HEADLINES

Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Steelers S Damontae Kazee Suspended For Remainder Of Season

December 20th, 2023 at 7:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

DECEMBER 20: Kazee’s appeal of his season-long suspension has been deemed successful, at least partially. According to NFL senior vice president of football & international communications Michael Signora, while James Thrash, the hearing officer jointly appointed to the case by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, upheld Kazee’s suspension for the remainder of the regular season, he also ruled that Kazee would be eligible to return to the active roster if the Steelers were to qualify for the postseason. If Pittsburgh fails to make the playoffs, then we have seen the last of Kazee in the 2023 NFL season.

DECEMBER 18: The Steelers will be without Damontae Kazee for the rest of the 2023 campaign, regardless of if the team makes it to the playoffs. The veteran safety has been suspended for the remainder of the year, as noted by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Kazee was ejected for a hit on Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr. on Saturday. Pittman is now in concussion protocol after Kazee’s most recent hit which was penalized for unnecessary roughness. The 30-year-old’s history in that department was noted in the press release detailing the suspension, and his second season with the Steelers is now set to come to a premature end.

Kazee could appeal the ban, one which will see him miss games against the Bengals, Seahawks and Ravens. Having lost three straight games, the Steelers are in a much worse position for the playoffs than they were recently. Pittsburgh could still manage to secure a wild-card berth, though, in which case Kazee’s absence would be acutely felt.

The former Falcons fifth-rounder has seen a much larger workload in 2023 than last season. Kazee’s defensive snap share (81%) is the third-highest of his career, and he has been a productive player on the backend. The San Diego State product has posted 61 tackles, two interceptions, three pass deflections and two fumble recoveries this year. Especially with Minkah Fitzpatrick set to miss at least Week 16, Kazee’s loss will deal a blow to Pittsburgh’s secondary.

Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports that Kazee will indeed appeal the suspension. Regardless of how much time he misses, he has already lost over $267K in fines overt the course of the season, a figure which will increase unless the ban is rescinded altogether. A best-case scenario for Kazee and the Steelers, realistically, would involve the suspension being reduced to a degree.

Broncos safety Kareem Jackson managed to appeal a four-game suspension down to two earlier in the season, but he has since been hit with another four-game ban. This marks Kazee’s first suspension of the season, but his accumulation of discipline from the league (which includes five fines for unnecessary roughness) will no doubt be a factor in the appeals process. While it will interesting to see if he manages to see the field again in 2023, Kazee figures to be out of the lineup for the time being.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 20th, 2023 at 1:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers’ Week 15 win over the Falcons brought the Patriots and Cardinals, who each lost, one game closer to the No. 1 overall pick. New England’s weaker strength of schedule provides keeps Arizona in the No. 3 spot, while Washington — weeks away from a likely full-scale reboot — has lost five straight to move into position for its first top-five pick since 2020.

Early reports have the Bears more likely to draft Justin Fields‘ replacement than trading a top pick once again, but the Patriots and Cardinals are still in the running for what could well be the Caleb Williams draft slot. Much less drama would emerge if New England claimed the top pick, as the Patriots would be expected to draft the top QB prize. Arizona landing atop the draft for the second time in six years could produce a derby, with Kyler Murray‘s contract difficult (but not impossible) to move for new GM Monti Ossenfort. QB-needy teams may well be hoping the Cardinals land one of the top two spots, however, providing a potential gateway to a trade-up for Williams or Drake Maye.

The Raiders’ 63-21 demolition of the Chargers slid them down six spots compared to their position last week. The Packers also climbed eight spots from their slot going into Week 15. Green Bay has not held a top-11 draft choice since it drafted B.J. Raji in the 2009 first round; that came on the heels of Aaron Rodgers‘ first season at the helm. Jordan Love‘s QB1 debut season could still produce a playoff berth, however, and the rest of the NFC and AFC wild-card races remain tightly bunched.

