PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers get “first dibs” on the only quarterback they’re known to have “expressed interest” in. And as more and more reports emerge, it’s becoming somewhat clear what side the noise is coming from – and what quarterback is being talked about more.

So far, Steelers fans have sat around waiting for any noise about Justin Fields. There have been plenty of reports, even some coming from Steelers On SI, that have made it clear the belief is Fields is Pittsburgh’s top choice. But there’s constant noise coming from the Russell Wilson side, and that noise always makes it sound like the Steelers are close to locking in a deal.

This time, it’s that Pittsburgh has already expressed their interest in the quarterback. This comes after Wilson said he and the Steelers have had conversations about a contract. Both of which could be 100% accurate, or coming from the same camp that’s making it look like there’s more interest than there is.

Why would that be? Well, because one side can get a deal elsewhere. And maybe, it’s better to operate the NFL like a business.

Well, here’s where we currently stand. It’s time to explain what’s being reported, and what’s being said internally. And why the latest news on the Steelers quarterback situation may not be all it’s chalked up as.

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MOBILE, Ala. — The Pittsburgh Steelers love themselves some Senior Bowl players, and that looks primed to continue in 2025. With such heavy focus on the defensive line in the first two days, what happened on the third day? Here are my notes from the practices:

– Assistant general manager Andy Weidl showed up for the Steelers on Thursday. Head coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan, and others have left to head ack to Pittsburgh. Weidl was at the Shrine Bowl last week and is now in Mobile, conducting interviews and getting to know the players. Tracking Weidl, he spent time at just about every need, including quarterback, wide receiver, running back, defensive line, and cornerback. So, it is no surprise to see the Steelers trace what are their top five needs in a class deep at three of them and shallow in two (quarterback and wide receiver).

– A member of the strength and conditioning staff, Rod Moore, was another member on the field for the Steelers. Other scouts, such as Sheldon White, remained in a booth, but Moore watched exclusively defensive linemen. At one point, he talked to Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott.

– Weidl, on the other hand, spent a lot of time on the star of the week, Toledo’s Darius Alexander. Alexander is explosive and dominated the entire week. Out of the players down here, he may have been the biggest winner from the defensive line crop. He was once a day-three pick, but this is the start of a strong process that will likely get him into day two. He said he met with Weidl on Thursday night and is firmly on the team’s radar.

– Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas has only furthered his stock this year to me. He looks like a player who will end up a first-round pick. The combination of size and speed at the position, plus ball skills, is necessary in an NFL where receivers are better than ever, and man coverage is being deployed with a lot of blitz-heavy schemes. Thomas can do all of that, but not only is he a press-man corner, but he is comfortable in off-man coverage and has good eyes in zone coverage. This is a complete cornerback.

– Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten is someone who I have talked up a lot this week, and for a good reason. Tuten is a dynamic zone running back with breakaway speed. That speed is rare, and it alone puts him on the Steelers’ radar, given their needs. However, Tuten’s pass-protection ability was a nice surprise. In backs-on-backers, Tuten stunned just about everyone he went up against with great fight and surprising hand punch. That gives him some unique three-down ability that I am not sure I knew he had, but he could, an that only furthers his stock.

– I do like Miami running back Damien Martinez. He is the opposite of Tuten, and no one will confuse him for a burner. However, he does the little things of the position right. He presses the line of scrimmage and creates extra yards for himself. In terms of identification and overall technique, his pass protection is some of the best in the entire class. On top of that, Martinez is just a solid football player. The Steelers could go for dependability with someone like him rather than true speed.

– Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals is a fun player. His thicker build allows him to create yards after the catch, and his explosiveness in and out of breaks pops off the tape immediately. Royals won consistently this week. He, along with TCU’s Jack Bech, really grabbed my attention. I like Bech’s fit a little more in the Steelers’ offense, but Royals is a dynamic weapon.

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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely be moving on from Najee Harris as they head into next season due to not exercising his fifth-year option last offseason.

With Harris no longer in the picture, the Steelers would need to make significant moves in order to replace a consistent 1,000 yards a season.

Although this year’s running back class projects to be one of the deepest in a long time, the Steelers may look to make a splash at the position in the first round.

With the second-most rushing yards in a single season in NCAA history (falling short by 28 yards), former Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty projects as a high-level contributor at the next level and will be a top running back selected in this draft.

Although he didn’t beat Barry Sanders’ records for single-season rushing yards and touchdowns, he did break almost every Boise State record.

Kyle Crabbs of media outlet The 33rd Team projects that the Steelers will take Jeanty in the first round, dropping team fit for a best player available approach for the Steelers selection.

“The Steelers’ DNA is well established.” Crabbs wrote. “This team embraces a physical brand of football, and under Mike Tomlin, they will want to play smash-mouth football and run the ball. Najee Harris is set to hit free agency this offseason after four years and nearly 1,300 touches from scrimmage. Resigning him would not be a bad idea, but spending on a running back is always controversial. Instead, Pittsburgh could take advantage of the slide experienced by Ashton Jeanty here to get a fresh workhorse behind their revamped offensive line courtesy of recent draft classes.”

Although it’s unlikely that Jeanty falls to the 21st pick where the Steelers will select, it would be quite the selection for a Steelers team in need of a dynamic running back. The Steelers should not worry if they cannot land Jeanty, however, due to the depth at the positon in this year’s draft.

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