Happy Friday, and I hope yinz are doing well.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially on their break with summer starting this week. But the team has managed to keep us busy with a couple of roster moves. Pittsburgh waived WR Denzel Mims and S Trenton Thompson, clearing two spots on its offseason roster. Neither will impact the team’s overall outlook but they’re curious decisions, especially with Thompson, who played well as backup last year. Mims has already latched on with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This week also devoted plenty of debate and discussion over QB Justin Field’s spring practice performance. Met with mixed results, we’ll have to get eyes on him at training camp to judge for ourselves his accuracy and ball placement. Patrick Queen also had some fun on Twitter with his former team.
We also found out the Steelers will appear on “Hard Knocks,” their first ever appearance on the show. NFL Films will follow Pittsburgh and the AFC North for the final six weeks of the season and playoffs in what figures to be an intense postseason race.
New to this series will be links to our top posts of the week if you missed them or want to give them another read.
Ray Fittipaldo On Justin Fields’ Spring Inaccuracy
Antonio Brown Critical Of Bruce Arians
Eleven Former Steelers Are UFL Champs
Marlon Humphrey Warns Patrick Queen
The NFL’s Schedule Seems Intentional
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 “Hard Knocks” be a distraction for the Steelers? Yes or no.
2 – Will second-year OL Spencer Anderson make the Steelers’ 53-man roster?
3 – Who will have more receptions in 2024 – WR Roman Wilson or TE Darnell Washington?
4 – What are the percent chances of the Steelers trading for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk before Week 1?
5 – Making an NFL comeback, should the Steelers bring back WR James Washington?
Recap of 2024 Post-Minicamp Weekend Friday Night Five Questions
Keep responding through the summer doldrums!
Question 1: Steelers Depot respondents agree with the Steelers’ decision to sign Mike Tomlin to a three-year extension through 2027 by a two-to-one margin (10 for and 5 against). Though a vocal minority is concerned that ownership is rewarding mediocrity. My view is that with free agency giving players more freedom to choose teams, it is more important than ever to have a coach who attracts players from around the league.
Question 2: Calvin Austin III will share kick return duties with Cordarrelle Patterson, according to 11 of 16 respondents. Ironically, he has never returned a kick in either his professional or college career. Roman Wilson, who received one vote, returned six kicks for 134 yards at Michigan.
Question 3: Cam Sutton will not be eligible to play Week 1 against Atlanta, according to 12 of 16 respondents.
Question 4: Twelve of 16 respondents like the Steelers moving most of their training camp practices to 10:30 AM. Steeler fever commented, “Guys learn more, and are able to perform better if they aren’t suffering heat exhaustion in practice…” Besides, it will be cooler for older fans like me too. I’ve already had one fainting spell on a sweltering afternoon at training camp a couple years ago.
Question 5: The Steelers will win a playoff game in 2024. Most respondents did not hold much hope for the Pirates or Penguins to reach the playoffs much less win one. Lucky Beagle carefully analyzed this question: “None……in 24. If going by the calendar year really only the Pirates still have a chance. I assume you are asking about the Pirates’ 24 season and the Steelers\Pens 24-25 seasons though. If that’s the case and I had to pick a team I would go with the Pens. The Pirates are likely to not make the playoffs, the Steelers aren’t in a great position to qualify or be seeded high enough to ensure a home game. The Pens if they qualify should be able to win at least 1 game in a series, right?”
Here are the consensus answers of Steelers Depot respondents compared to the correct answers:
| Questions | Tomlin Extension Good? | Who is Other KR | Cam Sutton Available Week 1 | AM Training Camp Practices | 2024 Burgh team playoff |
| SD Consensus | Yes | Calvin Austin III | No | Yes | Steelers |
| Correct Answers | TBD | TBD | TBD | Your Call | TBD |
We appreciate everyone responding to the Friday Night Five Questions! Keep doing what you do.
