PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers watched some big names leave Steel City this off-season with high hopes for the next chapter of their NFL careers.
Bud Dupree, James Conner and Mike Hilton want to break into new uniforms this off-season. During the first part of the summer camps, these players stepped onto the field for the first time with various teammates.
So let’s check in. AllSteelers wanted to know how these former Steelers were getting used to life outside of Pittsburgh.
Linebacker in Tennessee
AllTitans publisher David Boclair provided updates on some of the former Steelers who became Titans. Dupree continues his superstar run after ACL surgery last season. Ola Adeniyi and Tuzar Skipper are looking for a place in Tennessee alongside their teammate from Pittsburgh.
Bud Dupree:
“He spent most of the off-season rehabilitating his knee in Atlanta and attending OTA meetings through Zoom. He came into town for this week’s mandatory minicamp and declared himself “on schedule” for his recovery. Work in the field. Nor did he say when he expected to be released for full activity. He said, however, that he knows what is expected of him in terms of improving the Titans’ pass rush and that he welcomes the pressure and plans to help everyone on the defense get better at this. “
Ola Adeniyi:
“In recent years, the Titans have dedicated a roster slot to a linebacker who is almost exclusively a special team performer. That seems to be Adeniyi’s role this year in Many Snapshots. Third year man Derick Roberson took a long look at the minicamp and fourth-round pick Rashad Weaver (of Pitt) will also have his turn to defend only when absolutely necessary. “
Tuzar skipper:
“He had worked himself into a regular role from the practice team (four games including his first NFL start) before an injury knocked him out for the final three weeks of the season. The Titans signed him quickly after their playoff loss to a futures contract. ” to Buffalo, but right now he’s back a long way to make the roster unless he shows a dramatic improvement as a pass rusher in the preseason. “
Mike Hilton, Cincinatti Bengals
This one stood out for Steelers fans, but Mike Hilton deserved to be paid and the Bengals wanted to pay him. While Pittsburgh searches for the next nickelback on its defense, Hilton works to remain an X-Factor with a new team.
AllSteelers spoke to James Rapien, the editor of AllBengals, about the former Steelers cornerback.
“Mike Hilton was one of the Bengals’ favorite new signings of the off-season,” said Rapien. “The former Steelers cornerback will be the starting nickel in Cincinnati. The Bengals coaching team are happy with what they have seen of Hilton so far. They expect him to bring a physical presence in their cornerback room. Similar to in Pittsburgh, Hilton is expected to regularly flash from the nickel spot, we didn’t see him during the offseason program due to the structure of the training, but Hilton is off to a good start in Cincinnati and the organization expects him to have a big season. “
Matt Feiler, Los Angeles Chargers
Feiler left Pittsburgh after jumping around on the offensive for years. Feiler was an important part of the tackle line in 2019 and had to contend with injuries and a slight drop in production after joining the guard in 2020.
Chargers Reports editor Fernando Ramirez said Feiler showed up at OTAs after a few days but didn’t do too much to get noticed or enough that reporters would pay him a lot of attention.
Nevertheless, Feiler adapts well to his teammates. Center Corey Linsley said Feiler had a quick understanding of how the team communicated in advance.
“A lot happens through communication, both in and out of the field,” Linsley said. “When we went through individual exercises today, we had a couple of combination blocks with Oday (Aboushi) and Matt (Fieler) and I asked her, ‘Hey, was that the kind of look you wanted?’ Matt replied, ‘Yes, yes, definitely.’ “
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
AllCardinals editor Howard Balzer said there wasn’t much to see during the minicamp, but former Steelers running back James Conner worked hard.
More importantly, he looked “healthy”.
Conner hopes a change of scenery is the answer to some of the break-ins over the past two seasons. The 26-year-old has not yet finished a 16-game season and only played 13 games last year and ten the year before.
He will be working in a backfield with Chase Edmonds but the starting job is sure to be up for grabs. It will be interesting to check in again during training camp.
Stay up to date with all of the former Steelers as we keep updates running all summer. The next stop is the camp, where the competition heats up and expectations begin to unfold.
Noah Strackbein is a publisher at AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
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