A Steelers Depot daily segment. A quick hit of some Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers-related stories that may not require a complete and dedicated article but nuggets worth mentioning and passing on to you guys. The same as our recent Depot Daily, but now late at night to better capture the news of the day.
Your Depot After Dark for Nov. 16.
Austin Ekeler On Jaylen Warren
Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler, also a former undrafted free agent, gave Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren his props on the latest episode of Ekeler’s Edge podcast.
“Shout out to Jaylen Warren, man,” Ekeler told co-host Matt Harmon. “Representing the undrafteds.”
Ekeler “dinged” Warren for being a Division-I player, the latter last attending Oklahoma State. Ekeler attended tiny Western State coming out as an UDFA in 2017. Someone just let Ekeler know Warren began his career at JUCO Snow College and maybe it’ll make up for it.
Throughout the discussion, Ekeler talked about the Steelers’ timeshare between Warren and Najee Harris and how it applied to his situation as a UDFA next to first-round pick Melvin Gordon with the Chargers. It’s an interesting discussion that doesn’t land on a final, clear point, but still good perspective. Though the hosts also believe Warren was named the Steelers’ starting running back, which is not the case.
Check out the conversation below.
Mason Cole on Myles Garrett
Any time you’re facing the Cleveland Browns defense, a talented and well-rounded group, the conversation begins with DE Myles Garrett. Pittsburgh has minimized him as well as any team but center Mason Cole acknowledged that the Steelers can never let their guard down.
“We’ve had a good game plan against him,” he said via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “They’ll try to do things this week and we’ll have to adjust. But the plan will be to still minimize him.”
In 11 career games against Pittsburgh, Garrett has seven sacks. A healthy number but he’s been more productive against the Baltimore Ravens (12 games, 8.5 sacks) and Cincinnati Bengals (10 games, 12 sacks).
Tomlin At Acrisure
Mike Tomlin had boots on the ground at Acrisure Stadium Thursday night. Not to coach but to cheer. He watched son and Boston College WR Dino Tomlin take on the Pitt Panthers tonight. Here’s a photo of Tomlin and his wife Kiya taking the game in.
Dino is having his most productive college season, coming into the game with 18 receptions for 228 yards on a run-heavy Eagles squad. BC is having their best season in years and looking to reach seven wins for the first time since 2018.
Pickett QB Ranking
If you’re into weekly quarterback rankings, Kenny Pickett is close to bringing up the rear of the post-Week 10 edition. As penned by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, Pickett is the 26th-rated quarterback in football, with Benjamin wondering when his fourth quarter magic will run out.
“Mike Tomlin keeps defending Pickett for his fourth-quarter prowess, even though the first 45 minutes tend to be a slog through the air. Where does that leave us? Big-picture-wise, there are legit concerns about whether Pittsburgh feels the need to mask Pickett rather than unleash him. But for now, if the wins keep rolling in, maybe it’s good enough.”
For Pickett, it’s the same ranking he had ahead of Week 10. He’s one spot behind the Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love, who lost to the Steelers on Sunday. The top quarterback is Houston’s C.J. Stroud – how’s that for a take? – while the New York Giants’ and potential undercover mafia man Tommy DeVito is the league’s worst-ranked quarterback.