Here is how the 2024 draft order looks with three regular-season games to play:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. New England Patriots: 3-11
  3. Arizona Cardinals: 3-11
  4. Washington Commanders: 4-10
  5. Chicago Bears: 5-9
  6. New York Giants: 5-9
  7. New York Jets: 5-9
  8. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-9
  9. Tennessee Titans: 5-9
  10. Atlanta Falcons: 6-8
  11. Green Bay Packers: 6-8
  12. Las Vegas Raiders: 6-8
  13. New Orleans Saints: 7-7
  14. Denver Broncos: 7-7
  15. Seattle Seahawks: 7-7
  16. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-7
  17. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  18. Buffalo Bills: 8-6
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-7
  20. Minnesota Vikings: 7-7
  21. Los Angeles Rams: 7-7
  22. Indianapolis Colts: 8-6
  23. Jacksonville Jaguars: 8-6
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: 8-6
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: 9-5
  26. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  27. Detroit Lions: 10-4
  28. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-4
  29. Miami Dolphins: 10-4
  30. Dallas Cowboys: 10-4
  31. Baltimore Ravens: 11-3
  32. San Francisco 49ers: 11-3

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/23

December 19th, 2023 at 7:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Released: WR Daniel Arias

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: QB E.J. Perry

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Steelers Release LB Tariq Carpenter Following Arrest

December 17th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The Steelers woes at linebacker this year will now extend to the practice squad as Tariq Carpenter has been released from the 16-man roster. According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Carpenter’s departure is a result of his arrest earlier today for a simple assault charge.

Carpenter was originally drafted to Green Bay in the seventh round of the 2022 draft as a safety out of Georgia Tech. As a rookie, Carpenter appeared in 14 games after missing the Packers’ first three. While near the end of the year, Carpenter found a few snaps on defense, he was almost exclusively utilized on special teams. He failed to make the 53-man roster in Green Bay this year and, three days later, signed with the Steelers’ practice squad unit.

This year, Pittsburgh has seen a litany of issues stack up at the linebacker position. They currently have three off-ball linebackers on injured reserve in Kwon Alexander, Chapelle Russell, and Cole Holcomb. The team liked Carpenter as a linebacker and, for three games in the middle of the year, called him up as a standard gameday elevation for depth. During the three games in which he made an appearance, Carpenter only appeared on special teams.

The Steelers recently signed Blake Martinez, who had recently come out of an early retirement, off of the Panthers’ practice squad and have been relying more on practice squad linebacker Kyron Johnson lately, so it seems that Carpenter’s absence won’t cause too much of an issue. Still, in a year with so much attrition at the inside linebacker position, any loss of depth is a hit.

AFC Injury Roundup: Colts, Ivey, Steelers, Wilson

December 17th, 2023 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

The Colts battled through a number of injuries to beat the Steelers and remain in the playoff hunt for the AFC yesterday. Two key players in wide receiver Michael Pittman and running back Zack Moss were forced to exit the game early with injuries and failed to return.

Pittman was knocked out of the game with a concussion after receiving a hit from Steelers safety Damontae Kazee that resulted in Kazee’s ejection. Without his favorite target by far, quarterback Gardner Minshew was required to spread the ball out, completing passes to eight other players for the rest of the game. Though they were able to find success, Indianapolis will hope that Pittman can work his way through the concussion protocols quickly as Pittman is the target on nearly a third of the team’s pass attempts.

There was serious concern when Moss exited the game with an injury to the same arm that was broken around the start of the season. He was forced to leave the game due to issues with grip. With Jonathan Taylor missing most of the season thus far, Moss has taken the crown as the team’s leading rusher. Luckily, X-rays came back negative on Moss’ arm, so he should be able to return next week.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the AFC this week:

