LATROBE, Pa. – Let's get to it:
JOHN FRYE FROM TITUSVILLE, PA: I have not heard anything about how Cory Trice Jr. is doing in training camp. Is he healthy and have a shot at making the 53-man roster?
ANSWER: Cory Trice Jr. has been practicing throughout this training camp, and in the preseason opener he played 18 defensive snaps and 3 more snaps on special teams. I have a sense the Steelers didn't want to give him too much too fast until he was able to become more confident in the health of his knee. Now that everything seems to have checked out all right, I think it's reasonable to expect Trice to be given more opportunities in practice and also in preseason games, and there might even be a role for him on the punt team as a gunner. During Sunday's practice, Coach Mike Tomlin explained that part of the plan for the day was to reduce the on-field reps for some of the cornerbacks toward the top of the depth chart in an effort to provide more opportunities for some of the others, and he mentioned Darius Rush and Trice specifically as being part of that group.
SCOTT RANDALL FROM CONWAY, SC: I see that Beanie Bishop Jr. is doing a good job, and I was wondering if there were any other defensive backs who have shown enough to open the a coaches' eyes?
ANSWER: Beanie Bishop Jr. has had some moments, and he was listed as the No. 1 nickel-back for the preseason opener against Houston, but that shouldn't be taken to mean he has that job locked up. Grayland Arnold, a fifth-year pro from Baylor seemed to be around the football a lot and making plays on it during the early portions of camp, but then he was injured and just recently returned to practice. He also is in the mix for the nickel job. As I explained in the answer to the previous question, Coach Mike Tomlin said he wants to create some additional opportunities for players such as Darius Rush and Cory Trice Jr., and in Monday's practice in pads Kyler McMichael, a second-year pro from North Carolina, came down with an interception on a ball first deflected by Bishop.
CHRISTIAN MÖHRMANN FROM LAMPERTHEIM, DEUTSCHLAND: I would like to have some insights on the Marcus Golden situation. From the outside it seems a little odd signing someone to add depth at a certain position and one week later this person retires. Is it something the franchise is aware of it beforehand, or completely kind of a surprising move by the player?
ANSWER: Markus Golden met the media on Aug. 3, and he spent a good bit of time talking about how he was excited to be back with the Steelers, how the team had remained in contact with him throughout the free agency process, and how he learned that while spending time with his family during the spring he came to the conclusion that he didn't want to be retired. I have heard that interview, and it sure sounded to me that Golden was all-in on returning for what was going to be his 10th NFL season and his second with the Steelers. Six days later, Golden's retirement was announced by the team. I know I was surprised
DUSTIN COVAULT FROM OAK HARBOR, WA: Did Markus Golden give any reason for his surprise retirement?
ANSWER: Not publicly. If I were to surmise why it happened, my guess would be that once Markus Golden got back into an NFL training camp for a few days he learned that his body wasn't responding, or maybe wasn't recovering, the way he wanted or expected it to. At that point, the best recourse for him and for the Steeles was to retire.
LARRY GRIFFITH FROM CARY, NC: Why this nonsense about Nate Herbig having NFL center experience? It is less than 50 snaps, and he hasn't taken center snaps since 2021. If he was any good at all, wouldn't the Steelers have turned to him last year when Mason Cole was struggling? Can we stop this charade and just put Zach Frazier onto the field with the first string?
ANSWER: Yes, the Steelers spent a second-round pick (51st overall) in the most recent draft on Zach Frasier with the idea that he would be the starting center of the future. But when that future arrives is going to depend upon when Frasier earns that job in the eyes of the coaching staff. You don't "just put Zach Frazier onto the field with the first string." On the issue of the fumbled snaps – two in the first seven offensive plays against the Texans – I have come to believe that a good portion of the culpability for those rests with Justin Fields. By the way, Fields said this after the game: "I think the snapping part, we've just got to be on the same page. I will put that on me to just be on the same page and know who's in at center, know how to adjust and what I need to do next in the game." One of the things the quarterback must do/understand when he's taking snaps under center is when the player at center had to move or reach immediately after the snap in order to make his block based on the play that was called. Because of the amount of time Fields spent in the shotgun both at Ohio State and in Chicago with the Bears, getting the proper feel for how the center will be moving almost simultaneously upon snapping the ball is something he's going to have to work on to develop.
RONNIE CAP FROM YANKTON, SD: How many players can dress for the preseason games?
ANSWER: There is no limit to the number of players a team can have in uniform for preseason games, and so it's possible that all 90 on the roster could be dressed for a game
GEORGE WALKER FROM STONECREST, GA: I wanted to know about the incentive money that players are paid for reaching certain goals stipulated in their contracts. Is this money counted towards the team's salary cap, and if so does it go towards the current year or the next year?
ANSWER: All money paid to players counts on the salary cap. Specifically when it comes to incentives, those typically are classified as "likely to be earned" or "unlikely to be earned" and there are distinctions that apply to both of those in the language of the contract. But to put it simply, if a player has an incentive written into his contract and he earns it, the team must have the money available under their salary cap to pay him and pay him that year.
JOHN THOMAS FROM MOULTON, AL: Why are players permitted to wear short legged pants with no knee pads, nor braces like college teams? Seems to me that would help with injuries.
ANSWER: Unlike college football, NFL players belong to a union, and teams cannot simply mandate that guys wear knee braces or knee pads, to refer to the examples you cite. All of those kinds of things typically are collectively bargained. I remember being told that as a player, all Rod Woodson wore as "protection" under his uniform on game days were shoulder pads and a jockstrap. The point being that in the NFL those things usually are a player's choice.
