Let's get to it:
ROBERT YEAGER FROM CANYON COUNTRY, CA: Who would you choose as the greatest Steelers player to never win a Super Bowl? My choice would be Rod Woodson, with T.J. Watt a close second.
ANSWER: In my opinion, active players never qualify for these kinds of questions until their careers are over, so that eliminates both T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward. Rod Woodson won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000, and that takes him out of the equation in my mind as well. Also, all of the guys whose Steelers' careers came during the first 40 years of the franchise's existence never had a chance at an NFL Championship, but those players came before Super Bowl I, which was played at the end of the 1966 season. Now that I have set the parameters for myself, there are two players I would consider – Greg Lloyd and Dermontti Dawson. Because Dawson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2012, my choice would be Dawson.
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KEN MAULDIN FROM CLYDE, TX: I feel like our receiving corps was the weakest in the NFL. So I am asking you from a statistical standpoint, did our receivers have the worst production in the NFL last season?
ANSWER: With the way the NFL is played these days, "receivers" is a term that can include all offensive players who are eligible to catch passes, and tight ends and running backs often are a major component of a team's passing attack. What I know for sure is that in 2024, the Steelers finished the regular season ranked 26th in the NFL in total passing yards and 27th in passing yards per game.
GLEN WHITTEN FROM AGUADILLA, PUERTO RICO: Are there any limits on what a team can pay a coordinator or any other member of the coaching staff? And is it reasonable to imagine that a great coordinator/coach could be enticed to move to another team for the same title but a lot more money?
ANSWER: Coaching salaries are not governed by the salary cap, but when it comes to movement from one team to another you should understand that coaches are under contract. And moving from one team to another for the same job but for more money cannot happen if the coach/coordinator is under contract.
TERRY SUCHMA FROM SOUTHPORT, NC: I vaguely recall the Steelers drafting an "edge rusher" named Kendrell Bell back in the day. My recollection is that he had an outstanding rookie season, but pretty much disappeared after that. Wondering whether an injury ended his career?
ANSWER: Kendrell Bell came to the Steelers as a No. 2 pick (39th overall) in the 2001 NFL Draft. Bell played linebacker for the Georgia Bulldogs, and won a spot as an inside linebacker in the Steelers' 2-4 alignment. Bell never was an edge player or an outside linebacker in either college or the pros. His rookie season proved to be the highlight of his NFL career. He started all 16 regular season games for the Steelers in 2001 as part of a foursome including OLBs Jason Gildon and Joey Porter, plus Earl Holmes alongside him at ILB. Bell finished with 9 sacks, 1 pass defensed, 1 forced fumble, and 82 combined tackles, and he was voted Defensive Rookie of the Year. Bell was at his best as a downhill ILB attacking the line of scrimmage vs. both the run and the pass, but starting in 2002 opponents changed the way they prepared for the Steelers defense, and Bell didn't really adapt well. That, plus some injuries limited him to 12 games in 2002 and 3 games in 2004. After he was released following the 2004 season, Bell finished with 3 years in Kansas City, and for his career in Pittsburgh he played in 47 of a possible 64 games, with 44 starts and 18 sacks, 1 interception, 6 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 338 combined tackles.
BOBBY BEATY FROM HOPE MILLS, NC: So if we keep Justin Fields, should we also draft a quarterback in the later rounds – say Ohio State's quarterback – who could sit and learn for a year or two? Or do we wait a year or two and try to draft a quarterback on the first round?
ANSWER: If the Steelers re-sign Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, I would not spend a premium pick (first three rounds) in the upcoming draft on a quarterback. My opinion would be to go with Wilson/Fields as the starter, try to re-sign Kyle Allen or some other low-cost veteran to be the backup, and possibly spend a third-day pick on a No. 3 guy. I believe you give Wilson/Fields the 2025 season to show what they've got, and then if necessary/desirable look for a quarterback in the first round in 2026.
JOHN REEHER FROM YORK, SC: Back in the 1970s, the Steelers broke the bank with scouting and evaluation. There are exceptions now, of course, but those scouting and evaluation traits have seriously declined. Is this the fault of the Steelers, or has the rest of the NFL simply caught up?
ANSWER: I would characterize the Steelers budget for scouting college players all along as being representative of what the rest of the league was/is doing, starting with the 1970s and progressing to the present day. In the 1970s, though, thanks to Bill Nunn, the Steelers weren't opposed to allocating their scouting dollars on the HBCUs, and that was a big part of the talent pipeline for those Super Bowl teams in the 1970s. Now, everybody scouts the HBCUs, and just in general with the technology available there are few if any "sleepers." Every team knows about every player, and then it comes down to fit or just the luck of having a guy available when it's your turn to pick. And I also believe this: the scouting/drafting process is not an exact science, and to some degree the longer you spin that wheel the more often you're going to miss on picks.
GAYLE DYE FROM HOUSTON, TX: I am interested in attending the Steelers game in London this year. A sports travel tours company that is offering packages for the game is advertising the game as being on Sept. 28, 2025. Do they know this for sure or are they just guessing?
ANSWER: The NFL has announced that the Steelers will serve as the designated home team for a regular season game in Dublin, not London. The date of that game will be announced this spring, no later than mid-May when the league will announce the dates and times for the regular season.
RENE ORTEGA FROM AZUSA, CA: Do you know an exact date, when packages for the Steelers game in Ireland will be offered?
ANSWER: As I explained in the answer above, the date and the opponent for the Steelers game in Dublin has not yet been announced. If you go to Steelers.com, and scroll down the homepage a bit, you'll see an icon titled "Dublin Game." Click on that and you'll be directed to a page that allows you to learn more about what's available and to put your name on a wait list for when details have been firmed up.
DELMAS MAYNARD FROM DINGESS WV: I was just watching TikTok and saw something on there that the Pittsburgh Steelers just signed Tyreek Hill for $250 million. I want to know if it's true because I've never seen the Steelers give anybody that much money.
ANSWER: I'm sure there are a lot of interesting things on that social media app, but I don't suggest depending on it for breaking NFL news. Tyreek Hill is a member of the Miami Dolphins, is under contract to that team through the 2026 season, and free agency doesn't begin until 4 p.m. on March 12.
JEFF FRANKS FROM TOLEDO, OH: Do you think Jaylen Warren can/will be the featured RB for the Steelers next season? Will the Steelers sign him to a new contract?
ANSWER: Jaylen Warren is due to become a restricted free agent, so what I see happening is the team will tender him an offer with compensation attached, and if he signs an offer sheet with another team the Steelers will either take the draft pick compensation or match the offer sheet and keep him under those terms. Another variable in this is General Manager Omar Khan said from the Combine that the "door is not closed" on bringing Najee Harris back. If that happens I would assume it will be another 1-1a workload distribution for the running backs in 2025.
TONY TURAY FROM SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA: Some draft eligible players choose not to work out at the Combine. Are you aware if that affects Coach Mike Tomlin's or General Manager Omar Kahn's views on drafting these players?
ANSWER: As a general rule, I would say it doesn't have a major impact, because the draftable players who choose not to work out at the Combine generally work out at their college's Pro Day. The run-up to the draft is an information gathering process for teams, and as long as teams are able to get accurate information on a player's measurables – height, weight, arm length, etc. – plus current and detailed medical information, and the player passes a physical, game video from his college career can be used to fill in the blanks. I will say that if a guy expects to be a first-round pick, he better work out for teams at the Combine or a Pro Day and allow himself to be examined by the NFL's medical personnel, or maybe he falls into a later round of the draft. And that can cost him millions of dollars.
