triblive
Youll get plenty of primetime Pittsburgh Steelers games later this summer.
Joey Porter Jr.
didnt get much love from ESPN this week.
We now know where Troy Polamalus son will play college football.
And we take a look at the pitching matchup at PNC Park for Game 2 of the #Pirates series against the Atlanta Braves.
All that in Wednesdays First Call.
Bright lights for the Burgh Even in the preseason, the Steelers are a television draw.
The NFL is putting all three of the Steelers preseason games on NFL Network all in prime time.
On Tuesday, ESPN issued a press release listing all NFL Network and ESPN preseason games.
The preseason opener versus Green Bay is at home Thursday, Aug.
13.
Itll be a 7 p.m.
start.
Green Bay will play against former Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and ex-head coach Mike McCarthy.
That should draw eyeballs to TVs, even if it is just a preseason game.
If Rodgers plays, of course.
If he doesnt, hey, more snaps for Will Howard and Drew Allar in their Black and Gold debuts, which will keep Steelers fans watching.
The preseason Week 2 game against the New York Jets is also a home contest at Acrisure Stadium.
Itll be played Friday, Aug.
21.
Thatll be a 7 p.m.
start as well.
Thats another potential Rodgers storyline game after he played in New York for two seasons in between Green Bay and Pittsburgh.
During the 2025 regular season, the Steelers won in New York last year and lost to the Packers at home.
The Steelers lone road preseason game will be in Buffalo on Thursday, Aug.
27 at 7 p.m.
That game will have the Buffalo play-by-play call on NFL Network.
The two home-game broadcasts will use the Steelers KDKA-TV play-by-play.
Wheres Peezy Jr.? ESPN.com compiled a list of the top 10 cornerbacks in the NFL.
This is the seventh edition of the websites annual position-by-position rankings.
As outlined by Jeremy Fowler, ESPN surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts to help us rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions, Fowler said.
Voters gave their own top 10 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen as well as ESPN Research.
More than 70 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions.
Additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed contributed to placements.
Pittsburghs Joey Porter Jr.
didnt make the list.
He was in the honorable mention category.
One anonymous NFC coach was complimentary of Porter.
He takes all the stress off the pass defense.
He matches the best receiver in man coverage, and teams roll away from him in zone, the coach said.
Denvers Pat Surtain II was atop the rankings.
He was followed by Derek Stingley Jr.
in Houston, New Englands Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks.
Trent McDuffie of the Los Angeles Rams rounded out the top 5.
Porter is seeking a new contract.
Gonzalez and Witherspoon are on entry-level contracts, like Porter.
They were both drafted in 2023s first round, though.
Porter was taken in the second round that spring, so his contract expires at the end of 2026, while the other two have one year remaining.
Surtain makes $24 million per year.
McDuffie makes $31 million per season.
Polamalu in Palo Alto Paisios Polamalu will not be attending his fathers alma mater.
The son of Steelers legend Troy Polamalu will go to Stanford and play football there.
That was despite interest from USC, where his dad played.
Arizona recruited him.
Thats according to USC Trojans on SI.
Polamalus son is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound prospect from St.
Augustine High School in San Diego.
He is expected to play safety at the collegiate level.
That said, Paisios Polamalu was a standout running back and return specialist in high school as well.
In 2025, he rushed for 1,412 yards and scored 22 total touchdowns.
That included a school-record 316 yards rushing against La Jolla.
He also totaled 2,095 all-purpose yards.
Even though they are both in the ACC, Stanford and Pitt do not play each other this year.
Fortunate timing It looks like the Pirates are getting the Atlanta Braves at the right time.
After falling to the Bucs 12-4 at PNC Park on Tuesday night, Atlanta has now lost 11 of their last 15.
The Pirates also dont have to face the Braves top starter in this series, Chris Sale.
After tearing through Hurston Waldrep and Connor Thomas on Tuesday, the Pirates now face right-hander Grant Holmes.
He is 5-4 with a 3.83 ERA.
Grant Holmes, White Castle Special.
???????????????? pic.twitter.com/J9Whc4fxke Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 24, 2026 Holmes didnt pitch against the Pirates earlier this season when they visited Atlanta.
His last three outings have resulted in 1323 innings pitched, but just two earned runs allowed.
Two of those were starts.
The other was a four-inning relief effort for Thursdays starter Bryce Elder.
Jared Jones counters for Pittsburgh.
He is 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA since returning from injury in May.
Jones only gave up one run in four innings en route to a 6-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies last time out.