The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
JOSEPH ROLLINS FROM STEUBENVILLE, OH: The Pittsburgh Steelers have 12 total picks in the NFL Draft this year. They're obviously not going to carry 12 rookie draft picks into the season, and given the fact that the draft is in Pittsburgh, could you see the Steelers using their stockpile of picks to trade up if a potential star they really like, such as Caleb Downs, falls out of the top 10?
ANSWER: Once the compensatory picks are awarded by the NFL we'll know exactly how many selections the Steelers will have in the 2026 NFL Draft, and I would agree that it's not optimum to be drafting players just to cut them in training camp. So sure, using some of those picks as collateral in trades is a possibility. I wouldn't get my hopes up about Caleb Downs, though because he might turn out to be the highest-graded non-quarterback in this class. If so, any team that would trade away the chance to pick him would require a king's ransom in return.
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BRUCE TUCK FROM APOLLO BEACH, FL: There is a lot of talk around Will Howard and many other quarterbacks people feel should be considered. If my memory serves me, there was a young quarterback last year who performed very well in the preseason and then got injured in the last game. His name is Skyler Thompson, and what is his status with the team now?
ANSWER: Skylar Thompson, 29 in June, is on injured reserve right now. He can become an unrestricted free agent in March.
JEFF SMITH FROM CHARLESTON, WV: With or without Aaron Rodgers, do we take a wideout or cornerback in first round, with only two quarterbacks graded as Round 1 picks?
ANSWER: You're about 2 months early with this. The only people doing any "grading" on draft eligible players at any position are not working for NFL teams or any of the scouting services used by NFL teams.
JASON DeBRITTO FROM PROVIDENCE, RI: Lately there has been much chatter on social media about Nick Herbig wanting out of Pittsburgh in search of more playing time, or being traded by the Steelers for an offensive weapon, or to move up in the draft. Do you know if there is any truth either way?
ANSWER: "Lately there has been much chatter on social media" should tell you enough about this set of issues to know the answer.
ZACH AARON FROM NY, NY: Do you see a world in which Patrick Queen gets cut and they re-sign Nick Herbig and move him to ILB, and have T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Herbig on the field together?
ANSWER: Is that the same world where stopping the run would be an issue?
SAM MIKHAIL FROM BETHESDA, MD: Coach Mike McCarthy is a proponent of the West Coast offense. If Aaron Rodgers does not return, then what? Do you believe the team will try to acquire a veteran QB familiar with the West Coast offense?
ANSWER: This is what Mike McCarthy said about the West Coast offense on Jan. 28 after being hired by the Steelers: "I'm a believer in the tradition of the West Coast offense. The first thing that always came to mind was that offense needs to be built to make the quarterback successful. As simplistic as it is, that starts with running the football. I mean, you have to run the football, because if you don't run the football and you don't tailor your protection schemes and the play-action passing game to the run game, obviously it's not going to affect the defense and have the benefits of what you're looking for. The way the quarterback is coached in that system, you want a more athletic player in that position, a man who can extend plays and play to the rhythm and timing and spacing and all the things that go into an offensive system. At the end of the day, you'll never hear me say this because I would never say we run the West Coast offense. If your system of football cannot take in every player that Omar [Khan] and Art [Rooney II] want to bring to the Pittsburgh Steelers, then you need to take a look at your system. So we need to make sure we can accommodate the variety of players that are available to us."
DAVE MEAGER FROM INDIANAPOLIS, IN: Of the list of upcoming free agents from the 2025 roster, who do you think is the most important one for the Steelers to re-sign?
ANSWER: I consider Aaron Rodgers a separate category, because I believe with him it will come down to whether he still wants to play. So here are 3: Kenneth Gainwell, James Pierre, and Calvin Austin III. And as is the case with all of my free agent opinions, it's dependent on cost. For example from last offseason, matching the Jets offer to Justin Field was a hard "no." Wanting to keep a players is vastly different than paying whatever he wants.
THOMAS McCORMICK FROM FINDLAY, OH: When there is a wholesale coaching change like what is happening this year, what happens to the previous coaching staff? Do all of their contracts have clauses that terminate their contracts if the head coach leaves or is let go? Do they all get some sort of payout based upon the length of their contract?
ANSWER: In the NFL, coaches' contracts are guaranteed. So if there is a change at head coach, any assistants he wants to replace who are under contract get paid unless they get another job with another team.
MICHAEL VELLUCCI FROM ATCO, NJ: My daughter and I are planning a trip to Pittsburgh for the draft. Do you happen to know the location where the stage will be set up, because I'm trying to find nearby hotels? I would appreciate any information you have or direct me somewhere where I could get any information.
ANSWER: For your purposes, the easiest way to direct you is that the stage will be set up in one of the Acrisure Stadium parking lots in the area known locally as the North Shore. I also suggest you visit the homepage of Steelers.com, and once there scroll down until you see an area devoted to the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. You can click on the "Learn More" icon to "Register now to be the first to know when FREE entry opens."
BRENT CORLEY FROM LOUISVILLE, KY: Let's get hypothetical. If Aaron Rodgers decides to come back, would you use all of the draft picks in April to improve both sides of the ball and use the cap space in free agency? Defense definitely needs to get younger. I'd rather have Rodgers next year than any free agent or take a gamble on a quarterback in a class that isn't as good as the 2027 class will be.
ANSWER: What I would do is evaluate the situation in real time and then make decisions based on that. You don't make a plan in mid-February for what you plan to do in late April, because there are too many moving parts between now and then.
KEVIN NEVERLY FROM WEIRTON, WV: Do you see Hines Ward becoming part of the coaching staff?
ANSWER: I do not.
