Wednesday links: How big of a signing is Adam Thielen?

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:

• Browns injuries: Season-ending for defender, Jack Conklin, Dylan Sampson, Wyatt Teller updates (Dawgs by Nature)

• Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Baltimore Beatdown)

• Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson injury update from Zac Taylor (Cincy Jungle)

What’s the latest on the Steelers’ upcoming opponent? (In this case, more from Baltimore Beatdown):

• Ravens’ updated playoff probabilities entering Week 14

• Baltimore Ravens Week 13 updates: injuries, quotes, and statistical notes

• Baltimore Ravens Report Card, Week 13: Miscues pile up in embarrassing loss

• Ravens sign ex-Steelers RB Jonathan Ward

Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:

What’s wrong with the Steelers? Who’s the NFL Coach of the Year? Our experts’ Week 13 takeaways

(From The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen): Even when the offense was playing better, the Steelers had very little margin for error. Rodgers was already averse to taking hits before the wrist injury and was getting rid of the ball faster than any other quarterback. That can work when you have a favorable game script, but when the Steelers needed to throw downfield, Rodgers wouldn’t — unless he got wide open opportunities. The defense was predictable and got exposed early in their downturn. Coach Mike Tomlin made some adjustments and that side of the ball has played better lately, but the offense has been so bad that it hasn’t mattered. Though Tomlin may still be a great motivator and culture-setter, the game may have passed him by.

The first of many articles in this week’s “Wednesday links” taking issue with how the Steelers performed on Sunday.

The Aaron Rodgers experiment is starting to fall apart

(From NBC News’ Rohan Nadkarni): The main culprit for Pittsburgh’s loss was its moribund offense, which managed to gain only 166 total yards. It was responsible for only seven points, the same as the Bills’ defense, which scored on a fumble return for a touchdown of its own.

The head of the Steelers’ attack — or lack of one — is 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who looked every bit his age Sunday. Rodgers completed only 10 of 21 passes for a 47.6% completion percentage with no touchdowns. He also coughed up the fumble that led to the Bills’ defensive score.

A national view of what Steeler fans have noticed already in recent weeks. Rodgers hasn’t come close to topping 200 passing yards in a game since Nov. 2.

Aaron Rodgers calls out WRs, says Steelers earned fans’ boos

(From ESPN’s Brooke Pryor): After completing fewer than 50% of his pass attempts in Sunday’s 26-7loss to the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Aaron Rodgers suggested two simple fixes to getting on the same page with his wide receivers with just five weeks left in the regular season.

“When there’s film sessions, everybody shows up, and when I check to a route, you do the right route,” Rodgers said. “… We have our meetings every week. We have other opportunities outside of the facility, and [I] look forward to seeing all the boys there.”

Rodgers has faced plenty of criticism for his play in Sunday’s loss to the Bills, but it seems fair to say some of it falls on his receiving core as well.

Steelers and Tomlin have been in tight spots before, but not like this

(From the Associated Press’ Will Graves): PITTSBURGH — One of Mike Tomlin’s pet phrases is “smile in the face of adversity,” a “Tomlin-ism” the Pittsburgh Steelers coach trots out occasionally when his team hits a rough patch.

Yet the corners of Tomlin’s mouth never perked up — not even once — as he tried to sift through the rubble of a 26-7 loss to Buffalo on Sunday that was as emphatic as it was complete.

Instead, the longest-tenured coach in major North American team sports sounded almost resigned after spending three hours watching his team get whipped in a way that it rarely has during his 19 years on the job.

The Steelers have suffered the odd ugly loss just about every year, but more writers and football media are starting to point out that something feels a little different this time around.

Saints sign former Steelers fan-favorite defensive back Beanie Bishop

(From Steelers Wire’s Andrew Vasquez): On Tuesday, it was reported that Bishop signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad, putting an end to any hope that he might return to the Steelers.

Signing with Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft, Bishop had a terrific rookie season — recording 45 combined tackles, half a sack, seven passes defended, a fumble recovery, and four interceptions in 16 games.

Bishop’s time with the Steelers was turned into a bigger “thing” than it probably ever should’ve been, but his 2024 season was still one for any undrafted free agent to be proud of. It’s good to see him get another NFL chance elsewhere.

Schefter Highly Doubts Steelers Would Fire Tomlin: ‘That’s Not Gonna Happen’

(From Steelers Now’s Chris Ward): Adam Schefter of ESPN threw cold water on the speculation that the Pittsburgh Steelers could fire head coach Mike Tomlin. …

“If they did not want Mike Tomlin there, maybe the message is stale. Maybe he moves on like Andy Reid, finds a new home. Andy Reid’s time in Philly ran out, he went to Kansas City and we see how that worked out for him. … If Mike Tomlin were a coaching free agent, he automatically would become the No. 1 coaching free agent out there. He could have any coaching job he wanted. He could have any broadcasting job he wanted. The Steelers fans clearly have had enough of Mike Tomlin, but they’re not firing Mike Tomlin. That’s not gonna happen. We’re not gonna get one of these announcements that the Steelers have relieved him of his duties the way that we do from these other teams.”

The air is thick with Mike Tomlin takes, but one the NFL’s top insiders remains adamant that the Steelers aren’t interested in letting him go. One report, of course, isn’t everything, but it passes the eye test: The Rooney family doesn’t like firing coaches.

Wife says Adam Thielen’s request to be released by Vikings was about playing time

(By SI’s Jonathan Harrison): Adam Thielen’s request to be released by the Vikings was more about playing time than winning, according to his wife, Caitlin Thielen.

“It’s been tough, it’s been really tough for Adam,” Caitlin said in an Instagram story on Tuesday. “It’s not even about wins or losses. It’s about Adam wanting to compete, wanting to play. This is his last season. … I just know him as a competitor, he wants to compete, he wants to play, he wants to prove, he’s always been about proving people, proving to himself.”

Caitlin Thielen, Adam Thielen’s wife, provided some context of why the Vikings waived the longtime receiver in the first place.

How impactful is the Adam Thielen signing?

Thielen is 35. He’s caught just eight passes this year. I wouldn’t get my hopes too high.

The jokes were flying after the signing, too. How did the Steelers somehow get older after releasing Darius Slay? They did the “soup with forks” meme.

However, I don’t think it’s a bad signing by any means. Thielen is cheap, with just a $1.1 million cap hit this season per Spotrac. While he’s clearly regressing due to age, he’s just a year removed from being a 615-yard receiver for the Panthers last year.

And more importantly, he brings experience and a veteran savvy to a wide receiving unit that’s been sorely lacking it this season, much to Aaron Rodgers’ likely chagrin (see the above article). I’ve criticized the Steelers a lot this season for being too veteran-heavy, but this is the one position where it makes a modicum of sense to add another.

Does that mean Thielen will be WR2? I highly doubt it. And even if he will be, that’s not a big piece of the Pittsburgh offense.

It’s worth noting Thielen was picked up on waivers instead of him definitely choosing to sign with Pittsburgh. But given his complaints about playing time in Minnesota, I’d imagine the Steelers are aware and planning on giving him some sort of role. He’s on the active roster, at least — already a step ahead of Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s Steelers journey.

But will the Thielen signing be impactful? Probably not. However, that doesn’t make it an unreasonable roster move for where the Pittsburgh offense currently is.

What are your thoughts on the Adam Thielen signing? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!