Steelers News & Rumors: SIGN Christian Wilkins Next? + Derrick Harmon RETURNS To Practice

Steelers News & Rumors: SIGN Christian Wilkins Next? + Derrick Harmon RETURNS To Practice

[Music] Welcome in the Steelers Talk. I’m your host, Jack Sperry. Today, the Pittsburgh Steelers made five roster moves. I’ll let you guys know what those are at the top of today’s show. Then we’ll discuss whether or not the Steelers should make yet another free agency signing and bring in Christian Wilkins. And then we’ll finish up today’s show with some major week three injury updates. Derrick Harmon returned to practice. a couple more injury updates from Foxboro in New England. Uh so make sure you guys stick around for those injury updates. But we are doing a new subscriber battle with our uh frenemies at the Patriots today. That is our uh ch Patriots channel here at Chat Sports. And uh the winner is going to be the channel that adds the most new subscribers throughout this week. Uh the winner is going to be crowned uh when the ball gets kicked off on Sunday. So right now we are currently just eight subscribers behind Patriots today right now guys. So, new viewers, we are counting on you guys. If you haven’t clicked that subscribe button yet, only you guys can help us beat the Patriots. The real ones that have already clicked that subscribe button, they can’t help us out here. So, if you watch our videos, you haven’t clicked that subscribe button yet, but uh you want to enjoy our free uh Steelers content here every single day. And you want to help us beat the Patriots this week, make sure you click that subscribe button and join the Steelers Talk family today. So, the Steelers made five roster moves today, ladies and gentlemen. Uh they signed Jawan Bentley uh the inside linebacker to the practice squad as well as Isaiah Hajins, the wide receiver, the two uh big free agency signings that they made yesterday. And then they also signed Matt Sulkal to the practice squad. He’s more of a true practice squatter guy. I would expect Bentley and Hajins to eventually work their way onto the 53man roster uh if not this week than in the weeks to come. They also signed to Marvin Lial uh the edge rusher to the 53man roster with Alex Heismith dealing with an injury. And then they placed Isaiah Louderdermoke, the defensive tackle, currently dealing with a high ankle sprain on injured reserve, which will keep him out of the lineup and off the roster for at least the next four weeks. Now, my thoughts on some of these moves, guys, I think that Jawan Bentley uh likely won’t play much versus the New England Patriots. Now, I understand, guys, that this Steelers run defense needs help at that linebacker position and now, but I mean, Jabril Peppers came here around the same time that Bentley did, and he wasn’t able to pick up enough of the playbook. looking for this coaching staff have to trust him enough to give him a workload on defense. So, uh, Bentley here, linebacker, there’s a lot of stuff that you have to learn as a linebacker, uh, and any NFL defensive scheme, the terminology, the communication. There’s a lot of different stuff that, uh, Bentley’s going to have to learn before the Steelers can trust him out there. So, I’m not sure if we see him too much on Sunday. Maybe we will, maybe we won’t. We’ll see how quickly he picks it up. But, if he doesn’t, look for Cole Hulk to get some more work this week. Uh, he actually played pretty darn well. Now, he had one really bad rep. I think it was his first rep of the game and it was his first actual game rep in a while. Uh, where he was backpedaling and, you know, just wasn’t looking very good. He looked a little bit scared to hit somebody, but then he he settled down a little bit and when he was on the field, guys, I believe that the Seattle Seahawks rushed it four times when when Cole Hulk was on the field, they only had 12 yards on those six carries. And then the two the three carries where it was Cole Hulkcom and Patrick Queen on the field, they had one yard uh on those three carries. So, uh, I think Cole Hulkcom provides a lot more stability in terms of run defense than say Payton Wilson has brought us over the first two weeks. So, I think, uh, even if Bentley doesn’t play on Sunday, I would expect Cole Hulkcom to step inside, uh, that early down role with Pton Wilson probably taking on more of an later down role, or at least that’s what I would do if I were in charge of the defensive personnel of the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Then my thoughts on Isaiah Hajins, guys, is I think it’s a nice signing for what he is. And I can already see the sarcastic comments right now saying, “Oh yeah, another wide receiver, four or five type guy.” But it’s like the Steelers like their number two and number one receivers right now. Obviously guys, DK Metaf has their one, Calvin Austin as their two. They