Thursday, September 3

The mode changes now: The Steelers finished their work week on Thursday afternoon, with a three-day break ahead of them. They will reconvene on Monday when they dive into game-week preparation ahead of the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 13 at Acrisure Stadium.

The past week has been what Coach Mike McCarthy referred to as a 'challenging week,' with practices following roster cuts always looking different with far fewer players on the field.

"This is a challenging week, not only for players coming back medically, but also how you train your team," said McCarthy. "Coming out of training camp, you have a 90-man roster. You come out to practice this past Monday and you're like, where the heck did everybody go? It affects the way you practice.

"I've always stressed a little bit over the volume. Today was great to see the sunshine come out because I did not want to go inside. How you practice is a big part of this week.

"So, just being smart with our players, especially veteran players, and just trying to get these young guys as much work as we can."

Practices following the preseason take on a different look, going from competition on the field for roster spots, to preparing for the regular season opponent.

It's something McCarthy has made a seamless transition for the team.

"You go back to training camp, you're in an installation mode, you have a new offense, defense pretty much every day," said McCarthy. "The offense installs different formations, different concepts. You make sure they're getting through their whole menu. Defenses get through their whole menu.

"So, that whole mode changes (now). You go from pretty much 100% competitive. Now you're locking into an opponent. So, when you lock into opponent, you do cards. We call them look teams, and then the look team responsibility of what everybody involved is doing and doing it with less players. So just like everything, everything's calculated. Sports science is a big part of our industry. You've got to pay attention to it. But at the end of the day, it's about getting the team trained and getting them ready to go win games, and that's been our focus this week is to beat Atlanta."

McCarthy indicated that he changed Thursday's practice schedule somewhat based on the work the team accomplished through what was a hot week, with temperatures in the 90s and the heat index reaching above 100 degrees in Pittsburgh.

"Our work is going to be cut a little short today," said McCarthy. "We had two significant practice days in the heat. The heat yesterday was…I really like the way they fought through that. The strength and conditioning afterwards.

"So, we have a little bit of a reduced practice today. This will be good for everybody."

Ready to roll: As the Steelers prepare for the regular season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Sept. 13 at Acrisure Stadium, tight end Pat Freiermuth likes what he sees from the offense.

"Very excited," said Freiermuth. "Not going to spill too much of what we've got going on, but very excited for it."

How the tight ends will be used in Coach Mike McCarthy's offensive scheme in the regular season has yet to be seen, but Freiermuth knows that unit has the talent to do whatever is asked. The combination of Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and veteran Robert Tonyan, who was signed this offseason, gives quarterback Aaron Rodgers an arsenal of weapons.

"I think a lot of people are realizing if you can get one to two good tight ends on a roster, the capability of the offense simply goes up," said Freiermuth. "I'm excited for this year. I'm excited for me and Darnell's usage, and especially Tonyan and (fullback) Riley Nowakowski, who I think did a really good job in camp."

With camp and the preseason now in the rearview mirror, Freiermuth shared his take on what stood out to him in McCarthy's first camp at the helm for the Steelers.

"Attention to detail probably the most," said Freiermuth. "The amount of mental reps away from the stuff you guys see in practice. The extra walk-throughs or getting extra plays that we needed. The attention to detail and the structure of the day."

The key now is translating all of that work into winning football in the regular season, something Freiermuth feels good about.

"I'm hoping that reduce MAs, missed assignments, getting everyone on the same page," said Freiermuth. "The more reps you can get on certain looks and talking what you're supposed to do on certain plays to people, you can go out there and play more free. So that's been a good starting point so far."

And getting started is what Freiermuth is anxious for. It's been a long offseason, camp and preseason and he just wants football to get rolling.

"I'm ready to go," said Freiermuth. "After the last preseason game, it's like, oh, we've still got another two weeks before the season, I'm definitely excited.

"I was driving home from work the other day and I was like, all right, I'm ready to get going. We can start feeling the fall weather in Pittsburgh and the fans are getting excited, so it's going to be fun."

No news is good news: As Will Howard said, on Sunday afternoon, just as the roster cuts were being made to get down to the mandatory 53-man roster, there is one thing that stands true.

No news is good news.

Howard said he went about his normal business on Sunday, knowing he did his best in training camp and the preseason to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, one of four quarterbacks the Steelers kept along with veterans Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph and rookie Drew Allar.

"It's always stressful," said Howard. "You never know what exactly is going to happen. Obviously, you are kind of on your own just thinking and every possibility goes through your head. I was confident and I felt like I had a good training camp.

"Obviously, I feel like the negatives that showed up in the preseason and a little bit in training camp too, leave a sour taste in your mouth especially for me. But overall, I feel like, just looking back at it big picture-wise, I think I did a lot of good things. I felt like I did enough to make the team and I'm just thankful and blessed that I did.

