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!
Black and Gold mafia:
AK,
With free agency period pretty much on the books what’s your overall feel for what how we did? How much does the quarterback position decision change your mind?
Alex: It can be hard to “grade” free agency without seeing the draft. And how all the pieces come together. How well the d-line looks post-draft is going to play a big factor in how effective they were fixing their biggest issues. And like you said, QB also weighs a ton. Pittsburgh is in really rare territory for themselves and just for an NFL franchise.
The Metcalf move doesn’t get enough credit because quarterback has taken all the oxygen out of the room. But that’s the splash trade Pittsburgh simply doesn’t make and to make that bold of a move, that’s big. Malik Harrison is meh. Everything else is fine/good.
Nick Schultz:
Hey Alex,
at this point would considering using our 7th rounder on Jordan Clark be too bold? He has been praised for his football IQ and I could see him as a key special teamer. Or would you rather he comes as an UDFA, if at all?
Alex: No, I don’t think it’s too bold. Not much in the seventh round qualifies as such. I haven’t studied him to write a report on him yet but he was productive-enough to be drafted. And if you want to guarantee you get him instead of competing in the UDFA pool, then it’s a smart play. So I would be fine with them drafting him or signing him as an undrafted free agent.
Prima Ballerina: Ciara was disrespected. How will Pittsburgh deal with Normani?
And… how soon before FedEx Jr gets canned?
Alex: I’m sure they’ll all find a way to get along.
Also you asked the FedEx question last week. You gotta find some new trolling material. Your game is getting stale.
SteelDodo: Hey Alex,
What are your thoughts on drafting a guard with their 3rd or 4th pick? Given their lack of FA movements along the OL and Seumalo’s age, I could see them drafting his replacement a year early like they did with Mason last year. Or do you think we’ll resign Seumalo for another few years?
Alex: Not the craziest idea. O-line depth is weak. Tackle is weaker than the interior line and as you are getting at, Seumalo is probably playing his final year. As of now, I don’t see him getting signed back as a 30-something guard in a hot market that will cost $10 million+ per year.
But you only have six picks and other needs to address. So they can’t fix everything. And like I said, tackle is even weaker than guard in terms of depth with Broderick Jones on shaky ground.
Jim:
Hi Alex
How damaging has the past month been for the Steelers reputation? It feels like credibility has been hit by ex players calling out the culture, Naj claims a lack of leadership, Fields ignored a contract offer, there’s no QB 1, Watt’s contract is a concern…
Has it knocked the team back a year or two in terms of being a contender, has it made the Steelers a much less desirable destination for players? Or will Rogers and a good draft right the ship and quelle the discontent among fans?
Alex: I would say the optics aren’t great but we tend to focus on the bad over good. Metcalf came here. Slay came here over other teams. Harris’ comments was probably mostly just jabs at Matt Canada. Which, fair. And the lack of leadership? Not a new idea given how young this offense was and the turnover post-Ben. I mean, Harris was named captain his sophomore year…kinda says it all.
But this all gets forgotten come September. That’s when reputation is determined. How many games you win and lose. That’s the score that matters. Of course, Pittsburgh’s struggles to win in the playoffs is a problem and hurting a major selling point. It’s not like they have a bunch of others. No weather, not facilities, not taxes, and the culture isn’t as strong. It’s Tomlin and the hope/belief Pittsburgh can win. And money. Money always matters most.
Ben Saluri: I’m gonna pitch the idea of safety Sebastian Castro of Iowa in the 5h or 6th. Plays with a ton of edge and very strong against the run..thoughts?
Alex: Sure, I’m not opposed to it. Our report liked him, I think. He didn’t run great but from the nickel, it matters less. He has the attitude they need.
Petherson Silveira: IF you are in Omar Khan shoes, what would you do about QB position? Who you would bring, for how much at maximum, for how many years? Would you wait until the draft, stay put or trade up, for who?
Alex: Hey Petherson, good to hear from you! I would re-sign Russell Wilson. There are no great/good options and you’re basically down to Rodgers and Russ for “clear full-time starter.” I know there’s issues with Arthur Smith and they must be pretty bad for Pittsburgh to show virtually zero interest in re-signing him.
But Wilson allows you to build on another year, his moonball fits with having two big and vertical receivers, he has chemistry with both, could play more than one year, and will probably be liked more in the locker room than Rodgers. If Cam Heyward’s words are any indication, the team is pretty fed up already.
So if I can re-sign Wilson on a two-year deal for say, $60 million, I’ll do it. As for the draft, probably punt on this year, go all-in for 2026 assuming the strength of the class holds up.
Nolrog: Hi Alex. Is there an updated Salary Cap post coming soon? I know the QB thing may impact it greatly (and TJs extension), but right now, I really don’t have a good idea where we are.
Alex: Yes, Dave will have one. The issue this time of year is the NFL is so backlogged with contracts, there’s a big delay on announcing full details of each deal. We don’t even know everything about the Metcalf trade yet. We have info on some contracts like Echols and Harrison but are missing details on several others. So until we have that information known, we can’t put together a detailed salary cap post yet. And like you said, QB will change a lot. But if we get all the info in pre-quarterback, we’ll probably post an update.
B&G:
What’s the highest you’d draft a CB who is “slot only”?
It seems hard to me to keep opposing teams out of 3rd and 4 type situations where they can run plays that minimize the impact of our edge rushers. Given the importance of these “possession downs” (post-game analysis often focuses on defensive 3rd down performance) I’d think that a slot CB who can potentially cover both “big slot” and small quick WRs would be a higher priority than it seems to be. Seems like a tough skill set to find.
Alex: Maxwell Hairston might get typecast by some as a nickel, though I don’t view that as his only spot. He has and can play on the outside at the NFL level. They don’t all need to be 6’1. There’s increased NFL versatility so there’s fewer players who truly only play inside. Most of the top prospects don’t fit there.
WKU’s Upton Stout and Oregon’s Jabbar Muhammad are the first two names who come to mind. Those are two guys I wrote the reports on.
