Pittsburg, PA

Steelers wrap up OTAs ahead of next week’s mandatory minicamp

Published

2 years ago

June 7, 2024

Steelers wrap up OTAs ahead of next week’s mandatory minicamp

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Steelers held their final day of organized team activities on Thursday ahead of next week’s mandatory minicamp.

The team will continue installing a new offense with a new coordinator and three new quarterbacks.

Justin Fields has been a focal point throughout the Steelers’ offseason program after being traded by the Chicago Bears, along with focusing on developing a rhythm with wide receiver George Pickens being a high priority.

Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is tackled while surrounded by a group of Arizona Cardinals players on Dec. 3rd, 2023 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

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Pickens led the league last year, averaging 18.1 yards per catch last season, but Fields says his connection with Pickens goes back a long way.

“I knew George before ya’ll knew George,” Fields said. “I’ve known George since high school and he’s always been the same, just a freak athlete, a crazy receiver and you can just throw it up there. When nobody’s open, he’s most likely gonna come down with it. I mean, he’s the same player I’ve known since high school, so it’s just playing ball out there, that’s it. I know with me, when I see George one-on-one every time on the field, I’m trying to throw it to him right now especially to get those reps in and get that connection right now. Like I said, he’s a great receiver and a great athlete.”

Meanwhile, one of the new faces on the team that’s already familiar with the offensive system is Cordarrelle Patterson.

Indianapolis Colts v Atlanta Falcons — ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 24: Cordarrelle Patterson #84 of the Atlanta Falcons looks for yardage during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.

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The past three seasons, Patterson played running back for the Falcons where new Steelers offensive coordinator was the head coach.

Before that, Patterson played wide receiver for eight seasons.

He says he’s comfortable playing both positions in addition to his multiple all-pro seasons as a kick returner — but says whatever the team asks him to do, he’ll be ready to step in.

“I’ve been in this offense three years now, going on four years,” Patterson said. “Arthur knows me. He knows me from up and down and knows what I can and can’t do. I know he’s going to take advantage of that this year. I’m excited for that. I’ll go everywhere. Honestly, man. I’ll be sitting with the quarterbacks sometimes. They might want to put a pass in for me. So, I’ve just got to be ready for whatever.”

Mandatory minicamp will get underway on Tuesday.

Josh Taylor

Josh Taylor joined the KDKA Sports team in 2015 as an anchor, reporter and producer, after spending more than two years as the weekend sports anchor at KHBS-KHOG in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

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Pittsburg, PA

Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes 3/10/2026

Published

9 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes 3/10/2026

Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (31-17-14, 76 points, 3rd place Metropolitan Division) @ Carolina Hurricanes (35-22-5, 75 points, 5th place Atlantic Division)

How to Watch: Local broadcasts on FanDuel Sports Network South and SportsNet Pittsburgh, streaming on ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are heading out West later this week to play some late-night games against the Vegas Golden Knights (Thursday, 10 p.m. ET), Utah Mammoth (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET) and Colorado Avalanche (Monday, 9:30 p.m. ET). Then it’s back for a rematch with the Hurricanes in North Carolina next Wednesday.

Opponent Track: The Hurricanes are still on top of the Metro, and they’ve won seven of their last nine, but they’re coming off a loss in Calgary that featured a wild five-goal third period last Saturday.

Season Series: The Penguins won this last matchup 5-1 on Dec. 30. Next up is that road game next Wednesday, followed four days later by a 3 p.m. ET Sunday matinee in Pittsburgh.

Hidden Stat: The Penguins haven’t won in Carolina since March 2019. The visitors are 0-4-4 in eight matchups over that span.

Getting to know the Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis

Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake

Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook

William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson

Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield

K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker

Mike Reilly – Alexander Nikishin

Goalies: Brandon Bussi, Frederik Andersen

Potential scratches: Shayne Gostisbehere (day to day)

Injured Reserve: Charles-Alexis Legault, Pyotr Kochetkov, Nicolas Deslauriers

Gostisbehere missed the Hurricanes’ Saturday loss to the Flames with a lower-body injury. Mike Reilly will likely slide out of this lineup if he is able to go.

