Happy Friday and I hope yinz are doing well.
Welcome back to the Friday Five and hopefully you’re having a safe and enjoyable 4th of July weekend. The Steelers’ news cycle slowed to a crawl this past week but we’re coming up with series and the start of camp previews to get you through the next few weeks. Training camp is just around the corner.
Hope you all have a great weekend and that you enjoy our continued coverage. I thank you for visiting the site and we appreciate all of your great feedback. As always, we have five Friday night questions for you to answer.
Peace and love, peace and love!
1 – The USFL Championship game is Saturday night. Will the Pittsburgh Maulers beat the Birmingham Stallions?
2 – Do you plan on attending any training camp practices this summer?
3 – Where would you rank Kenny Pickett among the four starting AFC North quarterbacks?
4 – Should the NFL allow players to gamble on any sports to any degree? Or should they outlaw it completely?
5 – Will K Chris Boswell bounce back and return to form in 2023?
Recap of 2023 Summer Lull Weekend Friday Night 5 Questions
Question 1: The USFL title game is July 1. After that Pittsburgh can sign USFL players. Respondents believe the Steelers will not sign any USFL players prior to training camp, despite former Steelers DB prospect Mark Gilbert leading the USFL in interceptions.
Question 2: A strong 12 to three majority favor retention of Renegade as the Steelers’ rally song. Several voiced surprise that this was open to debate.
Question 3: The Pittsburgh Maulers defeated the Michigan Panthers 31-27 in overtime. They will now play the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL championship game this Saturday. Just five of 15 respondents picked up a point by picking the Maulers to win. Here we go.
Question 4: The Steelers’ actual floor and ceiling for wins in the 2023 regular season is 17 and 0. But realistically, the median ceiling is 12 wins and the floor eight, according to Steelers Depot respondents. Hoping the Steelers bust through the ceiling in 2023.
Question 5: Depot respondents are confident that Mark Robinson will log more defensive snaps than Nick Kwiatkoski in 2023. Most see Kwiatkoski contributing more to special teams if he makes the roster.
Here are the consensus responses of Steelers Depot respondents compared to the correct answers:
| Questions | USFL Player Signed? | Replace Renegade? | USFL Maulers beat Panthers? | Steelers Wins Ceiling/Floor | Kwiatkowski or Robinson More Snaps? |
| SD Consensus | NO | NO | NO | 12/8 | ROBINSON |
| Correct Answers | TBD | YOUR CALL | YES | YOUR CALL | TBD |
As promised, here are the folks with the most points during the offseason. Just an informal ranking since many questions subjective. Points scored or the first offseason weekend factored in. The leaderboard changes slightly due to the Pittsburgh Maulers beating the Michigan Panthers. Five folks picked up points.
| NAME | total |
| FlaFan47 | 18 |
| Chris92021 | 17 |
| ValyrianSteelerJedi01 | 16 |
| Beaver Falls Hosiery | 14 |
| Steven Small | 12 |
| Steelers D | 12 |
| Wes Lee | 10 |
| ginko18 | 10 |
| Ratsotex | 9 |
| Ted Webb | 9 |
| Douglas Prostorog | 9 |
| Lucky Beagle | 7 |
15 questions from previous weeks yet to be answered:
| Super Bowl Weekend | Will the Steelers hire someone to fill Brian Flores’ role sometime during the offseason? |
| 2 Weeks to Draft | How many XFL players will the Steelers sign to their 90-man roster before training camp begins? |
| 2 Weeks to Draft | Choose two of these four defensive linemen to make the 53-man roster ahead of Week One: Isaiahh Loudermilk, Montravius Adams, Armon Watts, and Breiden Fehoko. |
| Draft Week | Who will be the Steelers’ Week One starting LT: Dan Moore Jr. or Broderick Jones? |
| Post Draft | How many of the seven drafted players will make the Week One, 53-man roster? |
| Post Draft | How many of the team’s seven UDFAs will make the team’s 53-man roster or practice squad? |
| Minicamp | When the Steelers first use their nickel personnel in Week One, who will be the team’s slot corner? |
| Pre-OTA | Will Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph be the three Steelers QBs on the roster (and in that order) for Week One? |
| Pre-OTA | Which QB will play the most snaps in the preseason? Pickett, Trubisky, or Rudolph? |
| Memorial Day | Will the Steelers reach a long-term deal with OLB Alex Highsmith before training camp begins? |
| Memorial Day | Who is the favorite to the #3 RB of the players currently on the Steelers’ roster? |
| June First | Will the Steelers sign another one of their 2023 free agents (i.e., Derek Watt, Benny Snell Jr., Tyson Alualu, etc.)? |
| June First | Who will be Pittsburgh’s backup center to start the season? |
| Minicamp | Who is more likely to make the 53-man roster: DB Elijah Riley or S Tre Norwood? |
| Lull | Will the Steelers sign any USFL players prior to training camp? |
Scores will be adjusted as they are determined up until week one of the regular season.
