Getty Images Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.
If you’re wondering why the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t done any Zoom interviews today, there’s a good reason.
According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN and other Steelers beat reporters, the Steelers have closed their facilities after a player tested positive for COVID-19. The player in question apparently had a “several close contacts,” too.
Contract tracing is ongoing, but in the meantime the team is holding off on cleaning out their lockers and doing exit interviews.
Steelers have sent home coaching staff, players and other staff members out of caution after one player tested positive for COVID-19 that included several close contacts, per Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten. Contact tracing is ongoing.
Houston Texans Were Poised to Hire Omar Khan
Overshadowed somewhat by last night’s embarrassing Wildcard loss to the Cleveland Browns is a report from ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter that the Houston Texans were on a path to hire Steelers Vice President of Football and Business Administration Omar Khan as their next General Manager. That is, until a “sudden and unexpected turn” on the part of Texans owner Cal McNair, who ignored the advice of the corporate search firm he hired and selected Nick Caserio as the organization’s new GM. Caserio comes over from the New England Patriots, where he served as Director of Player Personnel.
Reports indicate that Caserio wasn’t even one of the search firm’s finalists. Reports also indicate that Caserio “received a six-year deal with a base value of $30 million,” with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adding that “it’s been speculated that multiple other candidates from the list of finalists … would have accepted a deal worth half that amount.” But “somehow, executive V.P. of football operations Jack Easterby persuaded owner Cal McNair to hire Caserio, who presumably won’t be a threat to Easterby’s power and influence and, possibly, employment.”
Steelers Have the 24th Overall Pick in the 2021 NFL Draft
By virtue of last night’s 48-37 Wildcard loss, the Steelers get the No. 24 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Pro Football Focus has already posted a mock first round for the 2021 Draft, and for what it’s worth, PFF has the Steelers selecting offensive tackle Rashwan Slater (Northwestern). Slater opted out of the 2020 season, but he allowed only five pressures in 2019 while also producing an exceptional PFF run-blocking grade.
PFF has him as the fourth offensive tackle off the board, behind Penei Sewell (Oregon) at No. 5 to the Cincinnati Bengals, Samuel Cosmi (University of Texas) at No. 13 to the Los Angeles Chargers, and Christian Darrishaw (Virginia Tech) at No. 19 to Washington.
The 2021 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 29 thru May 1 in Cleveland.
This is the fifth time the Steelers have had the No. 24 overall pick in the draft. In 2012, the Steelers selected offensive guard David DeCastro out of Stanford. The other three selections were as follows:
CB Chad Scott (Maryland) 1997
OT Tom Ricketts (Pittsburgh) 1989
DB J.T. Thomas (Florida State) 1973
‘Evil Mike Tomlin’ Tweets
As one might expect, the Twitter parody account of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was in rare form last night.
Well after the game started, he tweeted:
What time does the game start?
He also tweeted:
And finally, a poll question:
Do I keep my job after this game?
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Also Read:
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• Poll of NFL Execs Sees TJ Watt Snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year
• Steelers 2021 Opponents Home and Away