The Terrible Podcast - Steelers Podcast via Steelers Depot

Season 15, Episode 129 of the Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Friday morning episode, Ross McCorkle sits in for Dave Bryan and joins me to share his thoughts on the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 NFL Draft class. We discuss each of the team's seven selections and how they can improve the roster. We discuss DL Derrick Harmon's Year One role, how EDGE Jack Sawyer fits into the Steelers' defense, and how seventh-rounders ILB Carson Bruener and CB Donte Kent can make the team. Our draft conversation also touches on the notable undrafted free agents Pittsburgh added and why their UDFA class was unusually strong. Ross and I also briefly touch on the one roster move the Steelers made since our Wednesday show, releasing linebacker Thomas Rush. We end the show by looking around the AFC North to evaluate the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns and offer a loose ranking of which classes were best and worst. Mixed in-between draft talk is a discussion of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 offensive line and how much confidence we have in LT Broderick Jones, entering a critical third year in the NFL. This 77-minute episode also touches on several other minor topics not noted in the recap. Steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 13, Episode 138 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Friday morning show, Alex Kozora and I get right to talking about the latest to come out on the Pittsburgh Steelers when it comes to the team’s OTA practices these last few days. We talk quite a bit about the rookie cornerbacks, Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr., in addition to discussing things that veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson has said these last few days. Steelers tackle Dan Moore Jr. is getting practice snaps on the right side in OTAs, so we discuss that bit of news. We also discuss what else is newsworthy concerning the Steelers now that their second week of OTA practices has concluded. We talk some about three position groups we feel the team could quite possibly address moving forward into the summer. Might Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Isaiah Simmons be a plausible trade candidate for the Steelers? We discuss that topic quite thoroughly in this show as well. In the middle of this show, Alex and I are joined by former Steelers longtime scout Mark Gorscak, who is now transitioning into other professional areas in his life. We have a great 40-minute interview with Gorscak that you won't want to miss. He answered quite a few questions from us concerning the inner workings of the scouting process and much more. Make sure you follow Mark on Twitter at @gors55, if not already doing so. Later in the show, Alex and I answer a few questions we have received from listeners over the last several days. We mix in other Steelers talk throughout this episode that is not noted in this recap post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 20, 2025 - For Episode 1,569 on this Friday afternoon, Alex Kozora discusses the Steelers "longshots" and which players have the best chance of beating the odds to make the initial 53-man roster. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 20, 2025 - Season 15, Episode 150 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Friday episode, Alex Kozora and I get right to talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers cutting ties with veteran RB Jonathan Ward on Thursday. We go over the decision to release Ward, where that leaves the Steelers running back room, and what it means for a few others in that position group as far as potential goes the rest of the offseason. There's nothing new to report on the contract details for S DeShon Elliott, who was signed to a two-year extension earlier this week. We get that tidbit out of the way early in this show. The Baltimore Ravens signed veteran CB Jaire Alexander to a one-year contract this week, so Alex and I discuss that transaction. We talk about the contract details related to Alexander and why he likely decided to sign with Baltimore. We discuss whether the Steelers likely had any interest in signing Alexander and what a contract likely would have needed to look like for that to even happen. With there being quite a bit of buzz this week concerning the Steelers possible trading for veteran Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey, Alex and I decide to address that topic quite extensively during this show. We go over Ramsey's contract, the cost to acquire him via a trade and much more. We look at the probability and plausibility concerning the likelihood the Steelers would ultimately trade for Ramsey. Alex has some interesting stats concerning the potential usage of new Steelers RB Kenneth Gainwell in 2025, so we go over that nice pull by him. Alex and I also dive deep into the historical nature of the Steelers scoring a touchdown on their opening offensive possession in Week One games. This 86-minute episode also discusses several other minor topics not noted in the recap. We end this show by answering several emails we received from listeners of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 19, 2025 - For Episode 1,568 on this Thursday afternoon, Josh Carney believes that Troy Fautanu is a bigger question mark at RT than Broderick Jones is flipping over to LT this summer. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 18, 2025 - For Episode 1,567 on this Wednesday afternoon, Alex Kozora explains why Steelers DL Daniel Ekuale could be this year's version of DeShon Elliott, the shrewd FA signing come season's end. