The 2021 season is the Pittsburgh Steelers' 89th season in the National Football League, their 22nd under general manager Kevin Colbert and their 15th under head coach Mike Tomlin. They attempt to improve upon their 12-4 record from last year and win their division in back to back years for the first time since 2016-2017. For the first time since 2009, center Maurkice Pouncey will not be on the roster, as he announced his retirement on February 12, 2021.[1] Also, for the first time since 2012, guard David DeCastro will not be on the roster, as he was released by the Steelers on June 24, 2021.
| 2021 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Rooney Family |
| General manager | Kevin Colbert |
| Head coach | Mike Tomlin |
| Home field | Heinz Field |
| Uniform | |
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Transactions
The Steelers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2021 season:
Free agent signings
Lost
| Player | Lost to | Date | Contract terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| OT Matt Feiler | Los Angeles Chargers | March 17 | 3 years / $21 million |
| OLB Bud Dupree | Tennessee Titans | March 18 | 5 years / $82.5 million |
| CB Mike Hilton | Cincinnati Bengals | March 19 | 4 years / $24 million |
| OLB Ola Adeniyi | Tennessee Titans | March 22 | 1 year / $1 million |
| FS Sean Davis | Indianapolis Colts | April 1 | 1 year / $1.127 million |
| RB James Conner | Arizona Cardinals | April 13 | 1 year / $1.75 million |
| OT Alejandro Villanueva | Baltimore Ravens | May 6 | 2 year / $14 million |
Acquired
| Player | Acquired from | Date | Contract terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| C B. J. Finney | Cincinnati Bengals | March 12 | 3 years / $9.75 million |
| G Joe Haeg | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | March 24 | 2 years / $4.6 million |
| LB Miles Killebrew | Detroit Lions | March 28 | 1 year / $1.127 million |
| G Rashaad Coward | Chicago Bears | March 30 | 1 year / $900,000 |
| RB Kalen Ballage | Los Angeles Chargers | March 30 | 1 year / $920,000 |
| DE Abdullah Anderson | Chicago Bears | April 12 | 1 year / $780,000 |
| CB Arthur Maulet | New York Jets | May 7 | 1 year |
| G Trai Turner | Los Angeles Chargers | June 25 | 1 year / $3 million |
| K Sam Sloman | Tennessee Titans | July 1 | 1 year / $780,000 |
Cuts
| Position | Player | Date |
|---|---|---|
| CB | Steven Nelson | March 23 |
| P | Corliss Waitman | May 3 |
| TE | Charles Jones | May 3 |
| CB | Trevor Williams | May 7 |
| S | John Battle | May 7 |
| OG | David DeCastro | June 24 |
Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Najee Harris | RB | Alabama | |
| 2 | 55 | Pat Freiermuth | TE | Penn State | |
| 3 | 87 | Kendrick Green | C | Illinois | |
| 4 | 128 | Dan Moore Jr. | OT | Texas A&M | |
| 140 | Buddy Johnson | ILB | Compensatory selection | ||
| 5 | 156 | Isaiahh Loudermilk | DT | Wisconsin | from Dallas via Philadelphia and Miami |
| 6 | 216 | Quincy Roche | OLB | Miami | from Tampa Bay |
| 7 | 245 | Tre Norwood | CB | Oklahoma | from Miami |
| 254 | Pressley Harvin III | P | Georgia Tech | from Baltimore |
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Shakur Brown | CB | Michigan State |
| Rico Bussey | WR | Hawaii |
| Isaiah McKoy | WR | Kent State |
| Roland Rivers III | QB | Slippery Rock |
| Calvin Bundage | OLB | Oklahoma State |
| Jamar Watson | ILB | Kentucky |
| DeMarkus Acy | CB | Missouri |
| Lamont Wade | S | Penn State |
| Mark Gilbert | CB | Duke |
| Donovan Stiner | FS | Florida |
- Pre-draft trades
- Pittsburgh was awarded a compensatory selection in the fourth round (140th overall).
- Pittsburgh traded its fifth-round selection to Baltimore in exchange for defensive end Chris Wormley and a seventh-round selection.
