NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Steelers RB Najee Harris wants to stay in Pittsburgh, was 'disappointed for a minute' when team declined option

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since the team declined his fifth-year option in the spring.

The former first-round pick is taking a positive mental approach to his future.

"I was disappointed for a minute, but it's nothing really where me sitting around being disappointed for too long will do anything to help me out," Harris said as the Steelers open training camp. "I think that it is what it is. You've got to keep pushing, and knowing that coming out here and doing what's best for the team and having a good year is what's most important right now."

Harris added that the Steelers said part of the reason the club declined his option was that "they didn't know which direction the offense is headed," per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.

The Steelers fired former offensive coordinator Matt Canada during last season and hired Arthur Smith to lead the offense in early February.

Harris said he wants to remain in Pittsburgh long term but noted that it's "a business" and isn't fretting about the future.

In three seasons with the Steelers, Harris has surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in each campaign. However, the numbers have come with a lot of volume rather than explosive plays. He's averaged 3.9 yards per attempt on 834 carries over his career.

The 26-year-old said that the club declining his fifth-year option doesn't provide any additional motivation.

"I don't need somebody to tell me what I can and can't do," he said. "That doesn't motivate me or anything. I've already had my motivation since I was a kid. It's nothing new to me. I've been in this spotlight and this position pretty much all my life, ever since I was a kid. This is nothing new just more cameras and interviews and questions."

Under Smith, the Steelers figure to split carries between Harris and the more explosive Jaylen Warren in 2024, with the latter possibly siphoning off a larger share than previous seasons.

NFL.com

 

Kevin Stefanski, not offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, will call plays for Browns

Kevin Stefanski teased a big announcement last week, saying he would reveal who was calling the offensive plays for the Browns this week. He did that Thursday.

The Browns head coach will retain play-calling duties.

“I’m going to call the plays next year, so I’m going to get that out of the way. I know everybody is interested,” Stefanski told beat reporters in his news conference. “Any decision I make for our football team, I take a lot of information in. I try to listen to a lot of people and make decisions. Ultimately what I feel really, really confident in is our offensive staff. I feel really strongly about coach [Ken] Dorsey and the entire offensive staff, so we will continue to be an operation that works together. It’s never been a one man show.”

The question was the biggest one for the Browns as they began training camp this week.

After the wild-card playoff loss to the Texans, Stefanski fired Alex Van Pelt and hired Dorsey as offensive coordinator. Dorsey is a veteran play-caller.

Stefanski has called the plays with the Browns since they hired him in 2020, with the lone exception being the wild-card win over the Steelers int he 2020 season when he was out with COVID. Van Pelt called the plays in that game.

This season, Stefanski will continue to send the plays to Deshaun Watson, who played only six games last season because of shoulder injuries. The Browns finished 16th in total yards and tied for 10th in points in 2023 with Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker and Joe Flacco all starting at least one game.

PFT

 

Lions should call the Steelers about Mathew Wright. Solid kicker with no chance of making the roster. May have to wait until final cutdowns but he’s been pretty good wherever he’s kicked

 

Report: Steelers WR coach Zach Azzanni had “heated exchange” with George Pickens

New Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni is not wasting any time in demanding more from No. 1 receiver George Pickens.

Azzanni and Pickens got into a heated exchange at training camp because Azzanni didn’t like what he saw from Pickens, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The report says Pickens “didn’t take kindly to Azzanni’s words” and that Pickens was visibly upset as other receivers approached him afterward.

Azzanni said last month that Pickens “can do anything he wants. He’s that talented. I think you guys all know that. Ray Charles can see that. You don’t need to be a coach. So we know that’s out there for him if he wants it. Now, he’s just got to keep stacking the days and that’s my job, too.”

Pickens was easily the Steelers’ best receiver last year, catching 63 passes for 1,140 yards in a year when the Steelers’ quarterbacks struggled. But the Steelers believe he can be better still. At the start of camp, Azzanni clearly wants to see a better performance from Pickens on the practice field.

PFT

Azzanni coaches Pickens hard

New receivers coach Zach Azzanni and George Pickens got into a heated exchange late in practice when Azzanni didn’t like the way Pickens executed his assignment.

Pickens didn’t take kindly to Azzanni’s words. Some of the other receivers approached Pickens after the exchange, but Pickens was visibly upset.

It’s not a secret the Steelers were unhappy with their receivers last season. They jettisoned Diontae Johnson to the Panthers in exchange for Donte Jackson. There is hope Pickens can reach his full potential under the new offensive staff, but if Thursday was any indication, he’s going to be coached a lot different than he was in his first two NFL seasons when Frisman Jackson was the receivers coach.

PITTSBURGH POST - GAZETTE
________
_________________

Now is the time to work it all out.

 

I just HATE INJURIES!!!!!!

