Wednesday’s “First Call” has some interesting quotes from Patrick Queen about Mike Tomlin’s exit as Steelers head coach. Some former Steelers greats are going to be at the NFL Draft in various roles.

We’ll let you know where former Pitt basketball player Brandin Cummings is transferring, and we’ll tell you how Pittsburgh’s own Logan Cooley helped Utah sew up its spot in the NHL playoffs.

Ward’s return

Former Steeler Hines Ward is coming back to Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft. The Super Bowl XL MVP will be accompanying Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.

Ward has been Tyson’s position coach at ASU for the last two years.

“I came here and had two great years with JT. To have the draft in Pittsburgh and be a part of that … he wanted me to tag along and be a part of that,” Ward said of attending the draft with Tyson. “I wouldn’t miss that day for the world.”

Despite frequent injuries at ASU, Tyson is considered by many to be one of the best pass catchers in the draft. NFL.com ranks him third among receivers. Tyson dealt with a hamstring problem in the 2025 season. In 2024, he suffered a broken collarbone. In 2022, he endured knee ligament tears to his PCL, MCL and ACL.

“Whoever he ends up with is going to get a real one,” Ward via Steelers Depot. “He’s going to make some plays in his rookie season, so I’m excited by his opportunity. Just to see where he started when I first came here to who he is today, I couldn’t be prouder of JT.”

Even though Tyson was injured in 2025, he still managed 61 catches, eight for touchdowns, and 711 yards.

One of Ward’s former coaches, Bill Cowher, and former Steelers draft choice (Penn State/Moon) A.Q. Shipley will be part of “The Pat McAfee Show” broadcast on ESPN as well.

Getting used to change

Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen joined the NFL Network Tuesday and described his view of Mike Tomlin’s departure.

“It was crazy, especially when you come to a team for a guy like that,” Queen said via SteelersNow.com. “You want to be coached by the best, and that’s how everybody looked at him. That’s how we still feel about him. It was random. It just sucked the energy out of the entire place. People started crying on the spot.”

However, Queen seems optimistic about what new coach Mike McCarthy can do.

“He’s fired up, man. He’s a good dude,” Queen said. “You can tell he loves football. He’s very organized, detailed. It’s just the way he approaches it. We’ll know more going into the next few weeks (about) how he wants everything done and what to expect and all that. But from what I can tell … he’s really energetic and really thinks Pittsburgh football can get back.”

Queen played in all 17 games last year, but saw his solo tackles drop to a career-low 56. He also had just one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Bye-bye, Brandin

Now we know where former Pitt guard Brandin Cummings is headed after entering the transfer portal.

The sophomore from Midland has committed to Memphis, according to On3.com.

The 6-foot-3 guard from Lincoln Park put up 12.5 points per game last year. He dealt with an ankle injury and only played in 19 games.

Meanwhile, Cummings’ departure was offset by the addition of Charleston Southern guard A’lahn Sumler. He’s on a list of incoming Panthers from the portal that also includes Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo, forward Dominique Diomande (BYU/Washington) and guards Naithan George (Syracuse/Georgia Tech), Jonathan Powell (North Carolina/West Virginia), Jalil Bethea (Alabama/Miami) and Colin Hawkins (Gardner-Webb).

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On3Sports has the Panthers rated seventh in the country in terms of portal improvement.

Cooley helps clinch

The Utah Mammoth clinched the NHL’s top wild card spot in the Western Conference Tuesday night, courtesy of a 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

West Mifflin’s Logan Cooley was a part of that. He opened the scoring with a first-period goal.

Cooley also added an assist. The 21-year-old has 24 goals this year to go along with 19 assists.

The Mammoth will face the winner of the Pacific Division in the first round of the playoffs. That still could be the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers or Anaheim Ducks.