It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:
What’s the latest on the Steelers’ upcoming opponent? (In this case, more Bengals links):
Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:
(From ESPN’s Brooke Pryor): “A lot of stuff wasn’t working,” Rodgers said. “We were bad on third down. I was just a little bit off. I missed DK [Metcalf] early. Could have been a big play. ... I missed some throws for sure. And then we weren’t getting guys open ... times the guys were open, I missed some throws I usually make.”
The Steelers quarterback, to his credit, was self-critical following the Steelers’ loss to the Chargers.
(From the Associated Press’ Curt Anderson): Former Steelers star receiver Antonio Brown was returning Tuesday to Miami to face an attempted murder charge stemming from a May shooting, with his lawyer filing a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Jail records in Essex County, New Jersey, show Brown was released late Tuesday morning for the transfer to Florida. The former All-Pro wide receiver had waived extradition to Florida from New Jersey, where he was brought following his arrest in Dubai.
The latest on the increasingly tragic post-NFL story of former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.
(From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac): Much of what happened Sunday night in SoFi Stadium was not the fault of the Steelers defense, not when the offense continues to post anemic numbers that apparently are causing a headache for Mike Tomlin.
But this much is known about this Steelers team:
The defense is solely reliant on getting takeaways and is not good enough to win games without them.
A longtime Steelers beat writer diagnoses the Steelers’ struggles this season.
Ben Sauls continues to find NFL work after a strong preseason in Pittsburgh.
I’d also bet the reasons above are why Samuel signed with the Steelers over the many other interested teams in the first place. Despite having a solid secondary on paper to open the season, Pittsburgh has dealt with injuries and disappointing play in the defensive backfield all year. Samuel, despite being a practice squad signing, has a real chance at seeing playing time in the near future.
Will Asante Samuel Jr. play against the Bengals on Sunday?
Look, there’s no way of knowing just how conditioned Samuel is, but there is a clear difference between being in shape and being in football shape. Starting a defender who hasn’t played since Week 4 of 2024 in a new defense against Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins sounds like a risk — and if Samuel was that ready to start, I struggle to see why Pittsburgh would risk starting him off on the practice squad.
Maybe Samuel gets elevated on Sunday and sees a few snaps as he works his way back. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up immediately.
How soon do you think Asante Samuel Jr. can play on the Steeler defense? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!