"All situations are going through your mind, but again, it's all out of my control. I felt like I had already put all the hay in the barn, per se, and did everything that I could. I tried to leave it up to God at that point and just surrender it and not worry that much about it because it was out of my control at that time.

"I'm just thankful and glad they decided to keep us all around. I think between myself and Mason and Drew, I think we have a really great young quarterback room. Obviously, Aaron speaks for himself and all of his experience. But, going forward for the future, I think it's something to be excited about."

Making an impression: Defensive lineman Gabe Rubio was a relative unknown in the pre-draft process, anonymous enough that NFL.com didn't initially have a mug shot to post next to his name along with the rest of the faces of the Steelers' 2026 draft class.

Rubio didn't care.

"I felt like I just needed an opportunity to just showcase what I can do being 100 percent healthy," he said. "It's no secret in college I had a couple different injuries that limited playing time.

"If I were to showcase my healthy playing, I definitely would have been a guy that may have gotten more recognition, there's no guarantee."

The Steelers didn't care, either. They had done their homework on the 6-foot-5, 321-pound product of Notre Dame.

One game that had gotten their attention in particular was Rubio's performance in the 2024 College Football Playoff semifinals against Penn State and guard Olaivavega Ioane, who in January of 2025 was well on his way to becoming the 14th-overall selection of the 2026 NFL Draft.

"It was a fun game," Rubio remembered of what became a 27-24 triumph for the Fighting Irish. "They had a similar scheme to (the NFL's) Atlanta (Flacons), actually. They ran a lot of zones and stretches and things like that. It was a big harping point to get 'knock back,' that's what we focused on. It really elevated a part of my game that isn't normally seen.

"'Vega' is an outstanding player. Going against him it really showed my set of skills. I knew I could go toe-to-toe with those kinds of guys. Being able to put it on film was just another step in the process."

So was a 27-24 loss on Aug. 31, 2025 against the outstanding offensive line of Miami, Fla., which was on its way to eventually playing for college football's national championship.

"I definitely thought so," Rubio continued. "Going into that game I actually had a broken finger with a pin. I had recently had surgery on it, so I had just been cleared to go play that game.

"I knew it was going to be a very important game in order to stand out, basically make an impression with the Notre Dame defense at the time, to like 'Hey, I'm good. I can keep going.'"

The Steelers invested a sixth-round pick in Rubio, the 210th-overall selection. Rubio has done the rest by continuing to progress, something he noticed in retrospect rather than on a daily basis throughout training camp.

"It's incremental, you know?" He said. "It's very small that you don't notice it until you look back maybe two weeks, three weeks, a month later. You realize that I've made such a difference in my own playing style and just improvement on my own knowledge of the game and how I perceive to look at different players and the progression of how a play goes.

"It's very eye-opening in that regard."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

Bringing you the action: For fans who don't want to miss any of the action, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch the Steelers live and on the go! Watch live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, live audio and more - all in one place.

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Wednesday, September 2

Ready when needed: The Steelers depth chart for Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons has not been officially determined at this point, but rookie first round selection Max Iheanachor is ready to step up if called upon.

Iheanachor said he hasn't been informed of anything from the coaching staff yet as to what his role will be or the competition, but he has faith in whatever decision is made.

"I don't ask about it," said Iheanachor. "I don't ask questions like that. "The coaches, they're very good coaches. Whatever they need me to do, I'm just coming out here and going 100 percent."

If he does get the start at right tackle, though, he said he will be ready.

"I truly believe in the work I put in to be in this position, I wouldn't be here if not," said Iheanachor. "Just always trusting God's time. He put me here for a reason."

Iheanachor made his preseason debut in the Steelers final game against the Buffalo Bills after dealing with an injury during camp and through the first two weeks of action.

He knows there is room for growth, but he also was comfortable on the field.

"First game film I could have played a lot better," said Iheanachor. "I feel like starting off faster, I would say. But as the game's going on, making corrections on the run.

"I think I'm big self-aware guy. When I mess up and I know I can do it, I just try to just fix it."

One thing that doesn't concern him is his grasp of the playbook, something he dove into from the time he arrived in Pittsburgh.

"The playbook is good," said Iheanachor. "I picked it up in OTAs, and coming out here, repping it every day, it's been smooth."

Taking advantage of reps: The Steeles had a total of 11 rookies make their initial 53-man roster, including the entire 2026 NFL Draft class.

Among those who secured a spot was safety Robert Spears-Jennings, the first of two seventh round selections for the team.

Spears-Jennings had a strong training camp and preseason, earning praise from the veterans at his position.

