Pittsburgh

Steelers

He got in a full practice on Friday and spoke with reporters as well. Based on that, we’d guess he’s got a good chance to be activated off injured reserve and play against the Bengals in the first week of his 21-day window.

We’ll see if he goes back to being a thorn in the ceiling cases for the remainder of the Steelers’ offensive players against the Bengals. Skowronek has no standalone value.

This is unfortunate, but it likely benefits Germie Bernard in the short term. Pittman told reporters that he had hoped to return following the Steelers’ Week 9 bye. The team will likely choose to ramp him up for at least one week once they open his 21-day practice window. Doing so tomorrow or Friday seems unlikely.

The Steelers’ talented interior defender reportedly has a chance to play in Week 10 against the Bengals. Harmon suffered his foot injury early in Week 4 against the Browns. This season he has totaled 12 tackles, one TFL, 1.5 NFL sacks and a forced fumble. Getting him back will be a plus for the Steelers’ defense.

Downs’ 2026 season has fallen short of expectations, but perhaps he has a chance to rebound. Breer believes acquiring Downs would “probably” cost a fourth-round pick. He is “one of a number of receivers on the market” at the moment, with the Chiefs and Steelers among the teams looking for help at the position. Breer adds that the 49ers are “open” to adding a wide receiver as well, but with their positional health improving, San Francisco is “less desperate than they were a couple of weeks ago.” The Steelers’ wide receiver corps might be too muddled for Downs to meaningfully increase his productivity, but landing in Kansas City or San Francisco would likely be good for him.

Breer and NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe put out similar reports today, indicating that the Jaguars are now hesitant to trade away Thomas. Per Breer, Thomas is not the best fit for coach Liam Coen’s scheme, but he “brings a downfield element that’s really important in keeping defenses honest against the run, and opening things up underneath for Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington.” Wolfe echoed Breer’s downfield sentiment and added that when the Jaguars traded away Tyson Campbell last year, it had a negative impact on the locker room — and Jaguars brass has “learned from it.” Thomas and Travis Hunter are reportedly close friends, and Thomas is liked in the locker room. It sounds like the formerly productive wide receiver might be staying put. Breer lists the Chiefs and Steelers, and the 49ers to a lesser degree, as the teams known to be seeking wide receiver help.

NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reports that Maulet is retiring. The 33-year-old slot cornerback began his career with the Saints and Colts and ended it with the Lions, but made the bulk of his impact from 2019-2024 with the Jets, Steelers, and Ravens. Maulet made major noise as a hard-hitting cornerback in the AFC North, going from the Steelers to the Ravens in 2023 and starting a playoff game for Mike Macdonald’s historic Ravens defense. He retires with five career interceptions and five sacks.

Pittman has been on injured reserve since October 10th, and began running last week. While the veteran receiver said he hopes to return after the Steelers’ bye week, he also said that there’s “no time frame” for his return. Pittman’s foot injury was a reaggravation of a previous injury he had earlier in the season, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Steelers exercised extreme caution to ensure it doesn’t flare up again when he returns. Pittman’s first season in Pittsburgh has been disappointing, to say the least. He has appeared in just three games and has totaled seven receptions for 89 scoreless yards.

Freierumuth is the Steelers’ designated tush push option, which will give him a little added fantasy value here and there. Despite the fact that Darnell Washington outproduced Freiermuth today, Freiermuth ran a route on 11 of the team’s 26 dropbacks, compared to just five for Washington. This simply wasn’t a big day for the Steelers’ passing attack, but we’d expect Freiermuth to remain a mid-range TE2 option going forward.

Washington made a nice 58-yard catch where he broke two tackles, and then tight-rope walked down the sideline before being pushed out of bounds at the one-yard line. It was an impressive display of athleticism from a large human being. Washington was tied for second on the team in targets and played the third-most snaps of any non-offensive lineman or Aaron Rodgers today. However, early data says he ran a route on just five dropbacks, which means he was targeted every single time he ran a route. That type of production can’t hold up in that limited a role.