believe in those two guys. So finding a supplementary piece here, somebody that can play X if DK Metaf gets injured. That’s something that this team really didn’t have before. So you get that here in Hajins. brings some really good sides to the table. Uh but also he brings a short and intermediate route running skill set that not a lot of people on this Steelers roster have. He als he’s also a really good run blocker. So if you want to use him out there in 12 personnel and those condensed looks where uh you’re expecting your wide receivers to be run blocking, he can provide some help there. He’s also got good hands to help out in the red zone on third downs. Uh make tough catches, that sort of stuff. Now he’s not a vertical threat. He doesn’t have uh you know any long speed really whatsoever to talk about. Uh, but I think he’s a very serviceable rotational and depth wide receiver that I think fits in well with what the Steelers are looking for from this position. They weren’t really looking for like a starting quality caliber kind of guy because they believe in Calvin Austin the third as their number two. Uh, they believe in Roman Wilson to some degree and they also really like John Smith as kind of like a hybrid wide receiver tight end piece. So, Hajins is somebody that I think uh, you know, provides that backup X that this team has been looking for for a while. And at the end of the day, it’s probably going to be like the vet minimum here, guys. So, uh, adding a depth piece, I have no problem with this signing. And then when it comes to Demarvin Leal, uh, being placed on the 53man roster this week, please God, keep our outside linebackers healthy. I’m talking about TJ Watt, Nick Herbig, and Jack Sawyer. Please keep that trio uh safe and healthy this weekend because Demarvin Leal, if he has to play significant snaps in a rotational role this weekend at any point during the game, that’s going to mean a lot of bad things for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Um because he’s he’s just not it, guys. He’s just not. But the biggest impact, let me know down there in the comments section between the three new veteran signings uh the Steelers have made, which one is going to make the biggest impact on this team this season? Type JP if you think Jabril Peppers, type IH if you think Isaiah Hajins or if you think Jawan Bentley is going to come in here and completely transform the run game here in Pittsburgh. Type JB down there in the comments section. In just a second here, I’m going to tell you about our sponsor today at Mando before we get into some Christian uh Wilkins discussion here. Uh but while I’m going over Mando here, answer this pin question down there in the comments section. 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Say goodbye to sweat stains and hello to longlasting freshness with our friends at Mando Whole Body Deodorant today. So, now let’s talk about another potential uh free agency signing that the Pittsburgh Steelers could potentially make. I’ve been seeing this idea being thrown around on Steelers Twitter a lot over this past week, especially with Keano Benson not looking great at defensive tackle, particularly in run defense through these first few weeks. Uh Christian Wilkins is still available in free agency. Somebody uh that has been a very productive player in the in the National Football League for a very long time and he is still available on the open market. guys can take a look at his profile here. He’s 29 years old. He’s going to be turning 30 here pretty soon. Uh but he’s coming off a foot fracture that ended his 2024 season and he wasn’t and according to the reports in Vegas this year. The rehab did not go well this off season and the Raiders surprisingly released uh Christian Wilkins this offseason in July and he hasn’t been signed by an NFL team since. Now there was a lot of uh hoopla made about that. You know, Christian Wilkins didn’t want to get another surgery. The Raiders did want him to get another surgery, which would have taken him out for a couple of months to start the season. No one really knows uh the health level of Christian Wilkins at this point, but you guys can take a look at his recent career stats. Last year, only five games played for the Las Vegas Raiders, but in those five games, he had two TFLs and two sacks. Uh then before that, man, he was one of the most ravenous interior pass rushers in the game. That’s also an excellent run defender. 