The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
JOE ASHER FROM TAMPA, FL: I hate to bring up preseason, but your July 30 installment got me thinking. Since Ben Roethlisberger was the backup (2nd string) quarterback behind Tommy Maddox after the injury to Charlie Batch in 2004, did he play a lot in the preseason? How would you rate his performance that rookie preseason?
ANSWER: I really don't how to quantify "a lot" and 2004 was a long time ago. Bill Cowher was the head coach at the time, and he had a procedure for how much he played veterans. During the 4-game preseason in 2004, Cowher started Tommy Maddox at QB in each of the games, and Roethlisberger played in all of them and completed 25-of-43 (58.1 percent) for 336 yards, with 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and a rating of 71.5. But what I remember about that summer is that there were flashes in some practices where Roethlisberger was displaying the talent that made him a first-round pick.
In particular there was a Saturday afternoon practice, and I was standing on the sideline watching it with Tunch Ilkin, about 7-10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. It was 11-on-11, and Roethlisberger got flushed out of the pocket and came sprinting toward us. As he got to the numbers, he turned on a dead run and fired a rope across his body that hit rookie WR Zamir Cobb in the chest, who was cutting across the middle from the opposite direction about 20 yards downfield. I just looked and Tunch, and he said, "Brett Favre."
MARCK LEWIS FROM AMITY, OR: I keep seeing Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Drew Aller as the depth chart for the quarterback position. Do you think Will Howard gets a legitimate shot at making the roster?
ANSWER: Since Coach Mike McCarthy hasn't released a depth chart this summer, what you're seeing or hearing is pure speculation by people who know nothing officially. Pay it no mind.
CYNTHIA SUBO FROM GREENSBURG, PA: Roman Wilson was a talented guy in college, as his draft status indicated. Could Aaron Rodgers' on-field demeanor towards him and other receivers, have been a stumbling block to Wilson's development? All guys are unique. Maybe the confrontational manner stunted Wilson?
ANSWER: I believe calling it a "confrontational manner" is a real stretch. This is the NFL; it's professional; and the competition for jobs is among men. Having Aaron Rodgers as the starting QB is a benefit to every player on the offensive unit if they're savvy enough to take advantage of his experience and knowledge. As for Roman Wilson specifically, he's a third-year pro on a team with an offensive-minded head coach, and that team is going to need production this season from the position he plays to be successful. And the starting QB still has a first-ballot Hall of Fame arm. It's all right there for him
MARK RICE FROM LAS VEGAS, NV: When a new league year starts for the 2026 season, how do they determine who plays who in the preseason? Do teams already know before the draft? Or are they informed about their preseason schedule after the draft?
ANSWER: The NFL handles all of the teams' scheduling for the preseason. Those games typically are announced with the rest of the entire schedule, and this year that happened on May 14. The NFL is pretty serious about keeping the details of its schedule under wraps because it has a "reveal show" that night and doesn't want to limit the ratings and therefore the revenue generated from the broadcast. The 2026 NFL Draft was held in Pittsburgh on April 23-25.
CURTIS CONNERS FROM CARLISLE, PA: Was DK Metcalf fined or penalized in any way for the incident with the fan in the stands last year?
ANSWER: DK Metcalf was suspended for the final two regular season games and as a result forfeited $555,556 in salary.
JAMES ROBERT LaBAR JR. FROM BYRNEDALE, PA: Do teams send scouts to other teams' training camps?
ANSWER: No. Training camps are not required to be open to scouts from other teams, and unless a practice is open to the public the workout is closed and there's nothing to "scout." Teams are more likely to send scouts to preseason games and request pregame field access to see guys moving around in uniform before the game. And teams also know it's useless trying to scout systems – and strategy within those systems – during the summer. There will be plenty of video available to study those things when the time comes.
TOM MIHALIC FROM SUFFOLK, VA: Mike McCarthy has stated that there will be no live tackling in camp this year. With that being said, in your opinion, can we expect to see the starters play a little more in the preseason games than what we've seen in the past?
ANSWER: I don't think one necessarily has anything to do with the other. In my opinion, Coach Mike McCarthy is going to distribute playing time in preseason games based on what he determines he needs to evaluate the 90-man roster and bring the group of 53 (plus 16 on the practice squad) into the regular season ready to win games. McCarthy doesn't believe live tackling in training camp is necessary to achieving that end, and he does believe there is a way to teach and drill that aspect of the game without bringing the guy to the ground. With this being McCarty's inaugural preseason in this job here, we'll just have to see how that translates to playing time in the games.
CRAIG MOXON FROM MINNEAPOLIS, MN: What impact did Bill Nunn have on the implementation and creation of the Rooney Rule?
ANSWER: I don't believe Bill Nunn would have had any impact on the implementation and creation of the Rooney Rule. That was Dan Rooney's initiative, and he did the work to get it done.
BRADLEY DYLL FROM HERMITAGE, PA: Giving where our young QBs were drafted, they are probably not going to lead the Steelers to the Super Bowl. So if we draft a QB next year and with Aaron Rodgers retiring, do you think the Steelers should try to sign Baker Mayfield or another veteran as a bridge QB?
ANSWER: No. No. A thousand times no. I agree with nothing you propose/claim in your submission.
STEFAN PISOCKI FROM WILMINGTON, DE: While I am excited to see what a new coaching staff will be able to do with the Steelers roster, I do miss the commanding presence of Coach Mike Tomlin. From what you know, was there any possible way Mike McCarthy would have accepted an offensive coordinator position under Tomlin?
ANSWER: Mike McCarthy is an NFL head coach, and I believe he entered the most recent hiring cycle seeing himself as only that. And I also believe Mike Tomlin's decision came down to him deciding he didn't want to continue rather than him looking for a way to be able to stay.
ROD CARROLL FROM NASHVILLE, TN: What are the biggest differences you have noticed between a Mike Tomlin training camp and a Mike McCarthy training camp?
ANSWER: Several differences. What time of the day it is held. The pace of the work. No physicality, but that will come more into focus with the team just now getting into padded practices. McCarthy's night practice is on a Saturday instead of a Friday, and the players will get the next day off. It's still early, and a training camp usually is judged in retrospect after you see how a team was prepared for the start of the regular season.
JEFF WELLER FROM COLUMBUS, OH: One simple question; Meadows or The Cone Zone?
ANSWER: One simple answer: Meadows.
ITHAN ZIMMER FROM EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ: As of this writing, of all 32 teams the Steelers have the least cap space at under $3 million, and the most active cap spending at over $305 million according to overthecap.com. Is this a concern for trying to extend contracts before the season? Do you anticipate releasing or trading a player for cap purposes? Also, I recall the previous general manager stating that he always wanted to go into the season with around $5 million in cap space to cover replacement players for inevitable injuries. Is that still the case with Omar Kahn?
ANSWER: Viewing a team's salary cap space "as of this writing" doesn't mean as much as how much more cap space a team can easily and efficiently create to get the contract extensions done they want to get done. And contracts can be written in a way that can satisfy the player and serve the team's interests. I anticipate no roster moves having to be made as a result of the salary cap, and there to be a salary cap cushion of some sort available going into the regular season.
