Welcome back to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. This is almost our 400th of these. Pretty wild. As always, we’re here for the next hour to answer whatever is on your mind.
To your questions!
HinesWardFan: Alex, no question right now. Just want to thank you for everything you do for us!
Alex: So mice of you to say, thank you! It’s a tough and slow time of you, for the writers and the readers, so we always appreciate people like you stopping by and still interacting with the site. It’s a valuable bridge into the start of camp, which, thankfully, is near.
falconsaftey43: Hey Alex, what’s your concern level with Boswell having a good and healthy year? Injuries seem to be becoming a thing with him.
Alex: Concern is a simmer, not a boil. Last time he had an injury in 2018, he bounced back in a big way in 2019. Hopefully he does the same this year. Gets more concerning as the injuries mount and he gets older but I still have faith. Boswell was still excellent from 50+ last season, just some worse luck 40-49, so I think he’s still got it.
Reg Sayhitodabadguy Hunt: You only answered 4 questions last week and discarded the rest of us that was waiting on your opinion and feedback not cool you should value your readers more everyone’s opinions are different and we can always agree to disagree
Alex: Hey man! I received a total of five comments last week. I answered four of them. The only one I didn’t answer, looking back at the mailbag, was yours. Which I’m sure came in after the hour-window of when I am regularly checking the feed. If it comes in after 3:30 PM/EST, there is a chance I don’t get back to it. But yours was the only one I didn’t answer. There was no “the rest of us waiting,” to be clear.
I do my very best to answer as many questions as I can and always answer the ones asked during the window. This one, like last week’s is outside that window, so that’s more of the reason here.
To answer your question last week, it’s hard to say about who wins 7 shots, offense or defense. It’s usually very close. I’ll give the edge to the offense just because they’re working so close to the goal line and that always gives them a boost. But it’s often competitive to the very end.
Jeremy: Who is currently the longest tenured of the practice squad guys? What about historically? Cody White and Lavon Hooks would be the guys I can think of.
Alex: I don’t have a great way to research that right now but yeah, Cody White is probably up there. You don’t get the practice squad lifers you used to. Hooks is a good pull. He has to have the record for most rookie minicamps ever attended. He must’ve been in five of them.
WR Walter Young was a practice squad lifer back in the day I remember. Him and Scott Paxson stick out.
draframe1: Hi Alex! Thank you for all that you do. Some OL questions: 1. What week do you project Broderick Jones to be starting? 2. Do you think Dan Moore can be the long-term answer at RT? 3. Chances the team can’t trade Dotson and he keeps a roster spot?
Alex:
1. If it’s not Week 1, it’s really hard to say. I could see it by around Week 4-5 if Moore struggles against Bosa and Garrett. But we’ll see.
2. Yeah, I think he could be. He’s gotta get experience though and this summer will start that.
3. Eh, if they want to deal him, they probably can/will. O-linemen are super valuable.