10 TFLs in 2023, 16 in 2022, and 10 in 2021. And that’s to go along with the sack production. Nine sacks in 2023, which is what he which is what got him all that money in Vegas in 2024. He’s also somebody that has uh been pretty reliable to get one or two forced fumbles as well. So, this is a very productive player um that can theoretically come in and help an NFL team on the interior right away. You guys can take a look at his career PFF grading. um pretty darn good. It’s gotten better throughout his career. Last year, a 74.7 grade in those five games that he played for the Raiders. And then, uh the run the the run grades um are actually better for uh Christian Wilkins actually. But guys, Christian Wilkins, in my opinion, is one of the best run defenders in the National Football League, at least in terms of interior defensive players. Uh he’s just very smart, he’s savvy, he is very athletic, he can shoot gaps extremely well. Uh and he’s one of the best run defenders period in the National Football League uh today or at least he was before his injury. Um and you guys can take a look at some of the uh some of his career run defense grades here where uh last year with Las Vegas, an 80.2 grade is excellent. Um and then he also put up an 80 PFF grade in terms of run defense in 2021 with the Miami Dolphins. So, this is somebody uh that is a pretty darn good player um when he is healthy. But, you know, the thing about him is that I’m not sure if he’s healthy. All right. And you know, if he is healthy and you know, that foot’s good to go and that rehab’s all is all good to go. I’m perfectly okay with the Steelers throwing some money uh towards Christian Wilkins. He’s a really good player. I think this team, especially with the injury to Dererick Harmon, could add another defensive tackle here. Um, you know, I I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it if they bring in Christian Wilkins, especially for a teamfriendly deal. But with Derek Carman likely coming back here soon, uh, they like YAL Black quite a bit. Of course, they still like Keano Benton. Uh, I’m not sure if the Steelers necessarily look at Christian Wilkins as somebody that they’re looking uh, to bring in at this point. And the reason why the Las Vegas Raiders moved on, guys, was apparently, you know, Wilkins uh, didn’t want to get another surgery and Las Vegas wanted him to. And there was this big kind of divide that uh be that came about because of that. And there was all these rumors spread around Christian Wilkins’s behavior in the locker room that I won’t repeat here. It’s kind of just weird. Um but you know, this is certainly a good football player. So from a football perspective if you’re looking to add some more depth to your defensive tackle room. This is something that the Steelers could potentially do if of course Wilkins is healthy. Um, and you know, I think that at the end of the day here, guys, like the reason why Wilkins has not been signed to an NFL team to this point, especially for a team like uh San Francisco that could really use some defensive tackle help. There’s a number of teams that could use interior Dline help. Why hasn’t he been signed yet? He wasn’t even signed to a team during training camp or anything like that. It’s probably because uh that that that foot injury that he’s still dealing with is not going well. I mean, these Jones fracture types of injuries, they don’t usually pan out well for these big type of players. Um, and it certainly seems like that rehab is not at a place where Wilkins is ready to play NFL football. But if you’re looking to add a defensive tackle, there are some other options that could play nose tackle uh out out there right now. Lynval Joseph is a longtime veteran. He is an old man at this point, but he is still big. He is large and in charge. Um, and you could bring him in. He’s got ton of experience. Montreus Adams has played nose tackle in this defense for many years. Of course, the Steelers have looked to move off of him multiple times at this point. So maybe that’s probably not their favorite. Carl Davis, Khil Davis, and Keandre Coburn are some other guys that have played nose tackle um that the that the Steelers can potentially look at here. Um but then you take a look here at the likely week three defensive tackle rotation, guys. And I you know, it’s looking like Derrick Harman might play, he might not play. We’ll see. if he doesn’t play that second wave is looking pretty sad. I mean Cam Hayward, Kiano Benson, YA Black, that you know that that trio right there can work as your starting defensive line. But then, you know, once you go to your second unit there with Daniel Aqual, Logan Lee, and Zessi Odiwu, that’s just not a great uh defensive tackle trio there that I’m sure the New England Patriots, even with their offensive line, can take advantage of this week um if Derrick Harmon is not able to be out there. So, that’s a little bit of a concern heading into this week three matchup. Uh, if Dererick Carman cannot go, this team definitely needs their first round rookie to get back as soon as he possibly can. We’ll talk about Dererick Karman a little bit here uh in our injury news uh segment on today’s show here on Steelers Talk. So, let me know down there in the comments section. Do the Steelers need