Good Tuesday to you Steelers fans.
Former New Castle and Ohio State star Malik Hooker has been making the rounds recently as he looks for work. Not something you’d expect to hear about a guy who was the 15th overall selection in the 2017 Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. His rookie season saw him play in just in seven games. In 2018 and 2019 he played in 14 and 13 respectively and then last season he played in just two. In his rookie season he tore his ACL while last season he tore his Achilles in the very first month of the season. To say that his NFL career to this point has been “injury-riddled” would be a massive understatement. I bring him up today because we know he has met with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both he and the team have verified this and the unexpected excitement from fans has followed. The Steelers need depth at the safety position and Hooker would likely come pretty cheap considering his inability to stay on the field. Much like there is no risk with Dwayne Haskins’ contract, I’m guessing the Steelers are likely offering something similar. Hooker has visited at least two or three other teams and my assumption is that he’s looking for two things. One, he wants to go somewhere that playing time is available. Two, or perhaps “1A,” is who will offer him the most money. Both of those things are standard requirements of any NFL free agent. So how do those two things fit the Steelers? Imagine a situation with Hooker and Minkah Fitzpatrick playing deep and then Terrell Edmunds in the box covering or blitzing. I have to think that’s what the Steelers see. Obviously if one of those is hurt you have a damn good backup. Ultimately the question will come down to whether what the Steelers want and what he (and his agent) want. It’s very intriguing I’ll tell you that much.
Tweet of the Day… Classic
I’ll bet you season tickets Kenny Anderson didn’t run the play called in the huddle once he saw two future Hall of Famers showing a blitz…and looking right at him. pic.twitter.com/9abkz76PYG
— VintageSteelers (@VintageSteelers) June 8, 2021
The Other Watt
Last season the Steelers paid Derek Watt a ton of money for being a Special Teams’ player. You’ll notice I didn’t say fullback. That’s because he was rarely if ever used in that position. With Matt Canada now at the controls, will Watt’s role change? Will he be more involved? Will he actually see the field on offense? I think the early answer to those questions is “yes.” People often forget that Watt is a very good receiver and more than capable of picking up positive yardage when carrying the ball. Do not mistake what I’m saying for “he’ll be on the field all the time” because he won’t. But I do believe there will be more opportunities for him in 2021.
Nicknames
We’ve already been told by Steelers’ rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth that he is not fond of the nickname “Baby Gronk.” Honestly, I can’t say I blame him. Now I saw on social media that someone is trying to call rookie punter Pressley Harvin III “Legatron.” I understand there are times when nicknames may cross sports’ lines like “A-Rod” is used for guys in different sports… But hasn’t Greg Zuerlein been referred to as Legatron for years? Let’s get more original folks.
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Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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