Happy Friday, and I hope yinz are doing well.
Finally, things have calmed down a bit for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Overall, a quiet week of free agency, the Steelers signing no external free agents. They pursued WR Mike Williams and reportedly had a scheduled visit with him, but he signed during his first stop, inking a one-year deal with the New York Jets. Rumors continue swirl around Tyler Boyd and Brandon Aiyuk, but there’s been no finality on either situation.
Instead, the Steelers have spent this week on the Pro Day trail. Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, and other key members of the organization attended Alabama’s Pro Day earlier this week before heading to Michigan on Friday. We’ve also spotted positional coaches on the move with ILBs coach Aaron Curry at Ohio State and new WRs coach Zach Azzanni at Texas for their top two wideout prospects.
The league’s owner meetings begin next week as well as the Big 12 “Super Pro Day” that will have the entire conference attend one location as opposed to each school holding their own workouts. We should hear from Tomlin and Art Rooney II for the first time since the Steelers signed Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and traded Kenny Pickett.
As always, we’re here to cover what’s happened and what will happen during the second weekend of the 2024 league year.
A reminder that the contest portion of our Friday Five is over. These questions are now just for fun. Congrats to our winner and thanks to everyone who participated.
Peace and love, peace and love!
1 – Will Justin Fields be the Steelers’ starting QB by the end of the team’s 2024 season?
2 – Mike Tomlin is expected to receive a contract extension this offseason. How many years will that extension be?
3 – On a scale of 1-10, what’s your level of satisfaction with how Omar Khan has done since free agency began?
4 – What is the Steelers’ biggest area of need? Center, wide receiver, or slot cornerback?
5 – How many receptions will WR Van Jefferson have for the Steelers in 2024?
Recap of 2023 New NFL Year Weekend Friday Night Five Questions
Question 1: Many folks commented that it was a combination of the team failing Kenny Pickett and misevaluating his talent. Having Matt Canada as an offensive coordinator did not help. But when forced to pick a primary cause, the majority stated that the Steelers made a poor talent evaluation in selecting Pickett. Time will tell whether this is the case.
Question 2: Steelers Depot respondents were very shocked the Steelers traded Pickett. The median response on a 1-10 scale was a solid nine. And then the Steelers acquired Justin Fields. Omar is not messing around.
Question 3: Thirteen of 22 respondents (59.1 percent) believe trading Diontae Johnson and a seventh-round pick for cornerback Donte Jackson and a sixth-round pick was not a good trade. Most agree that Johnson should have been traded. But they felt the team could have gotten more value from the deal. We will see how their respective careers progress.
Question 4: Nine of 22 respondents see the Steelers drafting a center with their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Five said the Johnson trade requires a wide receiver to be picked. Three said either a tackle or center. Looking forward to the draft next month.
Question 5: Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts will be the two starting inside linebackers to open the 2024 season.
Here are the consensus answers of Steelers Depot respondents compared to the correct answers:
| Questions | Kenny Talent or Team Failed | Pickett Trade Meter | Diontae Trade Good One | First Pick | Steelers ILBs Week 1 |
| SD Consensus | Poor Evaluation | 9 | No | Center | Queen & Roberts |
| Correct Answers | TBD | Your Call | TBD | TBD | TBD |
We appreciate everyone responding to the Friday Night Five Questions! Keep doing what you do.