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 18, 2025 - Season 15, Episode 149 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Wednesday episode, Alex Kozora and I get right to talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers signing S DeShon Elliott to a two-year contract extension this week. We go over what is known about that extension so far, the probable salary cap numbers, associated with it, and whether the team did the right thing when it comes to giving him the new deal. With Elliott now being finalized, Alex and I look at three players currently under contract and that signed new deals this offseason that could potentially wind up having their deals extended next offseason. The main three players discussed in this segment are CB Brandin Echols, ILB Malik Harrison, and T Calvin Anderson. Would the Steelers now offer WR Calvin Austin III the same type of extension they signed Elliott to? Would Austin even seriously consider such an offer if given it? We discuss those two questions quite a bit. Recently, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network made some interesting comments about the future of Steelers HC Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. We attempt to get to the bottom of what Pelissero said and then attempt to speculate how, when, and why Tomlin's tenure with the Steelers will ultimately come to an end. Later in this show, Alex over all of the positional groups on defense and give our thoughts on those relative to being improved or not versus this time last year. We express our concerns about the Steelers’ defensive line depth ahead of training camp getting underway. This 91-minute episode also discusses several other minor topics not noted in the recap. We end this show by answering several emails we received from listeners of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 17, 2025 - For Episode 1,566 on this Tuesday afternoon, Josh Carney reacts to DeShon Elliott’s extension and dishes why it’s a great move in an up and down offseason for the Steelers. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 17 – Ep. 60: On this episode of The Depot Dive, Ross McCorkle and Alex Kozora kick things off with a discussion on DeShon Elliott's extension and what it means for the secondary and the defense overall. Next, we discuss some of the positive reports about the running back room coming out of spring practices. How will the division of labor be divided between Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson? And how does Kenneth Gainwell fit into that equation? For the third topic, we discuss Arthur Smith's "wishbone" comments and what that might mean for the direction of the offense overall. Will Aaron Rodgers' history or Smith's history hold more weight? We also discuss what that might mean for Roman Wilson's role with everything else going on with the offense. To wrap things up, we answer a listener question about Zach Frazier's potential after a great rookie season. Thank you for joining us for this 32-minute episode, and we hope to see your thoughts in the comment section. Call the hotline at (412) 254-3145 and leave us a question for a chance to have it answered in a future episode. You can also text the line if you don't wish to have your voice on the show! Follow us on X: Ross: @Ross_McCorkle Joe: @jclark1233 Alex: @Alex_Kozora Steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 16, 2025 - Welcome back to the archive of our Monday live stream over on YouTube. If you missed it, Dave and I stream every other Monday from 7-8 PM/ET. We hope you can make the next one. If you missed it live, you can check an archive below. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. ⁠steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 16, 2025 - For Episode 1,565 on this Monday afternoon, Ross McCorkle explains why RB Kenneth Gainwell isn't being talked about enough as a potentially significant contributor to the Steelers' offense. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 16, 2025 - Season 15, Episode 148 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Monday episode, Alex Kozora and I get right to talking about the state of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense for the 2025 season and especially as it sits right now exiting mandatory minicamp. We goi over all of the positional groups on offense and give our thoughts on those relative to being improved or not versus this time last year. We express our concerns about the Steelers offensive line depth ahead of training camp getting underway. How will new QB Aaron Rodgers mesh with OC Arthur Smith in 2025? We address that question and also go over a few offensive stats that the Steelers must get better in when it comes to 2025. We discuss touchdown drives in the first two drives and much more. Alex and I discuss Smith's one season with the Atlanta Falcons that included QB Matt Ryan as the starter. We also talk about the chores that Rodgers will now have when it comes to him getting on the same page with all members of the offense prior to the regular season getting underway. Is there any chance that Rodgers is once again the Steelers' quarterback in 2026? If so, would Smith still be the team's offensive coordinator in such a scenario? We attempt to answer those two questions during this show. We close this show by discussing OLB T.J. Watt as it relates to fan perception during this offseason's contract negotiations. We look back at the fan perception from several years ago when Watt was aiming for a lucrative contract extension and how it's unlikely to be the same this offseason. This 80-minute episode also discusses several other minor topics not noted in the recap. We end this show by answering several emails we received from listeners of the show. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 15, 2025 - For Episode 1,564 on this Sunday afternoon, Dr. Melanie Friedlander explains why she is optimistic about CB Joey Porter Jr. taking his game to the next level in his third season with the Steelers. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 14, 2025 - For Episode 1,563 on this Saturday afternoon, Joe Clark explains why we might see WR Brandon Johnson crack the initial 53-man roster for the Steelers. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 13, 2025 - For Episode 1,562 on this Friday afternoon, Alex Kozora discusses TE Darnell Washington's role in the Steelers' offense and how much more involved in the passing game he can be. