Black & Yellow | Pittsburgh Steelers M26

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Steelers Finish Free Agency With Signing Of Mark Fletcher Jr.

Pittsburgh, PA. - =The Pittsburgh Steelers closed out their free agency period quietly Monday, signing former Detroit Lions running back Mark Fletcher Jr. to fill the backfield void created by the trade of Rueben Owens earlier in the week.

Fletcher Jr. spent the majority of his career backing up Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit after being selected in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but flashed genuine starter-caliber ability during the 2028 season when Gibbs was sidelined with an injury. In his most extended opportunity as a professional, Fletcher Jr. rushed for 537 yards on 153 carries and found the end zone eight times — a sample size small enough to warrant caution but compelling enough to keep him on NFL rosters ever since.

Scheelhaase was direct about what Fletcher Jr. brings to a backfield that already features the explosive Juan Steward as its primary weapon.

"Mark is a physical runner who fights through contact and plays to the whistle," Scheelhaase said. "He's an excellent change of pace from Juan's explosiveness, and we're confident he can contribute right away."

The signing brings Pittsburgh's free agency activity to a close — a deliberately restrained period bookended by the blockbuster Allen trade that consumed the bulk of the organization's financial energy and attention. The Steelers were never going to be lavish spenders this offseason, and they weren't. The additions of Denzel Ward, Trenton Simpson, and Fletcher Jr. addressed specific depth needs without overextending a cap sheet already stretched by Allen's contract and the restructures required to make the trade possible.

What Pittsburgh does retain heading into April is a draft capital portfolio that remains surprisingly robust despite the cost of acquiring Allen. The Steelers own their own first-round pick, two second-round selections, and at least one pick in every remaining round. It is by all accounts enough ammunition for Khan to continue adding youth and depth to a roster making one final championship push.


Steelers Free Agent Signings
LB Trenton Simpson
CB Denzel Ward
HB Mark Fletcher Jr.

[Captain Canada]

Soapy's wet dream (except for the whole Steelers part of things).

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Soapy's wet dream (except for the whole Steelers part of things).

sometimes you gotta sign a guy for the people

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Wisconsin's Braylon Curtis Heading To Pittsburgh In First Round

Pittsburgh, PA. - The Pittsburgh Steelers may have traded away a first-round pick to acquire Josh Allen earlier this offseason, but they still had their own selection—having sent Buffalo the pick acquired from Baltimore in last year's draft day trade—and they used it to address one of the most glaring needs left on the roster.

With the 30th overall pick in the 2031 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh selected Wisconsin wide receiver Braylon Curtis, the second receiver off the board and the fastest player in the entire class by a significant margin.

Mel Kiper Jr. wasted no time framing the pick in the context of what the Steelers lost when Zachariah Branch departed in free agency.

"Curtis is the fastest man in this draft, bar none," Kiper said during ESPN's draft coverage. "And that speed translates directly onto the field — he looks like he teleports around defenders at times. He isn't going to win contested fifty-fifty balls. He doesn't have the size or the frame for that at six feet and 185 pounds. But what he is, is a genuinely dangerous weapon in space. The Steelers had yet to find someone to replace the explosive element that left with Zachariah Branch. Well, they found it now."

Curtis measured in at exactly 6'0" and 185 pounds at the NFL Combine, and his speed numbers drew comparisons to some of the more electric receivers to come through the draft process in recent memory. Paired alongside DK Metcalf and Ryan Williams, he gives Josh Allen a receiving corps with a dynamic range—from Metcalf's physical dominance at the catch point to Curtis' ability to stress defenses vertically and create explosive plays after the catch, and Williams who is a blend of both.

Pittsburgh returns to the clock next with the 16th pick of the second round, acquired in the Rueben Owens trade to Philadelphia earlier this offseason.


First Round Results
EDGE Karl Griffith | Alabama
EDGE Daryl Whitfield | Oklahoma
DT Peter Russell | Penn State
EDGE Cordale Stanton | Virginia Tech
WR Kyree Haselwood | Utah
CB BJ Williams | Texas
EDGE Gordon Dillard | Washington
LT Julian Moreno | Clemson
QB Julian Mann | Florida State
CB Dell Tuck | Tulane
CB Jose Hatchett | Louisville
CB Rafael Stockton | Texas A&M
CB Eric Lewis | Oregon
DT Mike Shelley | Oklahoma
DT Jimmy Estrada | Washington
CB Jacoby Crompton | Temple
LT Mitch Baldwin | Michigan
LT Charlie Truman | Stanford
QB Evan Gilbert | Wisconsin
LT Dom Wendell | UCF
LT Bobby Ross | LSU
CB PJ Bost | Arizona
RT Javonte Norris | Texas
CB Jarrick Biddle | Florida State
EDGE Max Strait | LSU
LT Sam Krueger | Oregon State
CB Jamie Reddick | USC
RT Deveon Tate | UCLA
RT Rich Ellington | Alabama
LT Tracy Leak | Miami
LT Jose Enrique | South Carolina

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Welcome Back, Minkah

Pittsburgh, PA. - The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the clock with the 16th pick of the second round Friday afternoon and made no move toward the podium. Instead, Omar Khan and his staff were working the phones.

When Commissioner Roger Goodell finally stepped to the microphone, it was not to announce a Pittsburgh selection.

It was to announce a trade.

The Steelers sent both of their second-round picks — 16th and 30th overall — along with the third-round selection acquired from Denver at 67th overall to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, reuniting one of the most beloved defensive players in recent Pittsburgh history with the organization.

The reaction on social media was immediate and unambiguous.

"WE'RE BRINGING MINKAH BACK?! OH HECK YEAH!" posted SteelCurtain69 on X, a sentiment echoed across Pittsburgh's famously passionate fanbase within minutes of the announcement.

Ryan Clark offered measured but enthusiastic analysis during ESPN's draft coverage, framing the acquisition in the context of what Pittsburgh actually needs from Fitzpatrick at this stage of his career.

"Look, this isn't the same Minkah Fitzpatrick that left Pittsburgh five years ago," Clark said. "He's older, maybe a step slower. But the instincts are still there. The playmaking is still there, and that's what they traded for. And he doesn't have to be the difference maker anymore — they've got Perkins Jr., Jermaine Ward, Joey Porter Jr., and Cooper DeJean. They need him to hunt big plays. And he can still do that better than almost anyone in this league."

Sources confirmed that Pittsburgh had explored several alternatives before ultimately landing on Fitzpatrick. The Steelers held discussions with the Jacksonville Jaguars about Kyle Hamilton, engaged the Dallas Cowboys regarding KJ Bolden, and had preliminary conversations with the Denver Broncos about Jalen Kilgore. None of those conversations produced the right combination of fit, cost, and availability that Fitzpatrick's situation offered — and for a franchise that prides itself on continuity and culture, the emotional dimension of a reunion was not lost on anyone in the building.

T.J. Watt made that sentiment explicit when reached for comment Friday afternoon.

"We definitely have a soft spot for Minkah," Watt said. "And moves like this tell me everything I need to know about where this organization's head is at. We're not playing around."

With the Fitzpatrick trade consuming Pittsburgh's remaining Day 2 capital, the Steelers will not return to the draft board until the fourth round Saturday.

[Captain Canada]

Won't lie, kind of surprised you still had your first round pick, figured that was automatically included in the Josh Allen trade.

Getting Minkah back too? Really putting the band back together here.

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Won't lie, kind of surprised you still had your first round pick, figured that was automatically included in the Josh Allen trade.

Getting Minkah back too? Really putting the band back together here.

I had two firsts this year because of that trade last year that soapy roasted me for, trading back with the Ravens. They had the 12th overall pick and I had the 30th. In terms of realism, I figured it would make more sense for them to want the better of the two firsts and then a first next year too, so they've got doubles in back to back drafts. You don't see teams with 3 first round picks very often

I needed a safety after Brown walked and none of them in the FA class moved me. Minkah can still nab INTs and that's all I need him for

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Pittsburgh Adds Depth Throughout Day Three

Pittsburgh, PA. - After a draft defined by blockbuster trades and splashy acquisitions, the Pittsburgh Steelers spent Saturday doing the unglamorous but necessary work of fortifying the backend of a roster built to compete for a championship — selecting four prospects across the fourth through seventh rounds with an eye toward depth, development, and one genuinely compelling reclamation project.

R4 — MLB Diego Ruiz, South Carolina

Pittsburgh opened Day 3 with an athleticism investment at linebacker, selecting Diego Ruiz with their fourth-round pick. Ruiz is the kind of prospect that makes defensive coordinators salivate on paper, a heat-seeking missile with elite closing speed and the burst to blow up plays in the backfield before they develop. Brian Flores will find no shortage of creative ways to deploy that athleticism within Pittsburgh's scheme.

