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? San Francisco 49ers All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel thinks Brandon Aiyuk will stay in San Fran.
“Can we win a Super Bowl without BA?” Samuel asked himself on the Up & Adams show. “I think BA is going to be a part of this team so we don’t have to worry about that.”
This from Deebo Samuel today. Seems to indicate Brandon Aiyuk will stay in SF
Courtesy @UpAndAdamsShow pic.twitter.com/zyOaGkNmGj
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) August 16, 2024
? Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith revealed that T.J. Watt gets frustrated sometimes during practice.
“I always joke with T.J., ‘I’m not going to let you wreck practice today,'” Smith said on the Pat McAfee Show recently. “You don’t want to be stubborn. Sometimes he gets a little pissed if we scheme around him, but I just say, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be an idiot and just let you wreck practice.'”
? Stephen A. Smith has some doubts about Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.
“I’m not sold on Russell Wilson any longer. I think there’s been precipitous drop off over the last few years,” Smith said on First Take on Friday. “Now he may show us something different and I think here’s what is going to help Wilson. If the Steelers get their hands on Aiyuk because of his route running ability, his ability to catch the ball in between the numbers to make things happen after the catch combined with George Pickens who’s the only person who had more yards per reception than Aiyuk. I’m going to look at it from that stand point and I’m going to say Russell Wilson can thrive.”
? Former Steelers defensive back Tre Norwood has agreed to a deal with the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League.
The Steelers released Norwood as part of the team’s final cut down to the 53-man roster limit in 2023. Norwood missed most of the Steelers’ training camp and all of the preseason with a nagging right calf injury.
The team’s seventh-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Norwood played a good bit between slot corner and free safety in his first two seasons in the NFL. The Steelers used him exclusively at free safety, where there was plenty of playing time available thanks to injuries to Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal and Minkah Fitzpatrick being away from the team, but Norwood was not healthy himself in order to take advantage.
Norwood appeared in ten games for the Steelers in 2022 as he recorded 16 tackles and no interceptions. Norwood appeared in the first nine games of the season and played over 30 snaps in four of those games. Norwood’s role diminished upon the arrival of Damonte Kazee in Week 10.
? Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus thinks Steelers slot corner Beanie Bishop Jr. could be a diamond in the rough. Bishop has received first-team reps at slot corner throughout training camp and the first preseason game.
“The Steelers’ secondary will look drastically different in 2024 without Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace, not to mention Chandon Sullivan on the inside. Pittsburgh didn’t explicitly address the nickel position this offseason, but it seems to have found a diamond in the rough in Bishop, who’s the presumptive starter,” Locker wrote.
“The 24-year-old undrafted free agent was in lockdown coverage both of the past two years, tallying PFF coverage grades of 75.4 in 2022 and 2023. Bishop is also not afraid to get his nose dirty, as evidenced by his 51 stops from 2021-23. With little depth at the slot position, it appears that Bishop has secured his role as the Steelers’ top guy in subpackages.”
? Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward is dreaming about pass rush moves.
“When you are just dreaming about pass rush moves!!! Football season is close,” Heyward wrote on X.
When you are just dreaming about pass rush moves!!! Football season is close pic.twitter.com/lkgtOe0Jv2
— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) August 16, 2024
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