PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers tight end MyCole Pruitt is battling a nagging knee injury that has continued to pop up throughout the season. While he has played in the last three games after missing four games following the injury against the Denver Broncos, Pruitt has missed practice time each week.

The exact injury Pruitt suffered is unknown, but it is clear that it has persisted throughout the entire season and is affecting his mobility. Now, he is doubtful to play against the Baltimore Ravens, and sources say that Pruitt could very well miss the team’s game against the Cleveland Browns next Thursday, too.

With Pruitt likely sidelined, the Steelers will work with the three active tight ends they have on the roster and use Ben Skowronek as a potential add-on if needed. Skowronek’s specialty is blocking, and the Steelers have proven adept at using his skills. In the past, Skowronek has even played fullback while with the Los Angeles Rams.

Pruitt was signed from the Atlanta Falcons. He has followed offensive coordinator Arthur Smith around from his time in Tennessee to Atlanta and now to Pittsburgh.

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It’s an exciting weekend ahead on Pittsburgh’s North Shore for football fans.

The Pitt Panthers prepare to face No. 20 Clemson on Saturday, and the Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, all at Acrisure Stadium. 

But with the Panthers having a noon kickoff on Saturday and the Steelers scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, there’s a limited window of time between games for the stadium to be cleaned and ready to go, and it takes the work of hundreds of staffers working around the clock.

“For our staff, we arrive seven hours prior to kickoff. So, for us, our (deadline) is generally 6 a.m. for a 1 p.m. Steeler game,” says Joe Simon, Acrisure Stadium’s director of facility operations. “With a noon kick, a lot of the activity is done overnight. But it’s not as stressed or compressed, so we are able to get it done well in advance of that 6 a.m. timeframe.”

Simon says between preparing the field, cleaning the stands, and television networks from the respective games tearing down and then setting up, there’s a lot of activity within minutes after the final whistle on Saturday.

“There’s a lot of work right on the field with the signage change up. But obviously, that’s a visible thing that a lot of people see,” he said. “We’ll bring in housekeeping staff as soon as we possibly can. The cleaning of the stadium takes all night long. So, those are the folks that are here the longest throughout the night, as well as our concessionaires, who are working throughout the night cleaning up.”

Meanwhile, on the field, the logos are being re-painted and the markings are being converted from college rules to professional.

“The outline of the ‘PITTSBURGH’ in the North end zone, that outline color changes from a Pitt to a Steeler game,” Simon said. “The pro hash marks are separate from the college hash marks, so as soon as the game is over, the grounds crew will be out here. They’re out here late as well painting over the college hash marks, painting new pro hash marks.”

Throughout the rest of the stadium and in the enclosed areas, signs are replaced from Pitt’s blue and gold to the Steelers’ black and gold.

“That takes the longest, to be really transparent,” said Simon. “There’s a lot of work on the signage because we work with Pitt, and we want Pitt to have their own unique experience on game day. So, we spend a lot of time putting up Pitt signage and obviously, we’ve got to transition that for Steelers signage.”

Due to both teams having multiple games scheduled in prime time or on alternative dates this season (such as Mondays for the Steelers and Thursdays for Pitt), this is the second – and last – time in 2024 that both teams will play home games on the same weekend.

It might be a tough pill to swallow for many, but it might be the right time for the Pittsburgh Penguins to tear things down as look to the future. The Penguins are 6-9-3 with no real signs of improving and have a number of key faces that could fetch large returns on the trade market.

The Penguins already opened the floodgate of trades by sending Lars Eller back to the Washington Capitals for a couple of draft picks. If more trades are on the horizon, what kind of solutions are president and general manager Kyle Dubas looking for?

When Dubas arrived in Pittsburgh, his focus was to find success right away in the final years of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin while restocking the shelves for the future. According to Daren Dregger on TSN’s Insider Trading, the focus may have completely turned to looking ahead.

“He knows what he’s dealing with,” Dreger said. “He’s got the Hall of Famers there. But he also recognizes that given his contract status, the length of his contract, this is going to be a complex project of work. He wants young NHL players are draft picks to build for a better future.”

The first sign of Dubas turning to the future was put on display when he didn’t get another player in return for Eller. Rather he scooped a couple of draft picks for 2025 and 2027 while promoting a young forward to fill the roster space.

Sam Poulin was that young player, who is arguably on his last chance with the Penguins. Poulin is 23 years old with just seven games of NHL experience under his belt over the last three seasons.

Behind Poulin is a slew of youngsters that have budding NHL talent or are among the organization’s top prospects. The Penguins aren’t completely throwing in the towel on the season, but they’re going to give their youth a chance.

If they help out and the Penguins turn things around, that’s great. If things keep going south, there won’t be too many disappointed by the results. Dubas and the Penguins are looking to the future, and they’ll likely be a team to watch as the trade deadline approaches.

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