Welcome to another Steelers mailbag. These articles are only as good as the questions, and this set provided plenty of good food for thought (and a question about food, too).
We’ll address the coaching staff changes, what the Steelers will do if Aaron Rodgers retires, where the ideal spot is to target a QB in the draft and remaining roster needs. Let’s dive in:
What’s the biggest change you’ve noticed so far with the change in coaching staff? — Al D.
It’s the way they talk about the quarterback position. When Mike Tomlin talked about the QB, he’d speak in intangibles. Grit. Moxie. Poise. Winner. When Mike McCarthy talks about the quarterback, he goes into great detail about the five-step drop and how each step has a specific name and function. He discusses arm angles and uses words like “ground force” to describe how power is generated from the QB’s feet. He’s simply an expert in the sport’s most important position.
If the Steelers draft a quarterback, who will it be? — Bruce W.
Well, I’ll tell you first who I don’t think it will be: Ty Simpson. While he’s a coach’s son who knows the game, interviewed well and has some upside, I think his limited experience (15 college starts) will weigh heavily into the Steelers’ evaluation. I would disregard the Steelers portion of any mock draft that has Pittsburgh picking him in the first round.
On Tuesday, the Steelers hosted Miami’s Carson Beck for a pre-draft visit. They also met with Drew Allar, Simpson and Beck at the combine. It wouldn’t surprise me if they host Garrett Nussmeier, too. If they draft someone, I anticipate it will be in a middle round. I mentioned Beck in my “What I’m Hearing at the Combine” story. He’s starting to get some buzz elsewhere in the media and has as good of a shot as any of the other QBs, even though the fan base doesn’t seem to be sold on him yet.
Seems like the Steelers need to add at least one tight end to the roster. Should they be looking for a Pat Freiermuth backup, a Darnell Washington backup or an all-purpose backup? — Robert O.
If the Steelers were to lose Freiermuth to injury or even just need to spell him, they need a tight end capable of running a similar route tree. Ideally, that tight end is also a pretty solid blocker. But if you’re picking a style, definitely one more similar to Freiermuth than Washington. The good news is this draft is extremely deep at that position and there will be good options on all three days.
Should the Steelers try to package two of their extra third-round picks for this draft in exchange for picks in 2027? They have 12 picks this year and they don’t have 12 realistic spots on the roster. What would that trade look like: two 2026 thirds for a 2027 second? — Matt K.
If the Steelers are going to wait until next year to take their big swing at a QB (which seems to be the way this is trending), it absolutely makes sense to trade a few of their 2026 picks for future draft capital. I bet they will.
I’m going to do a future story really diving into the trade value charts to show some real-life examples of how the Steelers could move around on the board (something Omar Khan was an expert at even before he was promoted to GM). Check out this modern trade value chart as a guide. Using your example, the third the Steelers got in the George Pickens trade is worth 210 points and their compensatory pick is worth 104. That puts them easily in the second round of this year’s draft. So hypothetically, that’s a reasonable return.
But would a team be trying to acquire a pair of thirds? Usually, there’s one specific player a team is targeting and it wants to jump a handful of spots to get him, so individual trades involving some of the extra mid-round picks might be more likely. It all depends whether a team falls in love with a player, wants to move up and what it is offering, but I definitely like your thought process of accumulating 2027 draft capital.
Can you give me a single reason to believe Aaron Rodgers is good enough to win a playoff game, let alone multiple at this point of his career? Genuinely asking. — Michael S.
I have my doubts, but since you addressed the skepticism, I’ll give you the optimism you asked for. If the Steelers are going to win a playoff game with Rodgers, they basically need the rest of the roster to continue to take significant steps forward. The receiver position has to be much more dynamic (something that seems to be happening, but still needs work), the defense to be close to dominant (it looks slightly improved on paper and should also be better schematically), the offensive line has to take another step forward (which it can only do with a legitimate upgrade at guard and insurance at left tackle), the running game to be more reliable and, maybe, they’d need matchup against a team without elite edge rushers to expose Rodgers’ declining mobility. To win more than one, they’d need another year like 2025, when there wasn’t a dominant team in the AFC.
If Rodgers doesn’t come back, is Howard the guy or will they add a FA? — Gene N.
Let me first say the most likely outcome is that Rodgers comes back. There’s optimism in the Steelers’ building, but until he signs, no one wants to speak in certain terms. If he retires, Khan and McCarthy are on record praising Howard. Talking with people behind the scenes, my sense is that optimism is real.
I think Howard would be given a realistic shot to compete for the job and they’d probably look to draft a mid-round QB to round out the room. If they bring in a free agent, it would probably be to compete, not necessarily someone they’d just hand the QB1 title to right away. The Kyler Murray and Malik Willis talk was more media speculation than anything real, which I think says something about their faith in Rodgers returning.
How much do you think the draft being in Pittsburgh will factor into the selection? Would the crowd be thrilled with a safety and be disappointed with OL? — Charles S.
The funny thing is, I bet a lot of fans would actually be thrilled if the Steelers draft Penn State guard Vega Ioane. This fan base loves its linemen and I love them for it. If he’s there at 21, my sense is that the Steelers would consider it. (Spoiler: That’s what happened in our beat writer mock draft and I picked Ioane.)
Is ILB a sneaky need? Would have thought (Payton) Wilson would have taken that role by now but we’ve seen how slow ILBs develop. (Wouldn’t be shocked to see Patrick Queen improve as well.) — Zachary S.
The most pressing concern at the position is upgrading the player in the Malik Harrison role. He was fine, but the Steelers can do better. (The good news is this is a great inside linebacker draft class.) Having a more dominant, downhill force in the run game should also help the player next to him, whether that’s Queen or Wilson. Eventually, Wilson has the right skill set to be the three-down, green-dot-wearing ILB. It might just take another year (Queen’s contract expires after 2026) for that to happen.
Khan’s drafts have been generally regarded as good immediately following the draft. And, most picks have had impact. But, it’s looking like Broderick Jones, Kaleb Johnson and Roman Wilson haven’t lived up to draft expectations. Do you think new coaching improves their performance or is it legitimately time (they) be considered busts? — Bret C.
I agree the Steelers have largely performed well in the draft, but the talent development under the last coaching staff was lacking, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I hope that changes with the new staff.
For Jones, it’s mostly about health. When you have surgery on your neck, that’s a serious procedure and I have to wonder when he’ll be ready to play. Wilson just needs to play through his mistakes. He just needs to play, period, if the Steelers are ever going to get anything out of him. And I’m probably higher on Johnson than most. I still think he can be productive. The way the Steelers handled his botched kick return ruined his confidence.
What’s for dinner? — Darius A.
My brother is in town to look at houses (he’s moving back to Pittsburgh this summer) and my mom made gnocchi. Shout out to my fellow paesani.
What would be wrong with signing James Daniels to compete for LG? — Jim C.
Daniels was always a friendly guy in the locker room and a fine player. But he tore his Achilles two years ago and then last year injured his pec, was expected to return and didn’t. I wonder about his durability and, I hate to say it, but how much does he want to work his way back after eight years in the league? There was something a little weird about his situation last year. I would be OK bringing him in to compete later in the offseason on a low-cost deal, but if I’m making the decisions, I would like to see the Steelers continue to work toward becoming dominant up front by bringing in obvious upgrades. I prefer the draft route.
Ever given any thought to a weekly chat? —Matthew E.
Tell me in the comments what you prefer. Do you guys like mailbags, which gives me a little more time to research your questions, or would you like me to answer these questions in real-time? Maybe we could try it to see how it goes.