Nicolas Deslauriers has yet to make his Hurricanes debut since his trade from the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Canes decide to slot him into the lineup Monday night, he would slot into their fourth line.
The Hurricanes have historically been a tough matchup for the Pens, but the Penguins could take some lessons from the Flames. Calgary got beaten on face-offs (52.5 percent to 47.5 percent) and 5-on-5 scoring chances (24 to 21) while holding strong on hits (26-20) and getting some nice saves from Dustin Wolf to claim a 5-4 win over the Canes on Saturday.

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust

Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Ville Koivunen

Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Ilya Solovyov

Goalies: Arturs Silovs, Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (suspended), Ryan Graves, Connor Clifton, Kevin Hayes, Justin Brazeau (day to day)

IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander

Jack St. Ivany is off IR. He’s headed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan, per Seth Rorabaugh.
Justin Breazeau’s status is uncertain after he was sidelined against the Bruins on Sunday with a day-to-day upper-body injury.
Today should also lead to more information on whether Sidney Crosby is joining the team for the upcoming five-game road trip. Dane Muse said Sunday that decision would be made after the matchup against the Boston Bruins.
Evgeni Malkin is set to miss the third game of his five-game suspension tonight. He won’t be eligible to return until the Penguins rematch against the Hurricanes next week.
It’s a milestone game for Kyle Dubas, who has served as general manager for 600 career games, per Pens PR. A win tonight would tie him with Steve Yzerman for the 14th-most wins through that milestone with 326 victories.

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Pittsburg, PA

Steelers sign breakout star running back

Published

21 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Steelers sign breakout star running back

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t done making moves on the first day of legal tampering. Per Jordan Schultz, the Steelers are signing former Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. The South Carolina product rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, averaging just under five yards per rush in each season.

This comes after the Steelers were very active on unofficial beginning of the new league year. They traded for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr and also signed cornerback Jamel Dean. Internally, they re-signed cornerback Asante Samuel Jr and linebacker Cole Holcomb.

Dowdle now joins Jaylen Warren in the backfield, replacing Kenneth Gainwell, who left for Tampa Bay. On paper, this is one of the better one-two punches at running back in the NFL.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

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Pittsburg, PA

Stanford meets Pittsburgh in ACC Tournament

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Stanford meets Pittsburgh in ACC Tournament

Pittsburgh Panthers (12-19, 5-13 ACC) vs. Stanford Cardinal (20-11, 9-9 ACC)

Charlotte, North Carolina; Tuesday, 2 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Stanford faces Pittsburgh in the ACC Tournament.

The Cardinal have gone 9-9 against ACC teams, with an 11-2 record in non-conference play. Stanford has a 3-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Panthers’ record in ACC games is 5-13. Pittsburgh has a 2-2 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

Stanford is shooting 43.7% from the field this season, 2.0 percentage points lower than the 45.7% Pittsburgh allows to opponents. Pittsburgh’s 43.6% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.0 percentage points lower than Stanford has given up to its opponents (45.6%).

The teams square off for the second time this season. Stanford won the last meeting 75-67 on Feb. 26. Ebuka Okorie scored 34 to help lead Stanford to the win, and Cameron Corhen scored 22 points for Pittsburgh.

TOP PERFORMERS: Okorie is scoring 23.1 points per game with 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Cardinal. Benny Gealer is averaging 13.1 points and 1.7 steals over the past 10 games.

Corhen is scoring 13.1 points per game with 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Panthers. Barry Dunning Jr. is averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinal: 6-4, averaging 77.9 points, 29.6 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.4 points per game.

Panthers: 3-7, averaging 64.2 points, 29.4 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 6.6 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 42.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.8 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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