 

Cowboys confirm DE Sam Williams tore his ACL, MCL

An MRI confirmed what the Cowboys feared: Defensive end Sam Williams’ season is finished.

The team confirmed that Williams tore the ACL and the MCL in his left knee during Sunday’s practice. He will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the damage.

The Cowboys’ first significant injury of camp came in their first full padded practice.

It’s a tough break for both Williams and the Cowboys as he was expected to contribute behind Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Williams totaled 8.5 sacks in his first two years combined.

The Cowboys didn’t re-sign Dorance Armstrong or Dante Fowler, counting on Williams to step up. They also used a second-round pick on Marshawn Kneeland.

Durrell Johnson and Junior Fehoko also now have an even bigger opportunity.

 

Colts lose '23 sacks leader Samson Ebukam to torn Achilles

INDIANAPOLIS -- Defensive end Samson Ebukam, the Indianapolis Colts' returning sack leader, has sustained a torn Achilles tendon and is expected to miss this season, a team source confirmed to ESPN.

Ebukam's injury occurred during a full-squad period of Sunday's practice and deals a big blow to the Colts' loaded defensive line.

Ebukam had a team-high 9.5 sacks in 2023, easily a career high for the veteran, who was entering his eighth season. Ebukam also registered a team-high three forced fumbles and trailed only three-time Pro Bowl selection DeForest Buckner with 17 quarterback hits.

ESPN

 

Texans DE Denico Autry banned 6 games for PED policy violation

HOUSTON -- Texans defensive end Denico Autry has been suspended for six games for violating the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing substances, the league announced Monday.

Autry, 34, said in a statement the violation was because his doctors submitted a prescription for a different medication that contained a banned substance. He said he did not intentionally violate the league's policy but accepts the punishment.

"Over the course of my ten-year NFL career, I have never engaged in the use of performance enhancing drugs," Autry said in the statement. "Over that period, I have been subject to countless tests, none of which have ever returned a positive result. I was, therefore, stunned this offseason when I learned that one of my tests returned a positive result."

Autry says upon his investigation of the matter, he "discovered that a pharmacy to which my doctors submitted a prescription for a different medication, had, whether intentionally, recklessly, or negligently, included a banned substance."

"Upon discovering the source of the positive test, I immediately retained legal counsel in connection with this matter. My counsel provided the NFL with information, including documentation from my doctors, establishing that I neither asked for nor was prescribed any banned substances. It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a banned substance," he said.

Autry apologized "to the Texans organization, my teammates, and the fans for any distraction this may cause. Finally, I want to assure our fans that my commitment to competing to the best of my ability has only grown and I look forward to returning to the field."

ESPN

 

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson left Tuesday's practice on a cart.

He appeared to suffer an ankle injury while being tackled on a jet sweep during a short-yardage drill.

Wilson, 23, was a third-round pick (84th overall) in the 2024 NFL draft out of Michigan.

ESPN

 

That is a terrible thing if its serious, especially with a WR room that came into this needed some additional help.

I'll look for details or extent of the injury and post as I see it.

 

Speaking of Steelers...

Quarterback Russell Wilson injured a calf during the team’s conditioning test. On Tuesday, he finally participated in training-camp practice. It was also the first training-camp practice of 2024 in pads.

Via 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, Wilson took a few snaps in 7-on-7 and executed a handoff in 11-on-11 drills.

“I feel good, getting better every day,” Wilson said, via 93.7 The Fan. “It’s just good to be out here with the guys, putting the helmet on. Getting the work today, the quarterback drills and fundamental work. Being in there with the fellas is always the best part. It was a good day.”

Still, he didn’t do much. And it sounds like coach Mike Tomlin isn’t ready to hit the gas.

“We will play it day-to-day and play it by ear,” Tomlin said. “I’m slowing down the progress and I’ve been pretty clear about this.”

 

Oh man they were just brutal and cold blooded how they got blasted the one's they did not see were just BRUTAL

 

Bears extend D.J. Moore for four years

Last year, he got traded. This year, he’s getting paid.

Bears receiver D.J. Moore has agreed to a four-year extension. It has a base value of $110 million with $82.6 million guaranteed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.

That’s a new-money average of $27.5 million.

Moore had two years left on his prior contract. He was due to make $15.85 million in 2024 and $14.85 million in 2025. He’s now under contract for six years at $130.35 million. It’s an average from signing of $21.725 million.

Moore was part of the trade that allowed the Panthers to move up and draft quarterback Bryce Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 draft. The trade package also included Carolina’s first-round pick in 2024. Which became the first overall pick. Which became quarterback Caleb Williams.

A first-round pick of the Panthers in 2018, Moore caught 96 passes for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns last year, his first full season with the Bears. All three were career highs.

 

Considered, week-to-week and thats great news in relative terms.

 

Actually this Moore extension is the biggest contract in Bears history. source - Schefter

 

Nice to have a stud wideout