  • Joining fellow Bengals defender D.J. Reader, who was announced to be out for the season last night, seventh-round rookie cornerback DJ Ivey left yesterday’s game with a torn ACL that will end his season, as well, per Kelsey Conway of USA Today. The late-round pick out of Miami (FL) will see his rookie season cut short just as he was beginning to earn some more playing time in Cincinnati. He received a game ball last week for making a key pass breakup and recovering a fumble on punt coverage.
  • After Kazee was ejected, the Steelers were left with two backups in the game when Minkah Fitzpatrick left the game with a knee injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Fitzpatrick was able to walk off the field under his own power, but after a brief evaluation on the sideline, it was determined that he should not return for the second half of the game. Another starter, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, will be a question mark to make a Week 16 appearance as he is reportedly in concussion protocol, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
  • Lastly, from today’s games, the Jets were once again forced to turn to a new passer, this time Trevor Siemian, after starting quarterback Zach Wilson was forced to leave the game with a concussion in the second quarter, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. If Wilson is unable to come back next week, it’ll likely be Siemian starting for New York against the Commanders.

Steelers Considering Offensive Changes?

December 17th, 2023 at 4:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers’ postseason prospects have taken a steep turn for the worse over their past three games. Losses to the Cardinals, Patriots and Colts have Pittsburgh sitting at 7-7, and struggles on offense could produce more changes than the ones already made.

The Steelers made an extraordinarily rare move in firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada last month. The switch to Mike Sullivan as play-caller appeared to be a shrewd move in the team’s first game, but things have not gone according to plan since then. Starting quarterback Kenny Pickett – who has not made the Year 2 jump which many passers experience – exited the Arizona loss with a high ankle sprain. No firm timeline has been placed on his return, but a four-week absence has been reported as the team’s expectation.

Backup Mitch Trubisky has played in place of Pickett, but his performances have left plenty to be desired. The former No. 2 pick has thrown as many touchdowns (three) as interceptions since taking over for Pickett in Week 13, failing to eclipse 190 passing yards in a contest during that span. Pittsburgh’s offense gave the team a 13-0 lead early against the Colts on Saturday, but came up empty afterwards en route to a 30-13 defeat.

In his post-game remarks, head coach Mike Tomlin indicated (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) the Steelers are “going to do things differently next week.” While adjustments on defense could be included in the coming days, the team’s offense will be a unit to watch. Tomlin declined to confirm Trubisky as the Steelers’ Week 16 starter. That could be due to the fact Pickett’s availability is uncertain, but it could also mean third-stringer Mason Rudolph could be in play to get the nod next week.

The latter finished Saturday’s loss, his first appearance in the 2023 season. Rudolph did not see the field last year, and he has made just two starts since the beginning of the 2020 campaign. Giving the nod to the 28-year-old would come as a surprise given his lack of game action, but it would likewise not come as a shock to see Pittsburgh make a notable switch in another bid to produce a spark on offense. Inconsistencies in the passing game in particular have been an ongoing source of frustration for the team, one which is still in the mix for an AFC wild-card spot.

Tomlin’s streak of never posting a losing season is once again under threat, but the way in which this year ends is not expected to have an effect on his job security. The way in which he and the rest of the team’s staff proceeds in the near future will nevertheless be a key storyline to watch as Pittsburgh aims to rebound from the current skid.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/15/23

December 15th, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions, including some practice squad callups for the Saturday games:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Getting Charles back should provide a bit of a boost for a Commanders’ offensive line that has allowed quarterback Sam Howell to be sacked an NFL-leading 58 times. That being said, they led the league in that category when Charles was healthy, as well. Still, as Charles attempts to come back from the calf injury that sidelined him for six games, he’ll have to overcome second-year guard Chris Paul, who has been starting in his place since the injury. While Charles had been struggling in a contract year, his replacement has ranked as the fourth-worst guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Wormley, Krull, and Senat all make their way up to the active roster for two reasons: first, injuries, and second, they’ve already appeared as standard gameday elevations off of the practice squad the maximum three times. In order to appear in any other games this year, all three needed to be signed to new contracts. If the players they are replacing come back from injury before the end of the season, any of them can be waived, re-signed to the practice squad, and elevated an additional three times.

