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Category: Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Croke Park NFL game: Dublin regular-season game will be ‘great celebration’ – Goodell

    Croke Park NFL game: Dublin regular-season game will be ‘great celebration’ – Goodell

     

     

    Pittsburgh Steelers’ Cam Heyward attempts to stop a pass from Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow in the NFL game in December

    Pittsburgh Steelers played in a pre-season game at Croke Park in 1997, but this year’s game will be the first regular-season NFL contest to be played in Ireland

     

    NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says Dublin’s hosting of a regular-season NFL contest involving the Pittsburgh Steelers later this year will be a “great celebration”.

     

    The widely-anticipated news of the Croke Park contest was confirmed on Friday in advance of Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans.

     

    The Steelers’ legendary owner Dan Rooney, who died in 2017, had lifelong connections with Ireland and was US Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 and 2012.

     

    “We’re really excited. It’s a great market for us,” said the NFL commissioner.

     

    “Obviously there’s a great connection in the United States with Ireland. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a specific connection also through their [Rooney] family.”

     

    Goodell added that the NFL receives “a tremendous amount of media coverage [in Ireland], but we spend a lot of time on a year-round basis promoting the game and getting kids playing, whether it’s flag football or tackle football”.

     

    “All of that is part of our efforts to make our game more popular there and this game is sort of the spark and gives that a greater interest,” he added.

     

     

    Steelers’ Cameron Heyward excited for Dublin NFL game

     

    Steelers players Larry Ogunjobi and Cameron Heyward both spoke of their excitement at the news.

     

    “I don’t know a lot about Ireland but Mr Rooney was ambassador to Ireland so it’s going to be cool to see that transpire and they have a lot of fans there,” said defensive lineman Heyward.

     

    Defensive tackle Ogunjobi added: “When I visited Mexico last year, I got to know just how important the fan base is and how important it is for us to show our face in their country and show them that we support them as much as they support us.”

     

    Heyward said the spectators can look forward to “lots of hits, a lot of sacks and a lot of turnovers and splash plays”.

     

    Pittsburgh played at Croke Park in 1997 in a pre-season game against Chicago Bears and there have been College Football games in Dublin.

     

    However, the arrival of a regular-season NFL contest at the 82,000 capacity venue will be a coup for the stadium’s owners, the Gaelic Athletic Association.

  • Proposed Steelers-Lions blockbuster trade swaps starting edge rushers | Sporting News

    Proposed Steelers-Lions blockbuster trade swaps starting edge rushers | Sporting News

    The Pittsburgh Steelers could make some big changes this offseason, as the franchise hasn’t won a playoff game in eight years and suffered a five-game losing streak to end the 2024 season, including an embarrassing road playoff defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round.

    There aren’t many untouchable players on the Steelers’ roster, but edge rusher T.J. Watt seems like someone Pittsburgh would be foolish to trade. The 30-year-old has been one of the best players in football since entering the league in 2017 and is the face of the franchise.

    The Steelers are incredibly unlikely to move the seven-time Pro Bowler this offseason, but The Wright Way Sports Network proposed a blockbuster trade package that would send Watt to the Detroit Lions.

    The hypothetical trade proposal sends Watt and Pittsburgh’s 2025 fourth-round pick to Detroit for edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, the Lions 2025 first-round pick, which is the No.28 overall selection, and a 2025 second-round pick, the No.60 overall selection.

    The reality in Pittsburgh is T.J. Watt has never made the AFC title game with the Steelers and his patience is starting to wear thin. Detroit is a solid defense away from being Super Bowl contenders and needs a difference maker to get them over the top.

    Pittsburgh would pay the heavy price of trading away one of the top three pass rushers in the NFL, but in return would get a defensive end in Za’Darius Smith who can play well. More importantly, the draft picks received would help build the younger roster to what they need.

    This is in a sense a lopsided traded in favor of the Lions getting a superstar. On the flip side, the Steelers hope to capitalize on the draft picks to help their offense and defense with each pick and take advantage of a cheaper contract from Smith.

    General manager Omar Khan shouldn’t think twice about this deal. Watt is a generational talent who is still in the prime of his career and has led the league in sacks in three of the last five seasons. The former Wisconsin Badger should be a Steeler for life unless a team offers Pittsburgh a historic deal.

    Though Smith is a solid player, he’s 32 years old and isn’t on the same level as Watt. Additionally, the Lions 2025 picks aren’t very enticing, and Detroit’s mock trade package is nowhere near enough to land the 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year.

    The Steelers need to make some drastic changes this offseason, but trading Watt would be an incompetent and ridiculous move by Khan. The veteran will end his career as one of the greatest defensive players of all time and is undoubtedly the most valuable player on Pittsburgh’s subpar roster.

     

  • Steelers Could Sign RB With Superstar Potential

    Steelers Could Sign RB With Superstar Potential

     

     

    ; Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle (23) runs the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half at AT&T Stadium.

    ; Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle (23) runs the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half at AT&T Stadium.

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    PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have a “job opening” at running back this offseason, with both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren hitting the free agent market. Unless the plan is to keep Cordarrelle Patterson and make him their starter, the team will need to look for their next group of runners, and have an option who carries superstar potential.

     

    In a list of six free agents who can turn into superstars, Bleacher Report lists one name the Steelers will already be negotiating with – Justin Fields. But they may also have an opportunity to pair the quarterback with a running back who has the same upside.

     

    That’s former Dallas Cowboys runner Rico Dowdle.

     

    “Rico Dowdle could’ve been a breakout star running back this past season, but the Dallas Cowboys split his workload with Ezekiel Elliott for more than half of the campaign,” Bleacher Report writes.

     

    “Before Week 12, Dowdle logged 20-plus carries in one game. In four of the last six weeks, he recorded 20-plus rush attempts and racked up 104 or more rushing yards in three of those outings. …

     

    “Because of his versatile skill set, Dowdle could be one of the league’s top running backs in a featured role despite having only 331 NFL carries on his resume.”

     

    Dowdle, 26, went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and has been with the Cowboys ever since. Without ever getting an opportunity to be a feature back, he hits free agency and a market that’s top two options may be Aaron Jones and Najee Harris. And while he likely won’t be RB1 in Pittsburgh, he may be intrigued by the job opening and the potential of the role.

     

    The Steelers’ top option this offseason is likely Jaylen Warren. As a restricted free agent, they can tender Warren, minimizing his cost as they look to build around him. The NFL Draft will be another place they’ll look, but adding a second veteran is definitely on the table.

     

    If they’re looking to clean house all together, moving on from Harris and Warren, Dowdle becomes a top name to watch. Pittsburgh won’t head into the draft without signing a running back. And if they are thinking young with potential, Dowdle probably sits at the top of their list.

     

    Options are key for any team looking to fill a position group. For the Steelers, there’s not many flashy names on the open market, but a few with potential. And Dowdle may have the most.