The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
SHAWN BITTNER FROM JACKSONVILLE NC: Is there a list of players who did not attend voluntary workouts? Specifically interested in veterans playing on the final year of their contracts and players rumored to be on the trade block.
ANSWER: There is no such list. If you are interested enough to do a bit of your own amateur sleuthing, there is a gallery of 50 photos from the first day of Phase I of this offseason program that was posted on Wednesday on Steelers.com. There is not a photo of every player who attended, just so you understand.
SEAN DELANEY FROM GARDNER, MA: As you already indicated, the Steelers sent a sixth-round pick to Indy for WR Michael Pittman Jr. and a seventh-round pick. Salary dump trades often include teams swapping late-round picks. Is there an NFL rule that make these seemingly inconsequential pick swaps necessary? I have a hard time believing the Steelers wouldn't pull the trigger on the trade straight up for a sixth or seventh-round pick.
ANSWER: There is no such NFL rule. And if the "pick swap" aspect of the trade had no impact on completing the deal, why would it be included in the deal? On some level, maybe on some minor level, the pick swap portion has to have a real reason, even if it isn't apparent to those on the outside.
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JAY BONCHAK FROM MCKEES ROCKS, PA: DT Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants is demanding to be traded. Coach John Harbaugh is new to the Giants and as the former Ravens coach he may be interested in getting back Patrick Queen. Would you consider a trade of Lawrence plus a 5th-round pick for Patrick Queen and a 4th-round pick? Lawrence is noted for his great run stopping ability. Having a defensive line group of Lawrence, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, and Cam Heyward could rival the Steeler's offensive line as the team's best position group.
ANSWER: During a recent media session, Coach John Harbaugh said there was "business involved" behind Dexter Lawrence's trade demand. According to Kevin Patra of NFL.com, Harbaugh went on say, "We know it's pro football and these things happen every year. Pretty much every team. So, not surprised by it. Saw it coming a few weeks back and had good conversations with Dexter's agent, Joel Segal, and understood what they were thinking, and this is where we're at. So, we'll try to work through it and see what we can get done." Lawrence is in the final 2 years of a four-year, $90 million contract extension at base salaries of $18.5 million in 2026 and $18 million in 2027. It's believed Lawrence, who will be 29 in November, wants to be paid as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL. I don't believe the Giants are really interested in trading Lawrence.
ANTHONY DeSIO FROM MOUNT JEWETT, PA: A question posed in a recent edition asks why Kaleb Johnson wasn't taught to pass block and catch passes in his development. I think the more pertinent question is, why did our scouts not see this as a problem before he was chosen in the draft? I'm sure there was ample tape in which he did not display those talents.
ANSWER: I would disagree with that. The 2025 Iowa offense ran the football 63.8 percent of the time over the course of the entire season, which means the Hawkeyes were utilizing their players as part of a very run-heavy offense and their opposition was deploying their defense to combat that run-heavy offense. Why would you believe there would be a whole lot of video of Kaleb Johnson or any of the Iowa running backs doing a lot of running routes and/or blocking for the passer, and why would you believe Iowa's opponents would be all that interested in using NFL-style coverages and coming up with the kind of complex blitzing schemes professional teams utilize. I would doubt there was much video at all of Johnson attempting to do the receiving and blocking that contributed to the amount of playing time he saw as a rookie.
MICHAEL COOPER FROM CHAGRIN FALLS, OH: Do scouting departments keep tabs on current professional players, or do they review film if and when someone they might be interested in becomes available?
ANSWER: It's a combination of both. The scouting department has people who keep tabs on professional players around the league, and then when a specific need for a specific position presents itself, those pro scouts are ready with a list of potential candidates on practice squads or who have been released or who might be available via trade.
BRETT ENSLEY FROM FAYETTEVILLE, NC: In a recent asked and answered, you said you were against the Steelers signing Kirk Cousins. We now know that signing him is no longer on the table. Just curious as to your reasons why. Also, love all that you write, especially the answers here.
ANSWER: For the sake of clarity, the question posed to me was: "In your opinion … Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers?" And in that context, my answer was: "I am a hard-no on Kirk Cousins." And my reasoning for preferring Rodgers had to do with interceptions, mainly the frequency with which Cousins throws them compared to Rodgers. In his 14 NFL seasons, Cousins has started 167 games and attempted 5,899 passes, with 131 interceptions, for a percentage of 2.2. In his 21 seasons , Rodgers has started 257 games and attempted 8,743 passes, with 123 interceptions for a percentage of 1.4. That is a significant statistical difference in what I believe is a critical category. As recently as 2024, Cousins led the NFL with 16 interceptions; and through the 2025 season, Rodgers is the NFL's active leader in lowest career interception percentage at 1.4.
TOM McCORMICK FINDLAY, OH: Over the last several years, it feels like the Steelers' roster is a bit of a revolving door with many of the players who make the team only under contract for one or two years. I find I have a hard time even recognizing who the players are before they move on. Granted there are exceptions, but when I catch clips of Bill Cowher-era games, or early Mike Tomlin-era games (say 2000s into the early 2010s) it seems like I recognize more players on those teams. Is that just my memory playing tricks on an older fan or has the roster been revamped more frequently in recent years? As always, regardless of if you use my question, thank you for all that you do to make Asked and Answered a must read.
ANSWER: I am unable to give you a definitive answer as to why there have been more short-term contracts signed by players than what happened in the past – and if you're going back to the Bill Cowher era, we're talking about 30 years ago. Certainly the game has changed, and both teams and players could be looking for shorter-term arrangements for a number of reasons. But it seems to me that the Steelers may have been dabbling in those waters because sometimes they were looking for injury replacements, or sometimes trying to fill some holes with proven veterans in an effort to get into the playoffs and win playoff games. I wouldn't characterize it as some permanent change in organizational philosophy, but more of an effort to find some short-term answers to what they believed were some short-term soft spots in the depth chart.
ED SARNECKI FROM DES MOINES, IA: Is T.J. Watt being put on the trading block?
ANSWER: Even if that was to happen, it wouldn't be accompanied by any announcement or acknowledgement. And in my opinion, there would be little reason for a new coaching staff to be interested in unloading a pedigreed player who also serves as a leader and example to his teammates in the way he works, and prepares, and conducts himself as a professional.
JIMMY GROSS FROM ROSWELL, GA: Not a question, but thank you for mentioning the Time Magazine cover with the four Steelers defensive linemen who made up the original Steel Curtain. I have that cover, signed by each of them, thanks to Lionel Taylor, the Steelers receivers coach at the time. May he rest in peace. Thanks for what you do answering our questions.
ANSWER: Lionel Taylor was the Steelers receivers coach from 1970-76, and Bill Nunn believed he was a significant factor in the development of players such as Frank Lewis, Lynn Swann, and John Stallworth. Taylor also was a very good receiver in his own right. In 9 AFL seasons, Taylor played in 113 regular season games and finished with 567 catches for 7,195 yards (12.7 average), and 45 touchdowns. He had 4 1,000-yard seasons and was voted first-team AFL All-Pro 4 times. Besides the receivers he coached in Pittsburgh, Lionel Taylor was highly-respected by everyone in the organization as well as all of the players and coaches. He died on Aug. 6, 2025. In regard to that signed cover of Time Magazine, I'm not in the memorabilia business, but I believe you have yourself a pretty valuable artifact there.