Steelers’ T.J. Watt Placed In Concussion Protocol

December 13th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Ben Levine

DECEMBER 13: Watt has been officially cleared by an independent neurological consultant and is no longer in concussion protocol, per the team’s senior director of communications Burt Lauten. There is still the matter of the NFL and the NFL Players Association’s review of the Steelers’ handling of his concussion check in the team’s Week 14 contest with the Patriots, but Watt’s removal from the protocol likely hints at no issue.

After Watt took a knee to the head from Elliott and returned after a brief check-in on the sideline, he reported concussion like-symptoms the next day. Obviously a potentially dangerous situation, the league decided it would investigate how the team handled Watt’s potential head injury. We’ve seen lots of seemingly concussed players come out of protocol within a week, so despite his clearance, Watt still may have suffered a concussion and returned to play. The league and the NFLPA has set out to determine whether or not that is the case.

DECEMBER 9: The Steelers’ depth on the edge could be tested next weekend. Following news that pass-rusher Alex Highsmith was placed in concussion protocol, the Steelers have announced that T.J. Watt has also been placed in protocol (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com).

The Highsmith news didn’t come as a huge surprise. The linebacker exited Thursday’s loss to the Patriots with a neck injury and didn’t end up returning to the game.

The Watt development is a bit more unexpected. The star defender briefly exited Thursday’s game after taking a knee to the face from Ezekiel Elliott on the first play from scrimmage. Florio writes that Watt was briefly checked for a concussion before being cleared to return on the same drive. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes that the medical staff also took an extended look at Watt’s jaw/mouth, and Florio says Watt was spotted wearing a tinted visor at one point.

Mark Kaboly of The Athletic passes along that Watt arrived at the team facility yesterday with symptoms, necessitating his placement into concussion protocol. Both Watt and Highsmith will now need to be cleared by an independent neurologist before returning to practice.

Fortunately, the Steelers have time on their side. Kaboly notes that the Steelers are off the next three days. They’ll resume practices on Tuesday in preparation for their Week 15 game against the Colts next Saturday night.

Steelers Notes: Tomlin, Sullivan, Pickett

December 13th, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers’ Mitchell Trubisky-quarterbacked losses to the Cardinals and Patriots are not likely to lead to a Mike Tomlin ouster. The patient organization is not expected to move the 17th-year HC to the hot seat, but some issues with Tomlin’s moves have come up within the building.

As of now, it does not look likely the Steelers will make another in-house promotion to fill the offensive coordinator role. Play-caller Mike Sullivan has next to no chance to follow in Randy Fichtner and Matt Canada‘s footsteps, according to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post.

Although the Steelers received an initial bump with Sullivan calling the shots, it was short-lived. They surpassed 400 total yards for the first time since Week 2 of the 2020 season, but the team has endured ugly home losses in the weeks since. A former Buccaneers and Giants OC, Sullivan is working as the Steelers’ play-caller while Eddie Faulkner — previously the team’s running backs coach — holds the interim OC title. Both Fichtner (who replaced Todd Haley in 2018) and Canada (who replaced Fichtner in 2021) were elevated from QBs coach to OC; Sullivan is unlikely to make the same move. Some of Tomlin’s hiring choices have drawn questions inside the organization, and La Canfora adds it is likely ownership will play a role as Tomlin searches for his next play-caller.

Slow starts and the inconsistent usage of promising former UDFA Jaylen Warren have also confounded some in the team’s building, per La Canfora, but Kenny Pickett‘s status is also worth monitoring. Last year’s No. 20 overall pick has not taken off in his second season, and while he has not had much time to work with Sullivan calling the plays, the Pitt product has underwhelmed based on his draft status. Questions within the organization remain concerning Pickett’s development, JLC adds.

