Over the weekend, the Steelers officially announced the acquisition of defensive back Joe Schobert from the Jacksonville Jaguars – a move that originally broke during the Steelers preseason game in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
The Steelers said in an announcement that they sent a sixth-round draft pick to Jacksonville in exchange for the Pro Bowl linebacker and they quickly put him to work in training camp drills on Sunday.
Schobert addressed the media following practice and said that he took part in 11-on-11 drills when he arrived at camp and said that the rest of the team communicated things well and made his first practice in the black and gold easier.
Schobert addressed the media following practice and said that he took part in 11-on-11 drills when he arrived at camp and said that the rest of the team communicated things well and made his first practice in the black and gold easier.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin talked about how his new linebacker will fit into the Steelers’ defensive mold. He said the big thing to look for in Schobert is his consistency.
Tomlin also said yesterday’s practice was a good one and that the players need to remain focus on being consistent.
Among those who did not participate or were limited in practice yesterday were wide receivers James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud; cornerbacks Joe Haden and Antoine Brooks Jr.; center Kendrick Green; tight end Eric Ebron; linebacker T.J. Watt; and defensive end Stephon Tuitt.
The NFL released a portion of its Top 100 players list last night and two Steelers found their way on the list.
Defensive end Cam Heyward was ranked as the 57th best player in the league, and following him was safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who ranked 52nd on the list.
Fitzpatrick was a first team AP All-Pro in 2020 – the second consecutive year he earned that title. He led the team with 74 tackles and had four interceptions last season.
Heyward was voted second team AP All-Pro last year and had 54 tackles and 18 quarterback hits.
The remaining 40 top players will be announced in two more shows: No. 40-11 will be announced Sunday, Aug. 22, and the top 10 will be announced Saturday, Aug. 28.
OTHER FOOTBALL NEWS:
A fixture on college and NFL sidelines, as well as a true football lifer, Joe Walton, died this weekend at the age of 85. The Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania native was a standout at Pitt before being drafted by the then-Washington Redskins in 1957. He played with both Washington and the New York Giants as a player, before becoming head coach of the New York Jets. He also served as offensive coordinator for Washington and the Pittsburgh Steelers, before returning to college football to build the program at Robert Morris in Pittsburgh. He served in that position for 20 years from 1993 to 2013 where he went 114-92-and-1.
Tributes came from across the football world, including Joe Theismann and current Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi. The former Washington quarterback said “Coach Joe Walton … taught me how to play QB at the pro level … he touched so many lives whether it was in pro ball or at the college level.” Narduzzi wrote “Paying tribute to a great Pitt Man.”
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