The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
MIKE POWELL FROM UNIVERSAL CITY, TX: In the mid 1970s, the Steelers converted Larry Brown from tight end to offensive tackle. In the backs-on-backers drill the other day, you reported that Darnell Washington handled everyone he faced. Might they consider converting him to OT, if he's willing?
ANSWER: When Chuck Noll decided to approach Larry Brown about moving from tight end to offensive tackle, it came from a concern that a knee injury and the subsequent surgery would rob him of the quickness and movement necessary to continue his career as a tight end. It was not done as a reaction to what the Steelers had on their roster at offensive tackle. I suspect a lot of this fan sentiment about moving Darnell Washington from tight end to offensive tackle comes from a concern about Broderick Jones' ability to hold down that position moving forward. The Steelers traded up in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to select Jones with the belief he would be their left tackle for the next decade, and with him getting his first chance to play the position for which he was drafted this summer, I believe it's time for the team to find out about him. This is an important season for Jones, because he is in the third season of the 4-year contract he signed as a rookie, which means it soon will be time for the Steelers to decide on things such as exercising his fifth-year option and/or considering a second contract. My sense is that for now, the plan is to work to develop Jones because there had to be things they really liked about him as a prospect when the decision was made to trade up to pick him. And as a 24-year-old he still is young with a lot of room to develop and improve. As for Washington, he was asked in a recent media session about a possible move to tackle, and he said of playing that position in the NFL, "Personally, I feel like I can. Right now, I'm a tight end, so I'm going to focus on that. But later on down the road — or at any time — if they ask for me to do that, I'm going to do it to my best ability. I'm focused on the tight end role or until I can't or whenever my time's up. I'm an open-minded dude."
MIKE CLAPPER FROM BEDFORD, PA: "7-Shots" seems to the popular drill everyone likes to watch at Steelers training camp. Was that something started by Coach Tomlin or did Coach Cowher do it as well?
ANSWER: I cannot recall the year it became a regular part of practice, but it was Coach Mike Tomlin who came up with the idea and instituted 7-Shots.
SCOTT RANDALL from CONWAY, SC: I recently heard on a Steelers podcast that the NFL is thinking about going to 18 regular season games and only 2 preseason games. If so, how fair is that to the kids being drafted and the time they get to prove themselves talent-wise? Is it possible to evaluate them that quickly?
ANSWER: "How fair is it to the kids being drafted?" I don't have an answer for that, and I'm not sure fairness will have anything to do with when the time comes whether the NFL goes to a regular season format that includes 2 preseason games and 18 regular season games. My recollection is there is a clause in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that will require a vote of the NFL Players Association membership before an 18-game regular season can be implemented. Eighteen games is not something that management can unilaterally decide to do, and since the players will get to vote and therefore have a say in this process, then I'm not going to be one who considers "fairness."
KYLE COLVIN FROM STILLWATER, OK: Based on training camp practices and as we get into the preseason, how do you see the tight end room taking shape? Who makes the roster and what roles do you see them having in the offense?
ANSWER: With the caveat that things can change based on injuries, either at the tight end position or to other positions that could have a trickle-down impact on how many tight ends are kept on the initial 53-man roster, I would list 4 – Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington, and Connor Heyward – as being likely to end up on the 53-man roster come cutdown day on Tuesday, Aug. 26. As for roles, I'm not all that certain roles within the offense will be completely determined by the start of the regular season on Sept. 7. A lot of new faces and varying skill-sets to be worked in, so it might be more of an evolving thing.
ADAM FELDERMAN FROM TUCSON, AZ: Do you see the Steelers trading for either Terry McLaurin or Micah Parsons now that they have both requested trades from their current teams?
ANSWER: My guess would be that neither Washington WR Terry McLaurin nor Dallas OLB Micah Parsons ends up with the Steelers, because I don't believe either the Commanders or the Cowboys are all that interested in making a trade, even though both players have requested one. Whatever those players were feeling at the time they made those requests can be mollified by a contract extension to their liking, and I don't really see the advantage to either of their current teams caving to those requests. For example, why would the Commanders trade away the leading receiver from their 2024 team that advanced to the NFC Championship Game and rob second-year QB Jayden Daniels of a difference-making offensive weapon? And it seems that the Cowboys are regularly engaged in high-stakes negotiations with their star players and rarely do anything except eventually come to an agreement.
