The words weren't minced, and neither was the sentiment.
"It's about f---ing time, right?"
That's what a veteran on the Steelers' defense told me when I'd mentioned that I couldn't be more impressed by the outside linebacker depth on this roster. You know, T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, rookie wunderkind Nick Herbig and don't-dare-omit Markus Golden. An NFL superstar, another luminary climbing into his own, plus some very, very welcome depth to share in the starters' snap rotation.
Trust me when I share that the above remark was offered with at least a dash of displeasure for what'd been constituting depth in recent years. And though no names were cited, it's easy enough to surmise that the broad target was at the pedestrian likes of, oh, Malik Reed, Jamir Jones, Derrek Tuszka, Taco Charlton, Anthony Chickillo, Melvin Ingram and ... yeah, one gets the idea.
Heck, Ingram didn't even want to be here, remember?
Well, that was then. This is now. And the now has the more experienced members of this defense, including the individual with whom I spoke, seriously stoked for what's ahead at edge rusher, with another vet telling me, "It's all starting there. Everything feeds off the pass rush."
Yep. But it always has, which makes the apparent lack of priority for adding to the position, one that's forever defined Pittsburgh defense, all the more inexplicable. Ever since Bud Dupree's departure through free agency, in fact, it's been as if Watt and Highsmith were challenged to partake in all 70-plus snaps in all 17 games and, if anything goes awry ... uh, we'll deal with it then. Which has been doubly maddening in light of the legit need to rotate edge rushers into the first-team defense more than anywhere else. Watt's regularly stating how he prefers a set number of snaps to sustain the manic motor that's a huge part of his repertoire.
What changed?
I don't have that answer in the definitive, but it's reasonable to surmise that missing Watt for half of the 2022 season to that torn pec would've moved management to act on it. If not, then it could've been Reed contributing one whole sack in his 14 games that included replacing Watt as a starter. And if it's not either of those, then heck, it could've been simple common sense.
MORE STEELERS
• This'll be worth a deeper dive at some stage of the season, but I already love what I've seen/heard regarding Kenny Pickett's management of his offense ... off the field. I don't mean the huddle. I mean all the complaining that can go on, particularly with receivers, and all the football politics that can result. Pickett's stoic attitude: Prove it to me, and I'm with you.
• Gunner Olszewski had a fine camp. Take nothing away from him in making the final 53. But know that Pickett's striking singling out of Olszewski's work ethic and productivity in the early days at Saint Vincent College made a difference. (As did his willingness to restructure his 2023 cap hit down to $2.026 million, thus saving the Steelers $591,500 in space.)
• The Kevin Dotson trade's already being hailed by much of the Nation as another coup for Omar Khan, but this might be the rare case where the hype isn't enough. Les Snead, the Rams' GM who executed the trade with Khan that'll allow the Steelers to move up a round in each of the next two drafts -- fourth round in 2024, fifth round in 2025 -- acknowledged yesterday to reporters in Los Angeles that he'd been trying to get Dotson "most of the preseason," adding that Khan told him he wanted to keep Dotson around to ensure the line stayed healthy. Well, that sounds super-courteous of Khan, but Dotson and Nate Herbig were the Steelers' only consistently unavailable offensive linemen in the preseason, both with shoulder injuries. And there's no chance Herbig was going to be cut, as his issue's seen as minor. Hmmmmmmm ...
• The separator between Khan and Kevin Colbert, per someone who'd know, isn't so much that Khan is more aggressive. Colbert's final couple of years were aggressive, too, and that's more a reflection of how the NFL's changing. No, what's standing out, I'm told, is that Khan's spending more energy and focus studying the other 31 teams' various situations and seizing upon opportunities therein, whereas Colbert generally kept both eyes on the Steelers, old-school-style.
• Remember my source who told me months ago that Montravius Adams remains the guy at nose tackle? Remember how everyone mocked that? Remember how I openly doubted it myself? Yeah, that's a good source. They like Keeanu Benton, but they trust Adams. It'll be fun to watch that play out.
• The Steelers, with David Morehouse now in their employ, announced yesterday they're applying their own 'Student Rush' in offering unused tickets to college students for $50. Expect to see more of this sort of thing. The Rooneys have spoken openly in the past about chasing some of the younger generation in this region that fell hard for the Penguins. Nothing wrong with that.
PIRATES
• I touched on this in a column from PNC Park earlier this week, but I've since been made aware that there are even more players than I'd originally thought who are circumventing the Pirates' pitching/hitting coaches, and that includes some of the organization's most prominent pieces. While it's seen as standard fare to seek outside advice -- Adam Frazier, during his best summer here, acknowledged it was his dad who advised him on where to place his hands on the bat -- it's not the norm for it to feel like an epidemic. It's also not the norm for the people sharing such info to do with sarcasm or a snarl, as is now happening.
• That said, my belief remains that Ben Cherington won't fire Oscar Marin or Andy Haines, no matter how much evidence he's got that one or both are damaging the talent at hand. If this happens, it'll have to come from above. Which wouldn't be without precedent, by the way, or cause. Bear in mind, it's Bob Nutting who stated in passionate terms upon hiring Cherington that he cleaned house just prior to that because he was sick of seeing players become better upon leaving Pittsburgh. Well, we're there again.
• Speaking of stunted development, how much longer can the Pirates get away with hiding Roansy Contreras' missing velocity in the minors? He's had solid results in 16 minor-league innings since his demotion -- 2.81 ERA, .182 opponents' batting average, 15 Ks, six walks -- but the fastball's still sitting in the low '90s, and there are still no internal answers for that. And if he's back in Pittsburgh for September, that's going to be on full display again, probably with poor results. And, in turn, a poor reflection on Marin. That'll be interesting.
• Last time I saw a player with a natural pop off the bat, seemingly effortless, akin to Liover Peguero's ... was with Jose Bautista. And for full context here, I'm not suggesting Peguero has the most power. Just that it's so simple, so easy. That's how Bautista was, and yes, he was that way at PNC Park before the silliest trade in franchise history, except that it was mostly in batting practice.
• Don't rule out Andre Jackson being a real piece for this rotation. One team official told me they've been blown away not only by his swing-and-miss stuff but also by his durability and willingness to take the ball. Never underestimate the latter value within the baseball world.
• Urgency toward 2024? Not from anyone that I've heard. Not a peep. Yet another year of hoping to get better.
PENGUINS
• Tristan Jarry's done plenty already, I've heard, to satisfy the team's wish that he focuses hard on specific conditioning aimed at his lingering injury. That's a positive on multiple fronts, obviously, with one of those being that this injury's very much a manageable thing -- I know what it is, and I've actually had it myself -- if accompanied by the proper commitment.
• The team's takeover of AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will result in dropping 'AT&T' from the handle, and that's about all that's publicly known right now. Some of those associated with the broadcasting brand are nervous, if only for everything feeling so uncertain, and that's understandable. But I can't envision any change affecting Dan Potash, a singular star. The Fenway Sports Group people have shown an awareness of keeping assets of real value throughout the organization.
• This new network will be able to offer blackout-free streaming ... but only for the games to which it holds the rights. So don't get geeked up about some comprehensive, all-Penguins channel. TNT and ESPN will still get their 15 total Penguins games, and the team doesn't hold streaming rights to games on national networks.
• It's September. Real hockey fare isn't far, my friends. Can't wait.
• Thanks for reading Insider.
