game against the Raiders.

Additionally, Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda hears that an Adams trade could happen as early as next week, and that the Jets are the most aggressive suitor at the moment (last week, New Orleans was reportedly making the hardest push to land the soon-to-be 32-year-old). According to Pauline, the Saleh firing and the subsequent demotion of OC Nathaniel Hackett has not made Adams any less open to playing for Gang Green, but Pauline is in agreement with Schefter that O’Connell’s presence could scuttle trade talks.

Mark Davis is fond of Adams, who is said to have the owner’s ear. Pauline says it is certainly possible that, with O’Connell back in the starting lineup, Adams could ask Davis to break off discussions with rival clubs.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, however, believes the reports indicating that the Raiders could keep Adams are being driven by the team itself in order to create leverage that it does not presently have. After all, regardless of whether Minshew or O’Donnell is at the helm, it is difficult to envision Las Vegas making a deep playoff run, and as a non-contender with a talented but aging player who is due a non-guaranteed $35.6MM base salary in 2025, the only logical move for the Raiders is to deal the decorated wideout.

Likewise, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports hears from multiple league sources that Las Vegas is merely bluffing. One source said, “feels a bit like Vegas is trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube to salvage Davante’s market. I think everyone knows their only play is to deal him.”

In Florio’s estimation, the Jets are the only club that truly wants Adams at the moment, and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network hears that this could be a “Jets or bust” situation (video link). Garafolo adds that if New York should win its game against the Bills tomorrow night – which would move Gang Green into first place in the AFC East – the club may be more inclined to make a bold strike for their long-desired target (even though Jones, contrary to Pauline, says the Saleh firing has indeed made Adams a little more wary of going to the Jets).

Adams will be sidelined for today’s matchup with the Steelers due to a hamstring ailment. It will mark his third straight absence.

Steelers Place DL DeMarvin Leal On IR

It sounds like DeMarvin Leal‘s season has come to an end. The Steelers announced that they’ve placed the defensive lineman on injured reserve.

Leal suffered a neck injury last Sunday that limited him to only 12 snaps. Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the defender is expected to miss the rest of the 2024 campaign.

The former third-round pick has spent most of this season serving as a linebacker while helping to fill in for the injured Alex Highsmith. Leal mostly played defensive end through his first two seasons in the NFL, starting six of his 23 appearances. In total, the third-year player has collected 33 tackles, one sack, and three QB hits.

In corresponding moves, the Steelers signed linebacker Ade Ogundeji to the 53-man roster and promoted linebacker Eku Leota and running back Jonathan Ward from the practice squad. Ogundeji caught on with Pittsburgh’s practice squad at the end of August and is set to make his season debut. The former fifth-round pick started his career in Atlanta, collecting 75 tackles in 27 starts. He missed the entire 2023 campaign with a foot/ankle injury.

There was also some good news on the injury front this morning. The Steelers removed Jaylen Warren from the injury report, meaning the running back should be back on the field for Week 6. Warren missed Week 4 and Week 5 while nursing a knee injury, and he’ll now rejoin a depth chart that’s co-led by Najee Harris.

Russell Wilson To Work With Steelers’ Second Team, Likely To Be Active In Week 6

OCTOBER 11: Tomlin confirmed on Friday Wilson had a strong week of practice without experiencing any setbacks (video link via Pryor). As a result, he will “probably” dress as Pittsburgh’s backup on Sunday. Fields has at least one more week atop the depth chart, but a poor outing now that Wilson is healthy would of course lead to renewed speculation a change could be made under center.

OCTOBER 8: Mike Tomlin has taken full advantage of the extended runway Russell Wilson‘s injury has provided Justin Fields. After not naming a starter until days after the preseason, the veteran Steelers HC is taking his time on a second starter call.

The loser of the Steelers’ summer QB battle, Fields has started the first five games while Wilson has recovered from his nagging calf injury. Pittsburgh will still start Fields in Week 6, but Wilson is moving close to being active — as a non-emergency quarterback — for the first time this season.