- Pittsburgh traded a sixth-round selection and 2020 first- and fifth-round selections to Miami in exchange for a seventh-round selection, a 2020 fourth-round selection, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
- Pittsburgh acquired a sixth-round selection from Tampa Bay in exchange for offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins and a seventh-round selection.
Staff
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Current roster
Preseason
On February 15, the NFL announced that the Steelers would face the Dallas Cowboys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, August 5, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The game kicked off at 8:00 p.m. EDT, televised by Fox. The Steelers were represented by former head coach Bill Cowher and safeties Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell. The Steelers and Cowboys were scheduled to play in the 2020 Hall of Fame game; however, the game, the annual Hall of Fame enshrinement, along with the entire 2020 preseason, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Hall of Fame game between the Steelers and Cowboys was rescheduled for 2021.[2][3] The Steelers ended up defeating the Cowboys by a score of 16–3.
The remainder of the Steelers' preseason opponents and schedule was announced on May 12.
| Week | Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | TV | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOF | August 5 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. Dallas Cowboys | W 16–3 | 1–0 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio) |
Fox | Recap |
| 1 | August 12 | 7:30 p.m. | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–16 | 2–0 | Lincoln Financial Field | KDKA | Recap |
| 2 | August 21 | 7:30 p.m. | Detroit Lions | W 26–20 | 3–0 | Heinz Field | KDKA | Recap |
| 3 | August 27 | 7:30 p.m. | at Carolina Panthers | L 9–34 | 3–1 | Bank of America Stadium | KDKA | Recap |
Regular season
Schedule
The Steelers' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.[4]
| Week | Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | TV | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at Buffalo Bills | Highmark Stadium | CBS | |||
| 2 | September 19 | 1:00 p.m. | Las Vegas Raiders | Heinz Field | CBS | |||
| 3 | September 26 | 1:00 p.m. | Cincinnati Bengals | Heinz Field | CBS | |||
| 4 | October 3 | 4:25 p.m. | at Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | CBS | |||
| 5 | October 10 | 1:00 p.m. | Denver Broncos | Heinz Field | Fox | |||
| 6 | October 17 | 8:20 p.m. | Seattle Seahawks | Heinz Field | NBC | |||
| 7 | Bye | |||||||
| 8 | October 31 | 1:00 p.m. | at Cleveland Browns | FirstEnergy Stadium | CBS | |||
| 9 | November 8 | 8:15 p.m. | Chicago Bears | Heinz Field | ESPN | |||
| 10 | November 14 | 1:00 p.m. | Detroit Lions | Heinz Field | Fox | |||
| 11 | November 21 | 8:20 p.m. | at Los Angeles Chargers | SoFi Stadium | NBC | |||
| 12 | November 28 | 1:00 p.m. | at Cincinnati Bengals | Paul Brown Stadium | CBS | |||
| 13 | December 5 | 4:25 p.m. | Baltimore Ravens | Heinz Field | CBS | |||
| 14 | December 9 | 8:20 p.m. | at Minnesota Vikings | U.S. Bank Stadium | Fox/NFLN/ Prime Video |
|||
| 15 | December 19 | 1:00 p.m. | Tennessee Titans | Heinz Field | CBS | |||
| 16 | December 26 | 4:25 p.m. | at Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS | |||
| 17 | January 3 | 8:15 p.m. | Cleveland Browns | Heinz Field | ESPN | |||
| 18 | January 9 | 1:00 p.m. | at Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | CBS | |||
Notes:
- Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
- Networks and times from Weeks 5–18 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling; games not played on a Sunday (Weeks 9, 14 and 17) are exempt.
- Week 18 is subject to being flexed to Saturday, January 8.
Game summaries
Week 1: at Buffalo Bills
Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: September 12
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
- Preview
References
- ^ "Longtime offensive linemen Maurkice and Mike Pouncey retire from". NFL. 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
- ^ Schefter, Adam (June 25, 2020). "Cowboys-Steelers Hall of Fall Game being called off; enshrinement ceremony postponed". ESPN. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Chareen (February 15, 2021). "Unprecedented Hall of Fame weekend will kick off with Cowboys-Steelers". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ "2021 NFL schedule released: Cowboys at Buccaneers kicks off season". NFL. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-08-20.