"I think R.J. is a really good kid," said safety DeShon Elliott prior to being placed on the Reserve/Injured List. "He works hard, he loves the game, he asks a lot of questions. Besides him being hard on himself, I think I might be the hardest person on him, just because I've been through what he's been through when it comes to expecting to be drafted somewhere a little bit higher and falling.

"The kid has excellent speed. I challenged him to be more aggressive, and he stood up to that. I'm proud of the kid. He's going to keep going."

Spears-Jennings saw more reps in practice in camp and the preseason because of injuries at his position, including Elliott who will miss at least the first four games of the year.

He didn't waste a single opportunity.

"I definitely don't want to see the guys hurt, but it did help me out because I got more reps," said Spears-Jennings. "The more reps I get, the more comfortable I feel and the faster I can play. So, I feel like I took my opportunity."

That comfort and confidence grew as the workload grew, giving him an edge as he prepares for the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 13 at Acrisure Stadium.

"I feel like I just had to get my confidence," said Spears-Jennings. "That comes with studying the playbook, and once I studied it, I felt very confident in training camp and the preseason."

As Elliott said, Spears-Jennings anticipated being selected higher than the seventh-round coming out of Oklahoma.

He had used that as motivation, and it appears to have worked.

"I definitely came with that chip on my shoulder because I knew I'm a better player than that," said Spears-Jennings. "But I have the mindset of I'm in the building, I'm in a great facility, a great team and a great organization. I can't complain."

Job description: "The more you can do," is a football absolute that's stood the test of time because it's invariably true.

Rookie Eli Heidenreich may be about to become one of the latest to personify the concept.

When he first arrived from the United States Naval Academy, Heidenreich was listed as a running back even though he had inflicted the majority of his damage catching passes for the Midshipmen. But when the initial 53-man roster was announced, the Steelers had begun to classify Heidenreich as a running back/slash/wide receiver.

He's the only player on the active roster or the practice squad with such a dual-purpose designation.

"Take it as it is," Heidenreich offered. "We haven't really done much, I'll say that. I've completely been in the running back room, haven't really got in the receiver room at all.

"It just speaks to the versatility, I'm able to do a couple things."

In theory, at least. Heidenreich carried 20 times for 65 yards in the Steelers' three preseason games, including a 9-yard touchdown run in the preseason finale on Aug. 27 at Buffalo.

But he finished the preseason with zero receptions on zero targets.

Expanding his role on offense to include catching passes, his strength at Navy, may or may not be an option in the regular season.

"It's hard to say," Heidenreich acknowledged. "I would love to but it's not my decision, so I don't know."

Special teams is another matter entirely. Heidenreich played on the kickoff return, kickoff and punt teams in the preseason, including some work as the personal protector on the punt team in Buffalo.

"I don't know for sure what I'll be starting on but I'd like to play as much as possible," in the kicking game, Heidenreich maintained. "That's a way I can really impact this team very quickly."

The personal protector position had first and foremost belonged to running back Travis Homer, but he emerged from the cut to 53 on the practice squad. Heidenreich was a gunner at Navy but never did any personal protecting there.
Still, he understands the responsibilities of the job.

"I think the biggest thing is just knowing your responsibilities, making sure you're studying and know what's going on with an opponent.

"The first thing is your box, how many people are in, how many people are on the gunners, if you have anyone moving post-snap, the situation, any sort of cadence. You might want to catch them off guard or take a little longer, whatever the case may be.

"There's a lot that goes into it."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

Listen up: The new Steelers Audio Network lineup excludes the exciting addition of former Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon.

Colon will join Rob King and Max Starks daily for In the Locker from 12-2 p.m.

The full weekly lineup of shows is below.

Monday – Friday
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. The Steelers Blitz w/ Tom Opferman and Vince Williams
12 p.m. - 2 p.m. In the Locker Room w/ Rob King, Max Starks, and Willie Colon
2 p.m. - 4 p.m. The Steelers Report w/ Ed Troup and Brian Batko
4 p.m. - 6 p.m. SNR Drive with Wes Uhler and Matt Williamson

Mondays (starting September 14th)
7 p.m. -8 p.m. The Point After w/ Rob King, Brian Batko and Mike Prisuta

Tuesday (starting September 15th)
7 p.m. – 8 p.m. Chalk Talk w/ Gerry Dulac and Steelers linebacker Jack Sawyer

Thursday (starting September 10th)
7 p.m. – 8 p.m. Steelers Preview w/ Mike Prisuta, Matt Williamson and Merril Hoge

All programs can be heard on 102.5 WDVE-HD2, Fox Sports Pittsburgh 970AM, Steelers Nation Radio on the iHeartRadio App, and the Steelers Mobile App. Daily Podcasts of every show are available on the iHeart Radio App, the Steelers Mobile App and wherever you get podcasts.

