Steelers Called Upon to Extend ‘Impactful’ New Addition
The Pittsburgh Steelers were pushed to extend new safety Kyle Dugger before he hits free agency.
One of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ recent midseason acquisitions is making a name for himself already, as NFL writer Kristopher Knox urged head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan to lock up safety Kyle Dugger long-term.
“The Steelers can and should offer a long-term deal to 29-year-old safety Kyle Dugger,” Knox wrote with Bleacher Report.
Reasoning: “Pittsburgh acquired Dugger from New England in exchange for a late-round pick swap, and it has already seen impactful results. Dugger has started all four games in which he’s appeared and has recorded 18 tackles, three passes defended and a pick-six while allowing an opposing passer rating of only 53.1 in coverage.”
Dugger wouldn’t necessarily break the bank, so this could be a low-cost move that helps shore up the back end over the next few seasons.
Kyle Dugger Immediately Unseated Multiple Steelers Safeties After Coming Over via Trade
Dugger was one of the Steelers’ trade acquisitions before the 2025 deadline, and he ended up coming to Pittsburgh and stealing a starting role.
DeShon Elliott suffered a long-term injury around the same time of the trade, and star cornerback Jalen Ramsey was also moved to free safety. Once seeing Dugger fit into the scheme, the Steelers promptly released Juan Thornhill and benched Chuck Clark, switching things up in a big way.
And that was all because of the emergence of Dugger.
A former second-round selection of Bill Belichick’s in 2020, Dugger started 70 total games for the New England Patriots over a five-year period.
Then, unfortunately for the veteran safety, new head coach Mike Vrabel came in and went a different direction at the position. After falling out of favor in New England, the Steelers quickly pounced, giving up the bare minimum to acquire Dugger.
So far, that’s proven to be a wise move by Khan and Tomlin.
Should the Steelers Push to Re-Sign Aaron Rodgers?
Before talking about Dugger, Knox made it clear that he feels Pittsburgh should also consider attempting to re-sign Aaron Rodgers.
“Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will probably be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most important free agent next offseason,” the analyst noted. Adding: “However, there’s no guarantee that the soon-to-be 42-year-old wants to play beyond this season, so any thoughts of an early extension are probably moot.”
It’s true. If the Steelers want to bring back Rodgers, they’ll probably have to play his waiting game once again.
That means potentially having no starting quarterback on the roster throughout the bulk of NFL free agency and the draft. It’d be another risky QB move, and a lot for Rodgers to ask out of the organization after forcing them to wait in 2025.
On the bright side, the Steelers do have both Mason Rudolph and Will Howard under contract in 2026 — let’s say they want to roll the dice on Rodgers playing again.
If he made a decision before the draft, that’d also be helpful, considering Pittsburgh has several picks to work with next April.
Unfortunately, there’s no telling what Rodgers will do until he makes that decision himself. And he probably won’t reveal it until late spring or early summer, judging by his recent track record.
In this sort of scenario, the Steelers would be better off telling Rodgers that he must operate on a quicker timeline this offseason, or they’ll explore new QB options. This is an important spring for Pittsburgh, and Khan and Tomlin have to know where they stand at quarterback early on.
Browns Address Significant Shedeur Sanders Concern Ahead of 49ers Game
The Browns are not concerned about Shedeur Sanders playing in inclement weather.
The Cleveland Browns are expected to face some rough weather as they welcome the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. But head coach Kevin Stefanski is not concerned about how it will affect his rookie quarterback, Shedeur Sanders.
Wind, rain and snow are all expected for the Week 12 clash, which will mark Sanders’ second start of his career. Stefanski expects Sanders to be alright in the miserable conditions, citing where he played his college football.
“He played in Colorado. That’s a lot of wind that you’re going to get,” Stefanski said. “You’re going to get all sorts of weather. So he’s good to go.”
Sanders won his starting debut last week, helping the Browns down the Las Vegas Raiders 24-10. He passes for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the victory. Stefanski hasn’t noticed much change in Sanders this week, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“I wouldn’t say a difference. Very committed to working at it, doing a great job, communicating with his coaches, with the players,” Stefanski said. “Good work week, but nothing different. I think any player though, once you get one game under your belt, you got the next one coming. I think it can only help.”
Shedeur Sanders Not ‘Comfortable’ With Browns
Sanders capitalized on his opportunity in a successful debut, overcoming a tough route to the starting job after falling to the fifth round in the NFL draft. But earning the role hasn’t changed his approach. He’s focused on continuing to make his presence felt.
“I’m definitely not comfortable though, so that’s first and foremost that I have another opportunity to go out there,” Sanders said earlier in the week. “But in life, you’ve got to understand how quickly things come or how long it comes. It could be taken at any point in time. So I’m never comfortable in a situation I’m in. I always want to exceed expectations and I always want to grow. Each and every week, I want to put a better product of myself, be a better version of myself for the team to be out there.”
Part of the challenge for Sanders, if he does start the rest of the season, is proving to the Browns that he can be a long-term solution at quarterback. Cleveland holds two first-round picks next season and could pursue one of the top prospects.
49ers Respect Browns QB Shedeur Sanders
The 49ers face a unique challenge this week: preparing for a quarterback without a ton of NFL tape. Sanders has logged just six regular-season quarters, leaving San Francisco with limited film to study. Still, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh came away impressed with what he saw from Sanders’ debut.
“He’s a good, young quarterback,” Saleh said. “He’s mobile, he’s got a big arm, tremendous confidence. He made a couple of really, really good throws in the game against Vegas, extending plays, getting out of the pocket, delivering the ball where it needed to be delivered.
“Obviously, he showed good command of the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. You anticipate someone like him who’s got that confidence, who has that skill set, he’s just going to get better and better every week.”
The 49ers are a 6.5-point road favorite for the matchup against the Browns.