Wilson is set to practice fully for the first time this season, Tomlin said Tuesday. The 13th-year QB will do so when the Steelers begin practicing Wednesday, but while Wilson won the job out of preseason, he will work with the team’s second-string offense this week. Tomlin said (via SI.com’s Albert Breer) Wilson will take the second-team reps in order to not disrupt Fields’ preparation. Wilson has a chance to be active for the first time, with Tomlin adding (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) the “door is ajar” to Wilson suiting up against the Raiders.

These past several weeks marked Wilson’s second rehab effort on his balky calf. The injury initially sidelined him early during training camp, and after the free agency addition returned for preseason play, it recurred just before Week 1.

Wilson’s second injury hiatus has lasted longer than the first, with a slew of limited practices doubling as a gradual ramp-up period. Will that ramp-up be for a return to a starting role or the backup? Tomlin has dodged this decision for a bit and has said (via Breer) Wilson must prove he can stay healthy, but with the veteran passer en route to full strength, the seasoned leader will need to make a true decision (again) soon.

Long viewed as the QB who would start for the Steelers this season, Wilson held his pole-position status until he won the race. But the competition narrowed, as Fields impressed many in the building. In his five starts, Fields has submitted up-and-down work. QBR slots the dual-threat passer 22nd. Fields had delivered low-wattage, game-managerial showings to help the Steelers to 3-0. He threw for 312 yards while rushing for 55 in a loss to the Colts, but the pass rusher-deficient Cowboys stymied him in Week 5. Fields posted just 131 passing yards (4.9 per attempt) and 27 on the ground, an effort that may have reopened the door for Wilson.

Pittsburgh’s 3-0 start created an expectation that Fields would keep the job. He is 10 years younger than Wilson, at 25, and looks to have a better chance of being an option — based on Wilson’s Broncos years and recent injury trouble — to be the Steelers’ 2025 starter. But the Steelers named Wilson their initial starter for a reason. After Kenny Pickett‘s struggles, it would surprise if Tomlin gave Fields an especially long leash.

It will be interesting to see if Wilson or his camp voices frustration with Tomlin’s plan, should the de facto backup reach the point where he feels he is healthy and not being given a shot to reclaim his job. For now, though, Fields will keep the controls and hope to rebound after last week’s effort.

Chiefs, Commanders, Ravens Out On Davante Adams; Raiders Open To Retaining WR?

The pack is thinning in the Davante Adams pursuit. Although the teams most closely linked to the Raiders wide receiver remain in the hunt, some of the second-tier pursuers are no longer part of this mix.

Never a realistic destination due to their AFC West proximity, the Chiefs are indeed out on Adams. The same goes for the Commanders and Ravens, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur. Both Mid-Atlantic teams were believed to be in on Adams, along with the usual suspects since the WR’s trade request, but Baltimore had been drifting out of the picture.

[RELATED: Raiders Aiming To Unload WR Soon]

The Commanders were listed as an Adams dark-horse destination over the weekend, but this is the second time GM Adam Peters has stood down on a big-ticket pass catcher. Brandon Aiyuk, who played a season with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, would have been amenable to a Washington trade. But the Commanders did not show much interest in the 49ers WR this offseason. Now, the Commanders are passing on Adams, who comes with a salary teams are not keen on paying.

Adams ignited Baltimore speculation by tweeting a picture of Edgar Allan Poe last week, but the Ravens have not discussed the wideout with the Raiders in several days. The Cowboys balked due to the Raiders’ insistence they pay all of Adams’ prorated salary, per The Athletic. Dallas was mentioned as a team who checked in with the Raiders but deemed not interested soon after. Other clubs are joining Jerry Jones‘ team.

The Saints and Jets are still in this, and veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson adds Derek Carr‘s injury — an oblique issue expected to cost the QB multiple games — does not change New Orleans’ interest in this big swing. The Steelers have reached out as well, per The Athletic, while the Bills are monitoring this situation. Buffalo joined Baltimore in deeming the Raiders’ asking price as too high, but the Bills being somewhat concerned about their receiver situation may change the equation. The Steelers have been looking at WRs since establishing Brandon Aiyuk trade framework.

While ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler points to the Saints as being a slight favorite here now, ESPN colleague Adam Schefter indicates (video link) Raiders talks with the Saints and Jets may be slowing down due to the Robert Saleh firing and Carr injury respectively affecting those respective teams. This somewhat contradicts Anderson’s account re: the Saints, but while Adams is still interested in being dealt to New York or New Orleans, this process does appear to have hit a lull.

The main reason for the slowdown: the Raiders’ hope they can unload Adams for strong draft compensation and convince the acquiring team to pay the entirety of his prorated base salary. At least one team negotiating with the Raiders was told the AFC West club does not intend to pay any of the wideout’s remaining 2024 base, Fowler adds. This hardline stance obviously will give teams pause about giving up a plus asset — the Raiders want a second-round pick and more — for a soon-to-be 31-year-old receiver who is due $11.92MM for the season’s remainder.

On the New Orleans front, Anderson adds the prospect of giving up a higher-end draft choice here has not gained much traction. While the Saints are known for their salary cap wizardry, they only hold $2.6MM in space as of Wednesday. Mickey Loomis‘ club would need to make significant adjustments to accommodate all of Adams’ money — to the point it might be a nonstarter for the Saints if the Raiders refuse paying any of Adams’ salary.

As for the Jets, The Athletic notes they are still talking to the Raiders despite having fired Saleh. That decision conceivably moves Joe Douglas closer to the chopping block, but the sixth-year GM is still running point on negotiations that will help the 2024 Jets. Considering the jobs on the line and Aaron Rodgersurging for this reunion, it would surprise if New York was not in this until the end.

Adams had pledged continued support for the Raiders’ cause, denying trade rumors for a while, but Fowler adds the quarterback situation — which has featured a months-long, on-and-off competition between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell — has factored into the receiver’s decision to ask out. Adams displayed clear frustration during the Raiders’ short-lived Jimmy Garoppolo QB1 period, making it unsurprising a player who built a Hall of Fame case with Rodgers and produced first-team All-Pro numbers with Carr would want much more of the Raiders’ current situation.

That said, the onus for an Adams trade to take place as soon as possible falls on the Raiders, who are paying the disgruntled wideout nearly $1MM per week until he is dealt. The Raiders carry more than $26MM in cap space and need a long-term quarterback, making it a bit odd they are holding the line financially when paying some of Adams’ money would bring better trade compensation. Also complicating Adams’ situation: his hamstring injury will sideline him for Week 6, Fowler adds. A previous report pointed to Adams being ready for Week 6; a three-week injury absence stands to give teams more pause.

Adams requesting a meeting with Antonio Pierce to express his demand to be traded to a better team surprised his coach, according to The Athletic. Adams had stumped for Pierce to be elevated to the full-time HC post, but the parties’ relationship has deteriorated since. The Raiders said they would accommodate him due to not wanting uncommitted players. Adams was then informed of the Pierce Instagram like regarding a trade the next morning during his appearance on Up & Adams.

It should now be noted that Pierce is not slamming the door shut on Adams playing for the team again. Pierce said he and Adams have talked since the trade request surfaced, and it sounds like the Raiders — potentially in a posturing move — are open to keeping Adams.

He is in good spirits, we talked … so everything’s good. … He is still a Raider. He has never not been a Raider,” Pierce said, via Tafur. “When he’s healthy and can play, we’ll play him. He’s working everyday to get that hamstring right and he’s in the right headspace mentally. Like I said, we talked recently, had a good conversation and he’s ready to play football.”

Unless Pierce’s Wednesday words do prompt a reconciliation, the Raiders are preparing to say goodbye to the first receiver they have seen snare first-team All-Pro honors since Hall of Famer Cliff Branch in 1976. Teams will save more than $940K each week by waiting, as the NFL’s offseason deadline change resulted in a Nov. 5 trade endpoint for this year.