It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:
- Ravens Report Card, Week 11: Winning ugly with stifling defense (Baltimore Beatdown)
- It’s past time for Zac Taylor to go (Cincy Jungle)
- Myles Garrett, Carson Schwesinger: Should Browns lack of wins limit NFL awards? (Dawgs by Nature)
What’s the latest on the Steelers’ upcoming opponent?
- Chicago Bears record is ‘nothing to scoff at’ (Windy City Gridiron)
- Stock up, stock down: Bears-Vikings review Windy City Gridiron)
Now, onto some
Steelers news and discussion:
Recently-Released Steelers Starter Signs With AFC Contender
(From Steelers Now’s Aaron Becker): Former Pittsburgh Steelers veteran safety Juan Thornhill has signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad after clearing waivers last week, according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter.
Thornhill wasn’t picked up on waivers, but it still didn’t take him long to land with another team. And while Jacksonville isn’t on Pittsburgh’s regular season schedule, both teams are currently in the playoff picture.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin has perfect 14-word response to Jalen Ramsey being spat on
(From Steelers Wire’s Andrew Vasquez): On Tuesday, Tomlin was asked for comment on Ramsey’s situation with Chase — specifically questioned on what message he gave to the outspoken defender on how to remove himself from confrontations such as that one. And Tomlin provided a 14-word response in defense of Ramsey.
“I have no message if someone spits in your face,” Tomlin said. “Do what comes natural.”
There are a variety of opinions on Mike Tomlin’s press conference sayings. This one, in my opinion, is a perfect response.
A look back at the Steelers’ long and ugly history in Chicago
(From TribLive’s Tim Benz): Since 1936, there have been as many Allied victories in Europe as there have been Steelers victories in Chicago.
One.
If you want a game-by-game summary of the Steelers’ past losses in the Windy City, look no further than the above article. Of course, historical stats such as Pittsburgh not winning in Chicago since 1995 don’t really mean anything in the context of Sunday’s upcoming game, but they are unbelievable nonetheless.
All-Pro Safety Signs with Colts after Steelers Visit
(From Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders): Former Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers safety and All-Pro special teamer George Odum re-signed with the Colts on Tuesday after having previously visited with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this season.
A followup on the Steelers’ George Odum workout earlier this season; he would’ve been a potential replacement for the injured Miles Killebrew on special teams.
Ja’Marr Chase has ridiculous argument against his suspension after Steelers game
(From PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh): According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Chase has an argument, and it is if he really meant to spit on Ramsey, he would have hit him in the helmet, not spit down at his feet.
“His argument essentially being, as far as I understand, if he was going to spit on Jalen Ramsey, he wouldn’t spit on his face rather than on the floor or on his jersey,” Rapoport said.
Did this work? (No). Chase’s suspension was upheld late on Tuesday by NFLPA officer Jordy Nelson.
The winner of Steelers-Cowboys George Pickens trade just became crystal clear
(From Still Curtain’s Tommy Jaggi): If Pittsburgh Steelers fans didn’t have regrets about trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys before the 2025 season, they do now. Against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football in Week 11, Pickens had a performance that even put fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to shame.
From early in the game, Pickens proved to be quarterback Dak Prescott’s favorite target. The fourth-year receiver and former 2022 second-round pick carved up a suspect Raiders secondary. Las Vegas had no answer for Pickens. By the end of the Cowboys’ 33-16 blowout win, Pickens finished with nine receptions on 11 targets for 144 yards and a touchdown.
There’s no denying that Pickens put up an excellent performance on Monday night for the Cowboys. The 24-year-old is enjoying a career season, and his 908 receiving yards on the year put him second in the NFL. The downside? It’s reopened discussions on if the Steelers really made the right move letting Pickens go.
Did the Steelers really lose the George Pickens trade?
If you want to thoroughly answer this, of course, you’ll have to wait and see who the third-round pick Pittsburgh acquired from Dallas in the trade turns out to be. (There was a Dallas fifth for a Pittsburgh sixth swap as well).
But I’d argue the circumstances of the trade make the idea of the Steelers winning or losing it rather moot.
Pickens hasn’t been all that complimentary of Pittsburgh since leaving, and before the trade it was fairly obvious to anyone following the Steelers that he and the team were headed towards an eventual split. To call on a common Mike Tomlin-ism, it was a “volunteers, not hostages” situation.
Pickens was never going to re-sign with the Steelers. And Pittsburgh, in a transition year, decided to move on to secure an earlier — and better — pick than the team would’ve received with the compensatory formula.
And while Pickens has enjoyed the best year of his career so far in Dallas, I think it’s fair to say he wouldn’t be having those same results in Pittsburgh — a passing game that has struggled to create explosive plays, and feed even one wide receiver in D.K. Metcalf.
No one doubted Pickens’ talents when he was traded, and from a football perspective, it’s been great to watch him live up to his potential more in 2025. The Cowboys got one of the most dynamic receivers in the league on the last year of his rookie deal, while the Steeler offense has looked lacking in talent at times.
Right now, it doesn’t make sense to argue against the Cowboys winning the trade. But anyone claiming Pittsburgh was “fleeced” by Dallas probably wasn’t paying close attention to the situation pre-trade.
What are your midseason thoughts on the George Pickens trade? Jon the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!
