The Steelers had a busy week wrapping up OTAs, extending some members of the 2023 draft class and even had a chance to visit Kennywood. Next stop: Training camp in Latrobe. As we gear up for Mike McCarthy\u2019s first season, it\u2019s time to answer some of your questions.<\/p>\n
(Note: Questions edited lightly for length and clarity.)<\/p>\n
I think the Steelers will and should head into the season with all three of their highly paid pass-rushers on the roster. I have some faith Patrick Graham will use T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig differently enough to maximize their skill sets, and given that all three players tend to miss time with injuries, playing time issues will probably resolve themselves. If the Steelers do move an edge rusher, everyone assumes it would be Alex Highsmith \u2026 but is Watt at all tradable? \u2014 Ben C.<\/p>\n
I completely agree with your initial assessment, especially the part about injuries. Drafting Jack Sawyer felt like a luxury pick until he started against the Lions due to injuries to Watt and Herbig. In the last two years alone, Highsmith has missed 10 games and Herbig has missed seven. Watt had his lung punctured by the medical staff last season and will turn 32 in October. It makes sense to me \u2014 especially on a team in a win-now posture behind a 42-year-old QB \u2014 to keep all of the outside linebackers this season.<\/p>\n
However, next offseason is the right time to move one. Highsmith is more likely to be traded because he\u2019d have just one year left on his contract and my sense is the Steelers would like Watt to be a \u201cone helmet\u201d guy. However, I would seriously consider moving Watt next offseason for a haul. If he has a bounce-back season, I don\u2019t think a first-round pick would be out of the question considering what the Browns got for Myles Garrett and what the Ravens were prepared to give up for Maxx Crosby.<\/p>\n
Given what you\u2019ve seen so far, which coach do you think will have the greatest impact going forward? \u2014 Al D.<\/p>\n
There are many ways to answer this. McCarthy himself is a huge part of this as the offensive play caller. Can he help Aaron Rodgers find the fountain of youth? Patrick Graham inherits the NFL\u2019s highest-paid defense, and I have faith he can get them to play at a higher level. That being said, I\u2019ll say James Campen. By investing so heavily in the offensive line, the Steelers have made Campen one of the most important people in the entire organization. He has a proven track record<\/a> of producing Pro Bowlers from mid-round picks. At a position with so much youth and talent that needs to be developed, Campen is the right man for the job.<\/p>\n What are we going to do with this logjam in the defensive backfield? Does Brandin Echols or even Asante Samuel Jr. (after contract) get traded? Daylen Everette seemed to fare well so far. \u2014 Zach B.<\/p>\n Last year, the Steelers kept eight defensive backs on the initial 53 and then added Chuck Clark just days later (after they put Will Howard on IR, which was the plan all along). For this exercise, let\u2019s say they keep nine DBs again.<\/p>\n The starters in nickel defense are: DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker, Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr. and Jamel Dean. Asante Samuel Jr. is the next corner on the depth chart, followed by Daylen Everette (for now). Brandin Echols is the top backup at nickel behind Ramsey and has versatility to play outside, so I think they\u2019ll keep him.<\/p>\n That would hypothetically leave room for one more. Safety Sebastian Castro, a UDFA last offseason, was getting a lot of first-team reps in place of Elliott (who wasn\u2019t quite ready for full-team work). However, seventh-round rookie safety Robert Spears-Jennings has looked good, and I think they\u2019ll keep him. I also expect them to look for a potential safety who gets cut from another team to upgrade that group, and maybe they push Spears-Jennings and Castro to the practice squad.<\/p>\n What was the injury holdup with signing Darnell Savage Jr., and how was it resolved? \u2014 Steve L.<\/p>\n He was dealing with an injury and both sides agreed they\u2019d wait until that was resolved (or mostly resolved) before making the signing official.<\/p>\n Do Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker start opening day at RT and RG? \u2014 Charles M.<\/p>\n The Steelers opened offseason workouts with Spencer Anderson at right guard and Dylan Cook at right tackle. There was no movement on the depth chart throughout the spring. Now, the new coaching staff hasn\u2019t seen them in person with pads on yet, but here in the middle of June, I\u2019d project Anderson and Cook to start Day 1.<\/p>\n Which rookies (if any) exceeded expectations during minicamp and OTAs? \u2014 Jan M.<\/p>\n During a busy Day 2 of the draft, the Steelers traded up for a receiver, drafted a QB and got a guy with a mullet. Everette kind of flew under the radar and wasn\u2019t talked about a lot. He looked good during OTAs and minicamp, with his 4.38 speed being evident and he got his hands on a number of balls at practice. His challenge will be to jump Samuel on the depth chart to become the first corner off the bench if Porter or Dean are injured.<\/p>\n In your mind, how much of a sure thing is it that the Steelers pick a quarterback in the first round of the 2027 draft? If the 2026 season ends similarly to the past several seasons (8-10 wins, never a real contender, picking somewhere around 18th), and they don\u2019t have a chance to move up enough to get a top QB prospect, do you think it\u2019s more likely they get another veteran? Or would they go with Allar or Howard? \u2014 Shea F.<\/p>\n When the Steelers drafted Allar, I started to wonder if the team is preparing for the possibility that they won\u2019t be in a position to draft a QB in 2027. Some of the possible QB-needy teams include the Cardinals, Dolphins, Browns and Jets. Maybe after this season we\u2019ll add the Bucs (if they let Baker Mayfield walk) and Titans (if Cam Ward doesn\u2019t take a step). Most of those teams will most likely be picking ahead of the Steelers. In a recent projection, The Athletic\u2019s Dane Brugler predicted five QBs<\/a> to go in the first round: Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Drew Mestemaker, CJ Carr and Jayden Maiava.<\/p>\n My sense is the Steelers will make every effort to move into position to land a first-round talent, but we\u2019ll need to see who decides to leave college and how the ones who enter the draft perform this fall. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s out of the realm of possibility to see Howard or Allar starting in Week 1 next year.<\/p>\n How do you see the QB room shaking out? Stick with vet Rudolph or go with Howard as the backup? \u2014 Marc U.<\/p>\n The more I think about this, it\u2019s not necessarily a competition between Rudolph and Howard. It\u2019s an evaluation to determine if Howard is ready to be QB2, even if Rudolph is objectively more prepared or better by the end of camp. I sense that McCarthy would want to bet on himself and his ability to develop a young passer, thereby keeping Howard. Until they play some preseason games, however, it\u2019s hard to truly know. The team probably doesn\u2019t even know yet, but I bet they\u2019ll give Howard the benefit of the doubt if it\u2019s close.<\/p>\n Why are the Steelers signing backups who have yet to prove anything to huge money while JPJ, who\u2019s been showing he may be the next elite shutdown corner, is being ignored? \u2014 Anonymous U.<\/p>\n