Two years remain on Pickett’s rookie contract, and although the Steelers’ next OC will play the lead role in this development effort, the team has seen its efforts thus far stall. Pickett sits 25th in QBR, after ranking 20th in a low-octane rookie season that did include some promising late-game showings near its conclusion. Pickett has managed only 13 touchdown passes in 24 starts; he has posted just a 6.3-yard average per attempt over his career. It is not yet known if the Steelers want to take the route the 2020 Bears took with Trubisky, acquiring a veteran (Nick Foles) to compete with the scuffling starter. But concern about Pickett’s progress is probably warranted at this point.

Tomlin, 51, did not receive an extension this offseason, but if the Steelers are planning to retain him for 2024 — thus far, all signs point to the affirmative — they will likely hand out another contract before next season to avoid lame-duck status. Once again, the well-regarded HC’s .500-or-better streak is in jeopardy. Trubisky is set to make another start, and the wild-card contender (7-6) is sinking fast.

Even with the Steelers’ penchant for coach stability, Tomlin has generated scrutiny in recent years. The team has not won a playoff game since a touchdown-less triumph over the Chiefs in the 2016 divisional round, losing twice at home since. The Steelers’ status quo may face bigger-picture questions in 2024. How the franchise, which is still positioned in a wild-card spot despite the recent defeats, reassembles pieces may well become pivotal toward Tomlin’s long-term standing.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 13th, 2023 at 2:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two different teams have held the No. 1 overall pick in consecutive years since 2017. Amid a radical rebuild effort, the Browns carried the top pick into the 2017 and ’18 drafts. The Jaguars did the same in 2021 and ’22. It is possible the Bears will follow that up in back-to-back years. The big difference here would be the Bears traded the 2023 top choice and may unload the 2024 top pick for another windfall, depending on their evaluation of Justin Fields.

The Bears and Panthers’ March trade, giving Carolina access to Bryce Young, has become a seminal moment for both teams. As it stands now, Chicago holds two top-five picks. The Panthers are 1-12, giving the Bears a two-game lead on the Patriots and Cardinals for the top slot with four games left. Chicago finishing with the first overall selection, providing access to the quarterback of its choice, would create a big-picture decision for a Bears team that already passed on the 2023 quarterback class to stick with Fields — a QB the Ryan Poles regime did not draft. North Carolina’s Drake Maye has declared for the draft, while USC’s Caleb Williams is widely expected to follow suit.

A new Cardinals regime is also evaluating its QB, though Kyler Murray‘s $46.1MM-per-year contract (which runs through 2028) will be much harder to escape compared to Fields’. This creates an interesting scenario that will have teams who do not land two-two draft slots monitoring how Chicago and Arizona proceed. The Patriots are widely expected to pursue a quarterback in the draft, and they are likely to do so without Bill Belichick.

With gridlock forming in the AFC and NFC wild-card races, considerable movement will take place over the next month. The winner of the NFC South will likely lose several spots in the ’24 draft, as the Buccaneers did this year by winning the ’22 division title at 8-9. Here is how the draft order looks going into Week 15:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. New England Patriots: 3-10
  3. Arizona Cardinals: 3-10
  4. Washington Commanders: 4-9
  5. Chicago Bears: 5-8
  6. Las Vegas Raiders: 5-8
  7. New York Jets: 5-8
  8. New York Giants: 5-8
  9. Tennessee Titans: 5-8
  10. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-8
  11. Atlanta Falcons: 6-7
  12. New Orleans Saints: 6-7
  13. Seattle Seahawks: 6-7
  14. Los Angeles Rams: 6-7
  15. Denver Broncos: 7-6
  16. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  17. Buffalo Bills: 7-6
  18. Cincinnati Bengals: 7-6
  19. Green Bay Packers: 6-7
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-7
  21. Indianapolis Colts: 7-6
  22. Minnesota Vikings: 7-6
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-6
  24. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: 8-5
  26. Jacksonville Jaguars: 8-5
  27. Detroit Lions: 9-4
  28. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-3
  29. Miami Dolphins: 9-4
  30. Dallas Cowboys: 10-3
  31. San Francisco 49ers: 10-3
  32. Baltimore Ravens: 10-3
Load More Posts