Pittsburgh Steelers
FILE - Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth (87) looks for a pass during warmups before an NCAA college football game against Ohio State in State College, Pa., in this Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, file photo. Steelers rookie Freiermuth took over former tight end Vance McDonald's locker ... right next to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File)
Fresh start: Steelers rookies understand high expectations

By Will Graves May. 14, 2021 04:19 PM EDT

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady throws against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game in Tampa, Fla., in this Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, file photo. The NFL is returning to London in October and Tom Brady begins his pursuit of an eighth Super Bowl title against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys when Tampa Bay hosts the league’s annual kickoff game on Sept. 9. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Brady-Prescott kicks off NFL season plus a return to London

By Rob Maaddi May. 12, 2021 11:47 AM EDT

FILE - Former Clemson teammates Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence pose with their Jacksonville Jaguars jerseys during an introductory press conference in Jacksonville, Fla., in this Friday, April 30, 2021, file photo. (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP, File)
Reunion Tour: College teammates getting back together in NFL

By Mark Long May. 11, 2021 04:02 PM EDT

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva (78) blocks during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Pittsburgh, in this Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, file photo. The Baltimore Ravens have signed two-time Pro Bowl tackle Alejandro Villanueva to a two-year deal, Tuesday, May 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Ravens sign free agent OT Villanueva away from Steelers

May. 04, 2021 02:14 PM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2021, file photo, Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book (12) throws a pass in the first half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Alabama in Arlington, Texas. Perhaps the best-known collegian selected in the fourth round Saturday was Book. And Book went somewhere with a QB opening: New Orleans, which saw career passing leader Drew Brees retire. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman, File)
Lower-round QBs face long odds to make it in NFL

By Josh Dubow May. 03, 2021 04:46 PM EDT

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walks on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., in this Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, file photo. The Steelers have the 24th overall pick in the draft and could use it to find a replacement for longtime Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey, who retired during the offseason.(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
Ready to run? Steelers use draft to address running game

By Will Graves May. 01, 2021 08:12 PM EDT

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walks on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., in this Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, file photo. The Steelers have the 24th overall pick in the draft and could use it to find a replacement for longtime Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey, who retired during the offseason.(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
Steelers focus on physicality in early rounds of NFL draft

By Will Graves Apr. 30, 2021 09:06 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2019, file photo, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence greets fans as he arrives for the team's NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Clemson, S.C. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are expected to be the top two picks selected in the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 29, 20212, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)
Column: Drafting a franchise QB always a risky endeavor

By Paul Newberry Apr. 30, 2021 03:49 PM EDT

FILE - Florida tight end Kyle Pitts (84) breaks free from a Missouri defender as he runs a pass pattern during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Gainesville, Fla., in this Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, file photo. Pitts is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft, April 29-May 1, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
NFL draft: Players selected in the first round

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 29, 2021 11:38 PM EDT

Images of Alabama running back Najee Harris are displayed after the Pittsburgh Steelers made him the 25th pick in the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Steelers turn to Alabama star Harris to jump-start run game

By Will Graves Apr. 29, 2021 11:29 PM EDT

Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II greets fans after he was chosen by the Denver Broncos with the ninth pick during the first round of the NFL football draft Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Surprise: Denver Broncos pick DB Pat Surtain II in Round 1

By Arnie Stapleton Apr. 29, 2021 09:50 PM EDT

FILE - Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) celebrates with Xavier Williams (9) after scoring a touchdown against Auburn during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Auburn, Ala., in this Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, file photo. Waddle is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft, April 29-May 1, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)
Dolphins take Alabama's Waddle, Miami's Phillips in draft

By Steven Wine Apr. 29, 2021 09:12 PM EDT

FILE - BYU quarterback Zach Wilson (1) celebrates an overtime win against Tennessee with fans in an NCAA college football game in Knoxville, Tenn., in this Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, file photo. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are expected to be the top two picks selected in the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 29, 20212, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)
NFL Draft: Players selected in the first round

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 29, 2021 09:05 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2019, file photo, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence greets fans as he arrives for the team's NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Clemson, S.C. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are expected to be the top two picks selected in the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 29, 20212, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)
Jaguars open NFL draft, Meyer era by drafting Lawrence

By Mark Long Apr. 29, 2021 08:29 PM EDT

Steelers sign QB Mason Rudolph to extension through 2022

Apr. 29, 2021 08:03 PM EDT
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed backup quarterback Mason Rudolph to a one-year contract extension through the 2022 season. ...

Workers continue preparing the NFL Draft Theatre for the 2021 NFL Draft, Tuesday, April 27, 2021, in Cleveland. After going all virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the three-day draft, which has grown into one of America's biggest, non-game sporting events, returns with thousands of fans who will be separated by their loyalties, and whether they've been vaccinated. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Networks realize draft drama without frills sometimes best

By Joe Reedy Apr. 28, 2021 07:34 PM EDT

FILE - Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) waves as he runs off the field after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, in this Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, file photo. The Carolina Panthers are trading quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos, a person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press. The person, speaking Wednesday, April 28, 2021, on condition of anonymity because neither team has announced the trade, said the Panthers are getting a sixth-round draft pick in return. (AP Photo/Brett Duke, File)
Panthers trading Teddy Bridgewater to Broncos

By Arnie Stapleton Apr. 28, 2021 02:14 PM EDT

FILE - Alabama quarterback Mac Jones passes against Ohio State during the second half of an NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans, in this Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, file photo. Jones is a likely first round pick in the NFL Draft, April 29-May 1, 2021, in Cleveland.(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
NFL draft could see record run of quarterbacks taken

By Josh Dubow Apr. 28, 2021 02:32 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2021, file photo, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell talks during a ceremony as part of Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, Fla. The NFL is modifying COVID-19 protocols for all personnel who have been fully vaccinated. In a memo sent by Commissioner Roger Goodell to the 32 clubs Friday, April 23, 2021, and obtained by The Associated Press, he cited the “advice of our medical and scientific experts” for the agreement to modify protocols to ”reflect the reduced risk of infection and transmission for fully vaccinated individuals." (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Column: Will draft make your team better? Don't bet on it.

By Tim Dahlberg Apr. 27, 2021 02:53 PM EDT

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks to players on the sidelines during an NFL football game against the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., in this Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, file photo. The Steelers signed their longtime head coach to a three-year contract extension on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, that runs through the 2024 season. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Steelers comfortable with QB situation ahead of NFL draft

By Will Graves Apr. 26, 2021 05:16 PM EDT