Bringing you the action: For fans who don't want to miss any of the action, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch the Steelers live and on the go! Watch live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, live audio and more - all in one place.

**Sign up today**.

Tuesday, September 1

Back to work: Cornerback Joey Porter confirmed that he practiced on Tuesday, after he was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform List on Sunday when the Steelers made their roster moves.

Porter didn't indicate what the future will hold, just focusing on the present.

"I can't speak too much about the future, but today I was out there running with the guys, still trying to get back fully," said Porter. "We're going to take it day by day for the most part. That's the same page me and Coach (Mike McCarthy) have been on so far."

Porter has been out since the start of training camp with a back injury and said that is the only thing that has held him out from practice.

Porter said the back is making progress, though.

"It's feeling pretty good," said Porter. "It's getting back to where it's supposed to be. I'm not saying it's at 100, we're still working on things. We're still ramping stuff up. So, we've just got to keep stacking them by day and hopefully next week it is what it is."

One thing Porter isn't concerned about is the mental aspect, even though he hasn't been involved in new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's scheme yet.

"I don't really think it's a big problem," said Porter. "A defense is a defense. It's all the same stuff, just different languages. So as long as you get the concept with that, then you should be good overall."

Porter also isn't concerned about the chemistry in the secondary after missing so much time on the field.

"Just being in Latrobe with all the guys, being with them every day, you have nothing to do but build that bond," said Porter. "I feel like as a DB room, that's what we really did these past couple months. Just coming together and feeling each other out. Those are my guys. I'm just thankful for them and what they mean to me and that they know what I bring to this team."

Porter is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract, and the topic of him coming to an agreement of a new deal is something that was asked of General Manager Omar Khan on Monday.

"Like any other player, we won't talk publicly about the negotiations per se," said Khan. "But Joey knows how we feel about him, and I still hope Joey finishes his career here."

Porter was also asked about the contract today.

"I could hope and think all day, but it's up to those guys upstairs and what they want to do with this team," said Porter. "All I can do is just show up every day to work and be prepared."

Another piece to the puzzle: Cornerback Joey Porter Jr.'s return to practice today was the latest addition to a secondary that didn't spend much time together in the preseason but is starting to come together just in time for the regular season.

And that has safety Jaquan Brisker pondering the possibilities in anticipation of the regular-season opener on Sept. 13 against Atlanta, and beyond.

"I feel like the secondary is amazing, a lot of great players who can play, who have a lot of skill and are smart and 
talented," Brisker maintained today. "Once we keep practicing and things like that, it's going to be amazing to see."

Porter, Brisker and safety Jalen Ramsey didn't play in any of the three preseason games for various reasons.

Safety DeShom Elliott has opened the regular season on Injured Reserve/Designated for Return and will miss at least the first four games.

"The challenge is just everybody stay together," Brisker said. "DeShon is a great player. He's very smart and when he's healthy, he's great. "Just stay together, play as one."

With multiple players unavailable in the preseason, the secondary's versatility was on display. That's something the Steelers can continue to use to their advantage, Brisker maintained, both in terms of who happens to be in the game in a given instance and how they're deployed.

"The versatility is so great," he said. "You can plug in people everywhere. That's what's so different about this defense. And the coaches are so smart, they're gonna put us in the right positions.

"I feel like you don't know what we're gonna do, and that's the great part about playing on his defense. We're gonna have the offense on their heels."

In addition to digesting a variety of collective schemes and individual responsibilities as presented by the new defensive staff, the defensive backs have bonded during the team-building process.

That's another advantage, in Brisker's estimation.

"We're so close in the locker room," he said. "Ever since OTAs I feel like guys are on the same page. Even when Jalen was out, I was communicating with Jalen. I was communicating with DeShon and guys like that, the whole secondary.

"I feel like the secondary, we're all as one. I feel like this a very close secondary, especially since I'm new to the team. I feel like we've done a great job staying close and staying on the same page."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

Looking good: Steelers Style, the team's annual fashion show featuring players and their families showing off the latest fashions, will take place on Friday, October 9 at 6 p.m. at Stage AE.

The theme of this year's show is 'Forged for the Gridiron: Runway Ready, Gameday Inspired.'

For more than 50 years, Steelers Style has brought together football, fashion, and philanthropy in one unforgettable evening, presented by Neighborhood Ford Store, PNC, UPMC and UPMC Health Plan.

Steelers Style, which is the team's largest annual fundraiser, benefits UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program, Cancer Bridges and the Chuck Noll Foundation.

There will also be an online auction, presented by Acrisure, that will benefit the three charities. More details to follow.

Buy tickets now!

Bringing you the action: For fans who don't want to miss any of the action, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch the Steelers live and on the go! Watch live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, live audio and more - all in one place.

**Sign up today**.