The caveat is significant, however. Ruiz's coverage skills lag considerably behind his athletic profile, limiting his early-career utility to situational snaps rather than three-down linebacker work. He projects as a rotational piece and a core special teamer in the short term, with the hope that NFL coaching can refine the coverage deficiencies that kept him out of Day 2 conversation. The ceiling is tantalizing. The floor requires patience.

R5 — DT Fernando Hernandez, Oklahoma

Pittsburgh continued the nose tackle pipeline they established with Tyler Chavez's selection a year ago, adding Oklahoma's Fernando Hernandez in the fifth round, a mammoth interior anchor who uses his considerable size and leverage to clog running lanes and occupy blockers at the point of attack.

Hernandez is not a pass rusher and makes no pretense of being one. What he is, at his best, is exactly what a 3-4 defense needs in the middle, an immovable presence who commands double teams, frees up the linebackers behind him, and consistently wins the battle at the line of scrimmage against the run. The comparison to Chavez is apt in both profile and projection. Pittsburgh appears to have found a developmental formula at the position and is committed to stocking the pantry accordingly.

R6 — RB Brenden Bullough, Rutgers

This is the pick that will generate the most conversation, and the most scrutiny.

Bullough entered the 2030 college football season as a legitimate second or third round prospect, a powerful, physical running back with surprisingly soft hands for his size and the kind of between-the-tackles authority that translates directly to the NFL level. Then the Penn State game happened.

A highly publicized sideline altercation with Nittany Lions linebacker Teddy Byars in which Bullough threw multiple punches and shoved an official in the ensuing scrum resulted in his dismissal from the Rutgers program and sent his draft stock into freefall. The incident has followed him through every pre-draft interview and will continue to follow him into training camp.

Pittsburgh addressed it directly.

"We talked with Brenden extensively about that incident and his time in Piscataway," Scheelhaase said. "We're confident he's grown as a young man, that he recognizes his mistake, and that he will do everything in his power to live up to the Steeler Standard."

It is worth noting, with no small measure of irony, that Byars. the player on the other end of that sideline confrontation, was selected in the second round by the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the draft. The two will meet twice a year in the AFC North for the foreseeable future, a subplot that will not be lost on anyone who watched the original incident unfold.

On the field, Bullough's talent is genuine. The power running ability, the pass-catching out of the backfield, and the physicality that made him a high-profile recruit are all still there. Pittsburgh is betting the character concerns are behind him. The sixth round is exactly the right price for that gamble.

R7 — TE Glen DiNapoli, Penn State

Pittsburgh stayed close to home with their final selection, nabbing Penn State tight end Glen DiNapoli with the 30th pick of the seventh round in what is best described as a project pick with a narrow path to roster contribution.

DiNapoli has the athletic profile to be a genuine receiving threat at the next level — the movement skills, the route running instincts, and the frame that tight end coaches dream about developing. The problem is the hands. DiNapoli's inability to consistently secure contested catches was a persistent issue throughout his college career and represents the primary obstacle between him and a meaningful NFL role. His blocking, similarly, needs considerable refinement before he can be trusted in a run-heavy system like Pittsburgh's.

The Steelers are drafting the upside and the frame, hoping that NFL-level coaching can address the technical deficiencies that limited him in Happy Valley. It is a long shot. In the seventh round, long shots are exactly what you are looking for.

Pittsburgh closes the books on the 2030 NFL Draft with a class headlined by Bralon Curtis's first-round selection and the Minkah Fitzpatrick reunion, bookended by a Day 3 that prioritized athleticism, size, and one carefully considered character reclamation. The offseason is complete. Training camp opens in July.

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Pittsburgh Signs 3 UDFA, Add Three More Veterans After Draft

Pittsburgh, PA. - The Pittsburgh Steelers announced after the conclusion of the 2030 NFL Draft that they had reached agreements with three more undrafted free agents, in addition to a pair of veteran players to add to the roster.

Broderick Jones, a former Steeler, signed a one-year tender to add depth to the offensive line while former Chargers WR Brenden Rice and former Steeler WR Johntay Cook II were added to provide receiver depth.

UDFA QB Jerry Samples (ULL), Walter Marshall (TCU), and Jarry Mallard (Clemson) were all tendered one year deals.