The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
BRIAN WILSON FROM CYPRESS, CA My favorite seventh-round pick of all time is Brett Keisel, "The Beard." Can you comment on his career and stats?
ANSWER: Brett Keisel came to the Steelers in the 7th round (242nd overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft after a college career that had him beginning at Snow College (Utah) and finishing at BYU. In 12 seasons with the Steelers (he missed all of 2003 with a shoulder injury), Keisel played in 156 games, with 114 of those as a starting defensive end. Keisel finished with 30 sacks, 53 quarterback hits, 36 passes batted down, 7 forced fumbles, 9 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions, one of which he returned 79 yards for a touchdown. Keisel won 2 Super Bowl rings, and he was a starting defensive end in Super Bowl XLIII and Super Bowl XLV. Keisel came to the Steelers as a raw big man with speed, and to buy himself time to develop into an NFL-caliber defensive lineman, he made himself valuable on special teams. In kickoff coverage, Keisel was feared by opponents for his ability to destroy the blocking wedge set up for the returner. Seattle's special teams coach made a point of that during the run-up to Super Bowl XL.
Off the field, Keisel raised over $1 million for cancer treatment and research at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh by growing a bushy beard during the season and then having it shaved at an event where coaches and teammates did the snipping and lots of Steelers fans attended and donated money. The initiative was dubbed, "10 Years, 10 Beards, $1 Million," and it exceeded that goal in 2020, which was the final year of the event.
JEFF SMITH FROM CHARLESTON, WV: Does the team with the worst record have the right to claim any or all waived players it chooses ahead of any other team?
ANSWER: Yes. During this particular waiver period, the Tennessee Titans have the top priority, and so any player that the Titans claim becomes their property. But remember, claiming a player's rights also means claiming the player's contract, and teams still have to comply with the salary cap.
JOE ASHER FROM TAMPA, FL: By the time you answer this, the 53-man roster will be set. Does the final roster have any players you would consider a 'surprise'? Was there a longshot you observed who made it because of a stellar camp and preseason?
ANSWER: The answer to both of your questions is Skylar Thompson. When the Steelers signed Thompson to a futures contract on Jan. 14, he was seen as the addition of a guy to a depth chart that had all 3 quarterbacks on expiring contracts. And by the time the Steelers had signed Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, and drafted Will Howard, Thompson was generally perceived as a solid No. 4 on a roster that would have spots for only 3. By the end of the preseason, it had become obvious that Thompson would win a spot on the roster, and suddenly fans were suggesting he should take Rudolph's job as the backup. I don't see that happening, but I don't know of many/any teams that have a better situation at the No. 3 quarterback spot than the Steelers have with Skylar Thompson.
ERIC YOUNG FROM ROWLETT, TX: When deciding on a final cut between 2 players who appear close, do the Steelers' coaches/brass seek any input from players? For instance, would they ask Aaron Rodgers who he liked better between 2 WRs?
ANSWER: My perception of the situation is that while there could be rare occasions when an offered opinion by a player might be considered, it's not a situation where a player's opinion would be solicited at that stage of the process.
DAVE FRANCIS FROM OKLAHOMA CITY, OK: Did Tyler Matakevich retire? He doesn't appear to be on a roster anywhere?
ANSWER: Tyler Matakevich is not currently on an NFL roster, but I have not found any official announcement that he had retired.
TODD HARVEY FROM CHESAPEAKE CITY, MD: I grew up in Ligonier, Pa., and I remember the Steelers actually staying at the Holiday Inn in our little town. I believe the timeline on that would have been the late 1960s. Do you have any recollection of the team being located there for training camp?
ANSWER: The Steelers held a portion of their training camp in 1966 at Saint Vincent College and then moved there full-time in 1967. Ligonier is about 11 miles from the Saint Vincent College campus, but when the Steelers have held training camp there their players and coaches were housed in campus dormitories.
