Welcome back to your Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As always, we’re here for the next hour to answer whatever is on your mind.
To your questions!
Mark Piras: Walking away from training camp this year, what’s your overall sense of this team? Do we have something to be legitimately excited about heading into the season? Does this team have a shot to make waves, win a division, make a run at the Lombardi, or should we expect this to be another post-Ben transition year where the team has to struggle to make the playoffs?
Alex: Camp judgments are tough because they are just a window in time early in a season against their own. I think most are optimistic coming out of each camp, for all fanbases, because you have to see some good. Even if the defense gives up a big play, it means the offense made one. And vice versa. So you can convince yourself of a lot.
My overall feeling is the same as it was before camp. This team is capable of making and winning a playoff game. That is a realistic expectation of this team and nothing I saw in camp dissuaded me from that belief.
MoneyBusiness: Are you still optimistic that a trade for Aiyuk will get done between the Steelers and 49ers?
Alex: I was up and until the Garafolo report of the 49ers being close to an Aiyuk extension. Now, I really just don’t know. It could go either way. I’m just along for the ride and hope to get off it as soon as possible. But this could drag on another two weeks.
A-Roc:
Hey Alex great coverage in camp as always. Love rubbing your breakdowns in my friends faces who are fans of other teams.
Whos the starting running back for the 2025 Piitsburgh Steelers?
Alex: Thanks so much man! My guess is it will be Jaylen Warren. Talked a lot about my belief this is Najee Harris’ last year with the team. If they weren’t willing to pick up the fifth-year option, they won’t be willing to pay him more on a long-term deal. So Warren it is, though they would bring in another back if Harris left, of course.
PghDSF: How involved was Mike Sullivan with practice at camp?
Alex: I didn’t spend a ton of time focusing on Sullivan’s whereabouts throughout practice but yeah, he was involved. Lot of time spent with OL Coach Pat Meyer and OC Arthur Smith. And the day TEs Coach Alfredo Roberts missed, Sullivan was helping Smith put the tight ends through their individual drills. He’s now the Senior Assistant and it seemed like he would float around practice but once the day got going, I didn’t pay much mind to where Sullivan was at. Besides seeing him 50 yards deep like a Gregg Williams safety during 11 on 11 to have a far-away end zone angle of the play.
J Alexander Wright:
Hey Alex
i need some clarification on this man’s name. Is the first name John Rhys? Is this a Philip Seymour Hoffman situation where you just say the whole thing? Hyphenated last name without the hyphen? HELP!!
Alex: Reader783 did the legwork for me in finding the bulk of the answer but yes, I believe the “Rhys” is part of his first name. He sometimes goes by “JR” so that’s sorta proof of his first name(s) there.
And it’s “Rice.” Lot of people saying “Reese.” John-Rice Plumlee. Worth mentioning as well.
Doug Allen: It was reported that TJ Watt had stem cells injected into his knee. Do you see this being as a future trend for athletes known for chronic injuries like Payton Wilson, Cory Trice, & Darnell Washington?
Alex: It’s certainly not the area I have much of a knowledge base on. But he’s not the first and I’m sure he won’t be the last. I imagine players will look to do anything legal and permitted they can to gain an edge. That would include exploring stem cell technology.
According to this article, there’s at least 50 athletes who have had the procedure done before.
Peter-Petersen:
Hey Alex,
which Steeler has currently the greatest trade value, as in expendable to the Steelers, but also desirable by other teams?
How useful is a FB with a guy like Najee on the team? Like he’s about as good a blocker as any FB and can run much better, while also disguising formations better?
Alex: I don’t think Pittsburgh has too many of those guys. Would have to be something in the trenches. A Dan Moore or Isaiahh Loudermilk/DeMarvin Leal. Moore with a lot of LT experience and is young and cheap. Teams always need o-line help. And defensively, just a numbers crunch where maybe you’d deal Leal because he’s still a hybrid and non-ideal scheme fit. Those are really the only names who come to mind .
Harris doesn’t really block. Not in a traditional lead blocker sense. So I don’t really understand the question. He doesn’t do what Jack Colletto does.
hdogg48:
Hi.Alex….
Do you see the 24/25 Steelers making the jump from
a bottom rung offensive team to that of a team somewhere
in the middle of the pack?
Alex: Man I hope so. That’s gotta be the minimum. I wrote in my camp awards the offense should be competent. That would be average. I know no one is hanging a banner for that nor should they but they should and need to be at least 16th-17th in scoring. And that seems reasonable. Anything above that is probably still a stretch or at least, harder to be confident about, but the middle is where this offense should be finishing as a minimum-level expectation.
Totally Sane: Hey Alex!
Does this team feel.. different? Even with the Aiyuk stuff aside, theres a lot of chips on a lot of shoulders. Not saying Super Bowl but it seems to be a new feeling around them.
Alex: Yeah, to a degree. The trenches, the o-line, there’s more of an edge. Guys like Patrick Queen bringing a chip on their shoulder and carrying that over. And the offense feels organized. Which is good and basic but missing. But like I said above, every team probably has that feeling when they wrap things up. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. So we’ll see.
Reader783: You said in your first answer that “making and winning a playoff game” is a realistic expectation from this team. Not trying to be antagonistic, but do you find that to be a frustrating departure from your attitude in years past? My entire fandom, I always thought we were a Superbowl team, but these past 3-4 years I share your attitude that our ceiling is maybe winning a playoff game. I know we lost a HOF QB in between, but it’s been tough having any motivation for a ceiling of winning a playoff game. When do we get back to the realistic expectation being “contend for Superbowl”?
Alex: Absolutely, it is frustrating. I’m not stating that as the team’s ultimate goal and the bar has been lowered. They’re no longer an annual Super Bowl contender. But winning a playoff game is the first step to getting back there. And my chief frustration is how this team has been unable to do even that. If they can win in the Wild Card round, they’re one of the final eight and who knows what happens. You’re right in the dance.
As for when that becomes a realistic expectation….when they find a long-term answer at QB. Hard to be preseason contenders when you’re on your third Week 1 starting QB in as many years. Hopefully Russ or Fields becomes the guy. But that’s the ticket out. Like virtually very other SB contending team. They all have franchise QBs.
