The Browns head into their AFC North opener with the Steelers facing a familiar kind of opponent: one that looks mostly the same on paper, even after a coaching change. Pittsburgh has a new man in charge, but the roster and the broader questions around the team haven’t changed much as the two sides get ready to meet.
Mike Tomlin is now working for NBC Sports, and after spending a year away from coaching, Mike McCarthy is the one running the Steelers. McCarthy’s track record is a mixed bag.
Outside of the championship he won, his resume has been average at best, and his exit from Green Bay was messy before he later landed with the Dallas Cowboys. In Dallas, he put together plenty of winning seasons but could never push the team past the divisional round, even in years when the roster looked capable of more.
Whether McCarthy is an upgrade over Tomlin is still too early to say, though the source material suggests his coaching staff is slightly better than the one Tomlin had last year.
The quarterback situation is no mystery: Aaron Rodgers is in what the source says will be his final NFL season. He hasn’t been as sharp as he was in his prime, but he is still showing he can be a competent quarterback despite obvious limitations.
As for the Steelers themselves, the big question is simple: are they actually good? Right now, the answer is still unclear.
Pittsburgh is 2-1, but neither win has been especially convincing. The Falcons, according to the source, could have beaten them if Cooper Rush had not started, and the Bengals’ loss in Pittsburgh was tied to special teams.
On paper, the roster looks almost unchanged from last season aside from a few minor additions, and that leaves the same basic ceiling and floor in place. The team is not bad, but there’s still doubt about whether it’s good enough to make a real postseason run.
One area that may be different is the defense. That unit has gradually slipped over the years, but the source suggests it may be turning a corner.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was described as a liability, and the move from Austin to Patrick Graham is viewed as an upgrade. The names are familiar, but the defense appears to be functioning differently on the field.
T.J. Watt is being used all over the formation instead of being stuck in one spot, Cam Heyward is still holding off age, and Derrick Harmon is said to be making the leap.
In the secondary, Jalen Ramsey and Jamel Dean provide steady veteran presence, while Joey Porter Jr.’s situation remains a key storyline. Porter Jr. has not played this season, though he could be available Thursday night.
He did not reach a new contract, and the source says a trade is a possibility, with Pittsburgh open to moving him.
In Other News...
Pat Freiermuth Just Reopened An Ugly Browns Fan Reputation
Pat Freiermuth brought an old scar back into view this week when he revisited a rookie-season memory that stuck with him far beyond the final whistle. Ahead of the Steelers upcoming game against the Browns, the tight end described the scene around his game-winning touchdown in Cleveland, a moment that should have been about the play itself but instead turned into something far uglier in the stands.
Freiermuth said his mother was the one caught in the middle of it, and the memory has been enough to change her routine when the Steelers head to Cleveland. Even so, he made clear there are no lingering hard feelings, just a reminder of how quickly a night in the AFC North can turn personal and why certain road games still carry an edge no scoreboard can erase. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Keep Winning But One Problem Is Starting To Look Dangerous
The Browns have done enough through three games to sit at 2-1, but the way they have gotten there has left a growing concern hanging over an otherwise encouraging start. Cleveland has been flagged 34 times already, the second-highest total in the NFL, and the issue has become hard to ignore even as head coach Todd Monken and his staff continue to stress the need to clean it up.
The bigger worry is that the problem has not settled down, even with key players drawing repeated flags, including right tackle Tytus Howard. The Browns have been able to survive it by winning tight games and leaning on late scoring drives from Deshaun Watson, but the margin for error shrinks quickly when a team keeps putting itself behind the chains and giving away yards it cannot afford to lose. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Rookie Is Pushing Veterans In A Troubling Position Battle
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren arrived in Cleveland as a second-round pick with the usual rookie expectations, but his first three weeks have started to look more like a challenge to the veterans in front of him than a slow apprenticeship. His defensive snaps have been limited so far, yet when he has been on the field, he has made the most of it and drawn strong grades from PFF relative to other Browns defenders.
That kind of early efficiency can change a depth chart quickly, especially for a team trying to sort out its safety mix and steady itself against the run. Cleveland has reason to consider expanding McNeil-Warrens role if the current personnel at the position keeps leaving openings, and the next stretch could show whether the rookie is merely earning more trust or forcing a tougher conversation about who should be playing more. [Read more 🡒]