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 13, 2025 - Season 15, Episode 147 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Friday episode, Alex Kozora and I get right to talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ recent mandatory minicamp that wrapped up on Thursday. We go over the few notable things that Steelers HC Mike Tomlin had to say on Thursday and that includes his thoughts on the team's contract situation with OLB T.J. Watt, the health of the squad coming out of minicamp, and the practice starting times for training camp. Alex and I talk about how Watt's contract situation is likely to be the biggest topic of discussion until the team reports to training camp in late July. We also talk about the prospects of any players not being able to practice fully once training camp gets underway. Throughout this show, Alex and I have fairly lengthy discussions about Steelers WR Calvin Austin III, TE Darnell Washington, CB Joey Porter Jr., and T Broderick Jones. Those were triggered by several comments made about those particular players by several members of the offensive coaching staff this past week. Should glove color be important to Porter in 2025? Alex and I make our thoughts on that question well known in this show. We go over our most significant takeaways from the Steelers 2025 mandatory minicamp. We also discuss the prospects of the Steelers adding another playmaker before the start of the 2025 regular season. Former Steelers WR Antonio Brown was unfortunately back in the news on Thursday for something negative, so Alex and I make sure to go over the specifics for that. This 92-minute episode also discusses several other minor topics not noted in the recap. We end this show by answering several emails we received from listeners of the show. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 12, 2025 - For Episode 1,561 on this Thursday afternoon, Josh Carney says the Steelers deserve some grace with the T.J. Watt contract situation, based on their long track record. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 12 – Ep. 59: On this episode of The Depot Dive, Ross McCorkle and Joe Clark dive into the Aaron Rodgers signing and the various topics discussed during his introductory press conference. How much say does he want in the offense and what will the dynamic be between him and OC Arthur Smith? Ross gives reasons to get excited for Rodgers given his extensive list of injuries last season and an offensive scheme that will protect him better in Pittsburgh. For the second topic, we talk about the most notable quotes from the various coordinator and coach interviews including Calvin Austin III as the WR2, Derrick Harmon being named a starter and Rodgers being compared to Peyton Manning. We then dive into Adam Schefter's report about Aaron Rodgers being the Steelers' third option and some clarifying comments he made on Wednesday about Justin Fields and Matthew Stafford that were particularly interesting. To wrap things up, we answer a listener question about a game we would like to travel back in time to see in person. Thank you for joining us for this 36-minute episode, and we hope to see your thoughts in the comment section. Call the hotline at (412) 254-3145 and leave us a question for a chance to have it answered in a future episode. You can also text the line if you don't wish to have your voice on the show! Follow us on Twitter: Ross: @Ross_McCorkle Joe: @jclark1233 Steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 11, 2025 - For Episode 1,560 on this Wednesday afternoon, Alex Kozora shares his thoughts on QB Aaron Rodgers' first press conference Tuesday and why it might calm some fears fans had about his signing. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 11, 2025 - Season 15, Episode 146 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Wednesday episode, Alex Kozora and I get right to talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers starting their 2025 mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. We go over the absence of Steelers OLB T.J. Watt for minicamp and the relation that has to his contract extension negotiations. We discuss whether Watt's minicamp absence is a big deal, what he's likely angling for, and the possibility that he might ultimately hold out at training camp if he doesn’t sign a contract extension by then. We also talk about how we still both expect Watt to sign an extension but that it might not get done for several more weeks. New Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers took part in his first practice with his new team on Tuesday, so Alex and I discuss that major event. Rodgers also met with the local media for the first time on Tuesday, so Alex and I make sure to parse out everything he said during that 15-minute session. Steelers HC Mike Tomlin also talked briefly on Tuesday, so we hit on a few key things he said after the first minicamp practice concluded. The finer details related to Rodgers' one-year contract are now known, so Alex and I go over those incentives and what his 2025 salary cap charge is scheduled to be. We also go over the Steelers' 2025 salary cap and cash spending situation now that Rodgers has signed his deal. All of the Steelers position coaches on the defensive side of the football talked to the media on Tuesday so Alex and I recap the most notable things to come out of those sessions. We do the same for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and special teams coordinator Danny Smith as well as both also met with the media on Tuesday. A few comments from a few coaches on the offensive side of the football surfaced Wednesday morning during our show so Alex and I make sure to cover a few of those. This 80-minute episode also discusses several other minor topics not noted in the recap. We end this show by answering several emails we received from listeners of the show. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices