Welcome back to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As always, we’re here for the next hour to answer whatever is on your mind.
To your questions!
Brian Tollini:
Mr. Khan calls you tonight and needs your advice. He has the option of trading Donta Jackson back to the Panthers for Diontae Johnson straight up. Yay or Nay?
Also, you ranked the top 5 Steelers that we couldn’t lose to injury in the preseason (Watt, Pickens, Russ, Cam, Porter). Thru 3 weeks, can you re-rank them?
Alex: Oh boy, Omar. You’ve got problems. That’s the first thing I tell him.
To answer your question, that is tough. My issue with the Diontae deal wasn’t just about the player-for-player evaluation but the hole created at WR to plug the one at CB. And then not filling that receiver issue. Overall, I’m happy with where things are at for this team and Jackson has played really well. So I’ll decline, though I think speculating about trading back for Diontae is kinda interesting and not a terrible idea. There was clearly some issue the team had him inside the locker room so that would have to be judged and also weighs into my answer.
Top five Steelers they can’t lose…well Russ sure won’t be on that list, ha. Without spending as much thought on it, I’ll go…
1. T.J. Watt
2. George Pickens
3. Cam Heyward
4. Zach Frazier
5. Joey Porter Jr.
With Justin Fields, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Chris Boswell probably right behind.
Mark O’Connor: Hi Alex,
What’s happened to Van Jefferson? He looked pretty good in the season but now he seems to have disappeared! Is he not being targeted or does he have trouble getting open?
Thanks!
Alex: Preseason can be fool’s gold. And I even made some comments in that direction even acknowledging that he had a good camp. Which he did. But summer success doesn’t guarantee fall success. He’s just not a great route runner or uber-athletic and there’s not been a ton of chances in the structure of this offense when Pickens gets the outside looks. But he’s not a starting receiver and I never wanted him as a No. 2. He’s a No. 3 type really.
hdogg48:
Hi Alex…
What is the MAIN reason for the big improvement
in Justin Fields early QB play? Please pick ONLY one.
Coaching…Tomlin and Smith
Maturity…growth in understanding what role suits him best.
Fit…how his skill set fits in with our smothering D and commitment
to the run.
Weak opposition….he hasn’t faced a really elite well Coached D…yet.
Alex: Structure. Putting Fields in a structure to succeed. Not asking too much out of him, having a great defense, not putting the weight of the world on his shoulders. But also being able to fit into the scheme as a mobile quarterback who can move the launch point, be involved in the run game, throw deep when defenses stack the box.
Coaching and fit sorta go hand in hand. But if you’re making me choose, and I think all four you listed apply, I think it’s been a really good fit. So I’ll go with that.
kelly ohl: Hey Alex,
If Dulac is to be believed about Roman Wilson not suiting up for awhile, why do you think that is? It’s not like the other wideouts have stood out. CA3 had 1 good game. Reports were he was a decent blocker in college and I don’t see the Steelers needing more than that at the moment. Getting him some game reps would be beneficial for the future.
Alex: Because he’s a rookie who missed the entire summer. And that puts you really behind. Today will be what, his fourth full practice since late July? And Wilson was fairly raw and had things to work on coming out. Without special teams value, it’s harder to get a hat. So I’m not surprised by his slow start. I predicted 17 receptions this season for him and got pushback that was too low. Now, it might be too high. Getting reps is nice and good but that’s not the focus now. The focus is on winning.
Doug Allen: Hi Alex,
I believe this is the best secondary of the TJ Watt era. Do you agree? Could JPJ be the 3rd best CB1 in franchise history? How would you rate Donte Jackson as a CB2? Did Miami play DeShon Elliot out of position at FS making him low cost, high value SS free agent signing? If so, isn’t it ironic that the same franchise played Minkah as SS?
Alex: Ehhh, we’re still three games in. I would say that 2019/2020 group of Nelson/Haden/Hilton at corner, Fitzpatrick/Edmunds at safety is a little stronger. Especially at slot with Bishop vs Hilton. They were elite against the pass that year. But this is a very good group with this kind of front seven, it certainly plays well.
Canadastan:
Hi Alex,
Did the Steelers run any pony in the 4th quarter with Patterson and Harris and is there any chance the utilizing Patterson earlier in the game as a WR confused/upset the Chargers personel groupings later in the game when they went to him as a power RB? That is did they get too used to him splitting out wide only to be fooled later when he came in to pound the ball up the middle? That versatillity sure is something.
Alex: They did not. Rotated in and out. I don’t think that change confused the Chargers. They were just worn down. They were down two scores, lost Bosa, lost Herbert, they were waving the white flag. They were spent. That’s what it came down to.
EDIT: I should clarify to say that Patterson did see WR snaps and so was on the field with Harris to some extent in the fourth quarter. Once on the final drive. But I don’t know if I would really call that with the intent of pony and more the function of him wearing a larger WR hat Sunday.
Haole:
I think we all know how unlikely it is that the Steelers would reverse such a long-standing precedent, but do you think they should consider making an exception with Fields? Maybe like a 2-year, $30M extension? I’ve been impressed with his steady growth and I doubt he’ll be getting any cheaper.
Bonus: Do you think Fields would even be interested in something like that right now?
Alex: I don’t. Let it play out. It’s still three games. You have the benefit of the season to judge and evaluate and you should. Fields should be the starter right now even with a healthy Russ but we don’t have to declare him the next long-term QB. That’s not where I’m at until I/we see more. And if he plays well and the cost goes up, great. He’s playing well, the team I presume is winning. I’ll happily pay.
srdan: What is the first defense on our schedule you see that would be a bad matchup for our offense?
Alex: I mean, I think they’ve played some good defenses. Some not-so-good offenses but the defenses have been quality. Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles. There’s talent there. And the Chargers matched up well as a group that could match physicality and stop the run. Pittsburgh did nothing for three quarters. Forced the Steelers to throw earlier, to deal with some third-and-longs. So that was a matchup that made me nervous and why I (wrongly) picked the Chargers to win. And why the win and Fields’ play was so impressive.
BananasFoster: I know its only 3 weeks, but why cant this team win 11-12 games? Injury aside, assuming this defense stays the same and Fields continues to progress? Could see a home playoff game. And you know me, I love draft talk, what position is likely first round next year- WR? And any thoughts on Payton Wilson?
Alex: I mean, they could. Already off to a good start. Just a tougher schedule down the stretch and a question of how much this team can score. But yeah, I picked them to go 10-7 so 11-6 isn’t a stretch after a 3-0 start.
Receivers makes sense in round one though Pittsburgh’s sweet spot is Day Two. Only two first round receivers this century, Burress and Holmes. Classes are deep and the Steelers believe they can wait.
Wilson’s been fine. Playing in nickel. Needs to work on some angles but yeah, no complaints.
