First call: TJ Watt on Bud Dupree’s departure; JuJu Smith-Schuster tells Steelers players that he is gone; Philly for Mike Hilton?

First call: TJ Watt on Bud Dupree’s departure; JuJu Smith-Schuster tells Steelers players that he is gone; Philly for Mike Hilton?

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Headlines from Steelers’ free agencies dominate Tuesday’s “First Call”.

It looks like JuJu Smith-Schuster is halfway out the door. TJ Watt says goodbye to Bud Dupree. The teams are keeping an eye on Mike Hilton.

And there is a lot of news about the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals as well.

See you around

It is not yet known where the wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster decided to play football in the coming years.

But it is becoming quite clear that it will not be in Pittsburgh. The future free agent is already telling colleagues that he is leaving.

This is according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, who claims that Smith-Schuster’s flirtations with the open market last Thursday were real.

“He is also telling his teammates that he is likely to go elsewhere for the next stage of his career. So it doesn’t look like JuJu Smith-Schuster will be back in Pittsburgh, ”said Garafolo.

How do you think JuJu broke the news? Text? Group email? Like… personally or a real phone call ?? !!

No!

It seems a little conventional to me. I assumed he would broadcast individual goodbyes on Twitch or Instagram. Maybe filming yourself doing an interpretive dance on your new team’s logo or something.

Wouldn’t that be more “branded” for JuJu?

Later, Bud

As expected, the Steelers lost striker Bud Dupree to the free agency. He went to Tennessee Titans.

I liked Dupree. The Steelers missed him in late 2020 after he suffered a knee injury in Week 11. Tennessee needs help getting through quickly. They only had 19 bags. The Titans had long been said to be Dupree’s fate. It will be fine there.

Dupree’s outside line defense companion, TJ Watt, wanted to send his friend with good vibes on social media.

Team captain Cameron Heyward too.

I’m happy for Dupree. He strengthened at the end of his career at Steelers. He must remind us that players can improve, even if they receive the “burst” label at the beginning of their careers.

Speaking of pass rushers, the New York Jets signed Carl Lawson of the Cincinnati Bengals with a guaranteed $ 30 million. This is good news for Pittsburgh. He had 12 quarterbacks successes in two games against the Steelers last year.

Get that guy out of AFC North.

However, Cincy made up for Lawson’s departure signing Trey Hendrickson ($ 32 million in the first two years) of the New Orleans Saints. Hendrickson had 13.5 sacks last year, tied with Aaron Donald (Los Angeles Rams) in second place in the NFL, behind TJ Watt’s 15 league leaders.

Black and gold to green and white?

Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton can leave Pittsburgh through a free agency. But he may not leave the state.

According to ESPN.com, the Eagles may be one of the landing points for the nickelback.

“Initial feedback indicates that Steelers’ corner, Mike Hilton, has positioned itself at the top or near the top of the slot or nickel market,” writes Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano. “Its ability to cover and blitz (9.5 bags since 2017) makes it perfect for a defense that plays heavy zone and brings pressure (think of Bears, Packers, Chargers, Falcons or Eagles).”

I hadn’t seen much conversation about Hilton and the Eagles before this post. I did hear a few things about the Packers idea, however. And the San Francisco 49ers.

Oh, and … wait … the Cleveland Browns.

Based on the market that could be available to Hilton, if he ends up in Philadelphia, I suspect he might be able to pay for the road toll.

Ravens Rumblings

As for the Baltimore Ravens, they will lose a familiar name in defense, but they will gain one in attack.

As the news leaked out of the legal adulteration period, we discovered that broker Matthew Judon is going to the New England Patriots in search of a lot of money.

Judon has 34.5 sacks and 236 combined tackles in 76 career games. He has been a Pro Bowler for the past two years.

While Judon is fleeing Baltimore, the Ravens are trying to reinforce their offensive line with some of the money they are not going to spend on him.

Still looking for a replacement on guard for retired All-Pro Marshal Yanda, the team signed Kevin Zeitler.

Zeitler was released by the New York Giants on Wednesday because of his $ 12 million salary that was due in 2021. Before his stop in New York, Zeitler played in Cleveland and Cincinnati.

A good run

The Robert Morris women’s hockey team had a difficult tie in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament on Monday.

As the eighth seed, he took the lead in the Northeastern ranking. And the mighty Huskies were too much for Paul Colontino’s Colonials, winning a 5-1 contest in Erie.

Goalkeeper Raygan Kirk made 41 saves in defeat, and Emily Curlett scored the only goal of the game for RMU.

The colonials were overtaken by 46-21. The Huskies improved to 21-1-1. The RMU season ends at 16-8-1. Product of the Shadyside Academy – and a former student of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite – Gwyneth Philips is one of the goalkeepers of the Northeastern squad.

Tim Benz is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets can be posted again. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.

Tags:
Robert Morris | Sports | Steelers / NFL | Breakfast with Benz

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