EDWARD WATSON FROM GRAHAM, NC: What was Chuck Noll's all-time record against NFC teams all time, including Super Bowls?
ANSWER: The NFL didn't split into two conferences – AFC and NFC – until the 1970 season, and Chuck Noll's record against NFC teams was 49-29, which includes a 4-0 record in Super Bowls.
STEVE CONTI FROM LANCASTER , PA: Aaron Rodgers has suggested this might be his last year, but if he has a good, injury-free season and takes the Steelers deep into playoffs, is there a possibility for a return next year?
ANSWER: A lot of things are possible. When someone "suggests" this might be his last season, that's different from someone saying it's going to be his last season, so there is the possibility things could change. But it's also possible that Aaron Rodgers simply wanted to be transparent with the Steelers about his reasoning behind preferring a 1-year contract.
PAT FLYNN FROM OAKDALE, PA: With the new faces in training camp, losing the starting QB, running back, and No. 1 wide receiver from 2024, would you consider this one of the more interesting camps that you have covered?
ANSWER: For me, what makes this training camp so interesting is not about the players the Steelers lost from their 2024 group, but which players were brought in to replace them.
NATE BOLER FROM RALEIGH, NC: How has Roman Wilson looked so far in camp? Has he worked with the first-team offense much?
ANSWER: In 2024, Roman Wilson was injured on the sixth snap of the first practice in pads at Saint Vincent College, and that ultimately served to ruin his rookie year. When a young player sustains an injury early in the process that removes him from on-field work for an extended period of time, he has no opportunity to work on his craft and learn what it takes to play at the NFL level. Wilson has been available and a participant in every on-field activity since the start of OTAs back in May and that certainly has been a help to him in his second NFL training camp. Being on the field regularly gives a player the necessary repetitions that allow him to improve, and in the case of a wide receiver it also provides opportunities to get comfortable with the starting quarterback and to have the starting quarterback get comfortable with him. During last Thursday's practice in a 1-on-1 drill, Wilson got behind CB Joey Porter Jr. and made a contested catch 35 yards downfield in the end zone that was a big-time NFL play. I'm not going to predict any statistics for Roman Wilson's second season, but his consistent availability on the practice field gives him a chance to be a contributor in 2025.
NICK MOSES FROM SIMI VALLEY, CA: Unless Aaron Rodgers (and possibly Mason Rudolph) are sidelined with injuries, we're not really going to get a look this year at whether or not Will Howard might be the future of the position for us. There seems to be a strong belief that the Steelers will be looking to draft a QB in the first round next year, since Rodgers has already suggested this is his last season. It feels like Howard's role for the future has already been determined, and he is destined to be a backup. I understand things can change, but am I wrong that this seems to be the trajectory?
ANSWER: Based on the priority teams place on quarterbacks in the draft each year, when a team picks one on the third day (rounds 4-through-7) I would contend that it's actually the NFL teams that are categorizing those players. I do not believe for a second that the New England Patriots picked Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft with the idea that he would become a starter and multiple Super Bowl winner. When the Patriots selected him, I believe they saw him as a guy who could serve as a backup to Drew Bledsoe, a guy they had made the first overall pick of the 1993 NFL Draft. Teams do not wait until the sixth round to draft a quarterback they believe can be a long-time starter in the league. Maybe Will Howard becomes an outlier, a la Brady or Marc Bulger or seventh-round pick Brock Purdy, but the majority of franchise quarterbacks are drafted in the first round, or at least before the end of the third round.
PETE DEEB FROM FRANKFORD, DE: In a previous segment you defined the rules for the number of padded practices in a season. How many are allowed in training camp?
ANSWER: There are no specific rules governing the total number of padded practices during training camp, as is the case during the regular season. But here is one requirement: If a team has padded practices on 3 successive days, then it must follow that with non-padded practices for 3 successive days.