another defensive tackle? Uh, give me a yes or a no down there in the comments section. Let me know your guys’ thoughts. I certainly think the Steelers could use another defensive tackle, but with Derrick Carman on the mend, uh, something tells me that this team probably feels pretty good with that group right now. All right, so now let’s get into some week three injury updates here, uh, as the Steelers prepare to take on the New England Patriots. We’ll start with the good news uh, here for the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is that Derrick Harman uh, returned to practice today in a limited fashion. Uh, he did have a big bulky knee brace on his knee. Um, so when he comes back, he’s definitely probably going to be wearing that brace. Uh, but getting him back, I cannot express enough how important that’s going to be to get somebody that’s over 310 lbs, as disruptive as he is, to help your run defense out. Um, it’s going to be huge. And that’s not even counting the stuff he’s going to bring to you as a pass rusher as well. That’s really what his bread and butter was at Oregon. And, uh, I think he’s going to be a big part of the future here in Pittsburgh. Still haven’t seen him out there in the regular season. And so really excited to see what this young man can do and I’m really hoping he can go out there and play uh his career debut here versus the New England Patriots on Sunday. Speaking of the Patriots, Christian Gonzalez has been dealing with a hamstring injury here for a while. Uh and he practiced today uh in Foxboro. So that’s the first time he’s practiced in a while. Um and he’s certainly on the track here to potentially play on Sunday. If that’s the case, you’re going to have to deal with Gonzalez and you’re going to have to deal with Carl Carlton Davis. two really good uh man-to-man corners. Uh which means that if Gonzalez plays, I would expect Mike Vrabel and that Patriots defense to uh dial up a lot of man coverage. All right, DK Metaf, Calvin Austin the third, expect those guys uh to be covered by Davis and Gonzalez respectively. Uh and especially because the safety play here in New England isn’t fantastic. So, I don’t know how much they trust those guys in zone coverage, but when you’ve got a quarterback duo here and and Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis that is healthy and is as good as they are, um you know, you really lean into those skill sets. Marcus Jones is also a very capable slot corner, but you know, this the weakness of this secondary is their safeties. Jaylen Hawkins and Craig Woodson, two very young players, uh still kind of alerting their way in the National Football League. So, I think uh if the Patriots can have their way, Gonzalez plays and they play a lot of man coverage in this football game. So, keep your eye on that. Another uh big injury to keep your eye on this week for New England is right tackle Morgan Moses, who is wearing a walking boot and he is not practicing uh there in Foxboro, at least not to this point in the week. We’ll see how he progresses as the week goes on. Uh but, you know, the depth on the offensive line here in New England is no bueno. All right. So, if they have to go with a backup right tackle to go up against TJ Watt, I think that this should be a great opportunity for Watt to get that first sack of the season. Maybe even collect a couple of sacks, maybe get a forced fumble, really make a big time impact on the game. Now, you can certainly expect him to get his usual double team. Last week, Seattle triple teamed him a number of times. Um, you know, he’s going to get the same amount of TJ Watt respect and attention that he usually gets. Um, but if Morgan Moses is not out there, is that team’s right tackle? Expect Watt to really uh hopefully make an impact in this football game on Sunday. So, let me know over or under down there in the comment section. Will TJ Watt have over or under, one and a half sacks versus the New England Patriots? Give me an O for over or U for under. Does TJ get multiple sacks this weekend? Let me know your answer down there in the comments section. Now, that’s going to be it for today’s edition of Steelers Talk. Before I go here, guys, one last thing. Uh, we did get some really bad news today. Um, at the age of 56, Steelers, uh, writer Dale Loi, unfortunately, uh, passed away. And, you know, I didn’t know Dale, um, you know, personally, but I I have only heard great things about him. He was very well respected and loved inside of the Steelers media circle. Um, and certainly all of our thoughts and prayers here at Steelers Talk go out to Dale Lai. Um, his his f his his uh friends, his fans, uh, his colleagues, and of course, uh, his family as well. So, Dale, uh, thank you so much for everything that you’ve done for Steelers Nation. Um, and, uh, we’ll see you guys next time. Thank you guys so much. [Music]