HOWARD ASHCRAFT FROM LANSING, MI: During the cut-down process, are teams allowed to tell a player upon his release that they intend on signing him to the practice squad? Or is that considered tampering?
ANSWER: I believe what you are describing would be viewed similarly as the conversations teams might have with yet-to-be-drafted rookies about interest in signing them as free agents if they go undrafted.
MARK WINSCHEL FROM ST. PETE BEACH, FL: When players are cut from the 90-man roster at different times at the end of the preseason, when exactly does their 24-hour waiver wire clock start?
ANSWER: As soon as a team turns into the league the roster move that a player has been waived, their "24-hour waiver clock" starts. At the end of that 24-hour period, a player either has been claimed and becomes the property of another team, or he has cleared waivers, which means he is a free agent.
JEFF BANKOVICH FROM ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP, PA: After the initial cuts from this past Tuesday, it listed players who were waived and players who were terminated. What's the difference between waived and terminated?
ANSWER: Players who are waived are subject to a 24-hour period when they can be claimed by another team and then become the property of that team. Players who are terminated are vested veterans who are not subject to the waiver system and immediately become free agents when released by their former team.
MATTHEW GALIK FROM SAN DIEGO, CA: I thought Skylar Thompson played very well this preseason. Is there any way the Steelers will be keeping him over Will Howard? I ask because I don't think the Steelers will be keeping 4 QBs on the roster.
ANSWER: When the Steelers announced the moves they made to meet the NFL's 4 p.m. deadline to have all rosters reduced to 53 players, there were 4 quarterbacks on the roster – Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and Will Howard. After injuring a finger on his right hand during training camp, Howard was unable to practice or play in any of the three preseason games. My sense of the reasoning behind keeping Howard on the initial 53-man roster is that the Steelers now are able to put Howard on the injured reserve list, without either exposing him to waivers or to be automatically forced to use one of their 8 designated-to-return spots on him. My belief is that by the time you read this, the Steelers will have placed Howard on IR, they will have added a player to take the open spot on the 53-man roster, and there will be 3 quarterbacks on the roster for the regular season opener against the Jets on Sept. 7.
JOHN BEATTY FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: Did Beanie Bishop make the final cut?
ANSWER: He did not. The 8 defensive backs the Steelers kept on their initial 53-man roster included Brandin Echols, DeShon Elliott, Donte Kent, Miles Killebrew, Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Juan Thornhill.
KEITH WIMER FROM BOARDMAN, OH: I wasn't particularly surprised by the cuts made to bring the roster to 53 men, except for two: DeMarvin Leal and Beanie Bishop. Do you have thoughts on either of these moves?
ANSWER: To put it simply, in my opinion the Steelers just had too many better players at their respective spots to keep them. In the case of Beanie Bishop Jr., he was the starting slot cornerback last season as a rookie and he had a nice season. But he turned out to be strictly a slot cornerback, unable to play the outside, and he really didn't offer much on special teams. This summer, the Steelers top two slot cornerbacks are Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols, and Bishop isn't as good as those two players. Same basic thing with DeMarvin Leal. He wasn't better than the 4 outside linebackers kept on the 53-man roster, and he was being tried at outside linebacker because he hadn't been able to carve himself out a spot on the defensive line. But both players – Bishop and Leal – were signed to the practice squad yesterday.
JACOB DREW FROM ROULETTE, PA: I've been seeing a lot of articles saying the Steelers need to add another receiver. Has Tyler Boyd come up at all? Is he too expensive or is the talent just isn't there anymore?
ANSWER: In my opinion, Tyler Boyd isn't the kind of receiver the Steelers would be looking to add. Boyd will be 31 in November, and in his last 2 seasons, he has averaged 10.0 yards per catch with 2 touchdowns.
WILLIAM YOUNG FROM BADEN, PA: Between the last preseason game and cut-down day, the Steelers practiced. Does everyone on the roster during this time practice, or do those players about to be cut not practice?
ANSWER: Everyone who is physically capable of practicing does take part in practice.