Pittsburgh Steelers news and rumors are hot after the Steelers went out and signed Ja’Whaun Bentley and Isaiah Hodgins in NFL free agency this week. Today on Steelers Talk by Chat Sports, host Jack Sperry breaks down the latest roster moves and injury updates on the Pittsburgh Steelers, including Derrick Harmon returning to practice for the first time in a while today as well as the latest injury updates from New England on big-name players for the Patriots such as Christian Gonzalez and Morgan Moses who are dealing with injuries this week. Also on today’s show, Jack goes over the possibility of the Steelers signing free agent defensive tackle Christian Wilkins this year if their run defense does not improve in the weeks to come.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Roster Moves:
– Signed Ja’Whaun Bentley (ILB) To The Practice Squad
– Signed Isaiah Hodgins (WR) To The Practice Squad
– Signed Matt Sokol (TE) To The Practice Squad
– Signed DeMarvin Leal (OLB) To The 53-Man Roster
– Placed Isaiahh Loudermilk (DT) On Injured Reserve

Steelers’ Likely Week 3 DT Rotation:
– Cam Heyward
– Keeanu Benton
– Yahya Black
– Daniel Ekuale
– Logan Lee
– Esezi Otomewo

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Christian Wilkins’ Recent Career Stats
– 2021 Stats (17 GP – MIA): 89 TKL, 10 TFL, 4.5 SACK, 1 FF
– 2022 Stats (17 GP – MIA): 98 TKL, 16 TFL, 3.5 SACK, 2 FF
– 2023 Stats (17 GP – MIA): 65 TKL, 10 TFL, 9 SACK, 1 FF
– 2024 Stats (5 GP – LV): 17 TKL, 2 TFL, 2 SACK, 0 FF

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Other NFL DT Free Agents:
– Linval Joseph (BUF)
– Montravius Adams (PIT)
– Carl Davis (WAS)
– Khalil Davis (SF)
– Keondre Coburn (KC)

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We want to hear from you, Steelers Nation! Answer today’s Steelers questions down in the comments section:
– BIGGEST IMPACT? Type ‘JP’ for Peppers, Type ‘IH’ for Hodgins, Type ‘JB’ for Bentley
– Do the Steelers NEED to sign another DT? Yes or No?
– Will T.J. Watt have over or under 1.5 sacks vs. NE? Type ‘O’ for Over, Type ‘U’ for Under

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Here’s some more Steelers YouTube segments for you to check out if you’re looking for more insight on the Black & Gold:
– ANOTHER SIGNING: Steelers Sign ILB Ja’Whaun Bentley In NFL Free Agency | PIT’s Next Elandon Roberts? https://youtu.be/xnL2zWyevKQ
– 🚨BREAKING🚨: Steelers Signing WR Isaiah Hodgins In NFL Free Agency – Why I Like This Move For PIT https://youtu.be/pkT2Hgbb-Fw
– Steelers vs. Patriots Week 3 Preview: Keys To Victory & Score Prediction | Time To Get Right https://youtu.be/dQDMSsFTPUY

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