The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
BRIAN HENDERSON FROM MURRELLS INLET, SC: News is circulating that the Steelers signed Nick Herbig to a 4-year $100 million contract. I am pleased that Herbig is going to remain a Steeler and he is getting a great payday, but the other side of me questions what are their plans for T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Herbig all at OLB. That's two positions with three players making starters' level pay. I would be interested in your thoughts about Highsmith or Watt being traded?
ANSWER: The Steelers reported yesterday that the contract signed by Nick Herbig was a 5-year contract, and I believe the difference in how it's labeled has to do with how it impacts the salary cap. Based on how I understand it, the big hit on the salary cap from the Herbig contract doesn't come until 2027, and so there is no necessity to trade T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith now on the basis of an issue with cap compliance. And because the contract carries a manageable impact on the 2026 salary cap, it won't necessarily prohibit the team from doing other extensions before its traditional deadline of the opening game of the regular season.
MIKE FEDERICO FROM COLLIERVILLE, TN: Happy to see Nick Herbig will be staying with the Steelers. Are there any defensive schemes where all three edge players could be deployed on the field at the same time?
ANSWER: I'm sure there are, and I'm just as certain that Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham has to be intrigued and energized by the possibilities.
CAMERON McCONNELL FROM ALIQUIPPA, PA: Now that the new coaching staff has had a chance to work with the players through OTAs, which position group do you think faces the biggest adjustment going from Mike Tomlin's defensive-minded philosophy to Coach Mike McCarthy's system?
ANSWER: Too early to tell. Coach Mike McCarthy's "system" only will reveal itself to the public over time, and a couple of minicamp practices is nowhere near enough time. You're going to have to be patient for answers to all of the types of questions along the lines of the one you submitted.
ROBERT YEAGER FROM CANYON COUNTRY, CA: I recently saw some old Steelers highlights of Roy Jefferson (great receiver) and how he was referred to as a 'flanker.' Is flanker used as a moniker for wide receivers anymore?
ANSWER: The naming of some offensive positions has changed and evolved as the NFL's focus changed and offenses evolved from running-based to passing-based. Back in the days when teams ran the football the majority of the time, the eligible receivers were referred to as the right end, the left end, the right halfback, the left halfback, and the fullback. A little bit later, the ends became known as the split end and the tight end, and the backs were referred to as the flanker, the halfback, and the fullback. Under those designations, the split end was more of a receiver and the tight end was more of a blocker, the flanker was more of a receiver, the halfback was more of a runner, and the fullback was the featured back. In the modern NFL with so many of the positions interchangeable and the players who are occupying them being multi-talented, the pass catchers have come to be referred to as wide receivers, and wide receivers are differentiated as X, Y, and Z.
EDDIE GILES FROM WEST MIFFLIN, PA: Any information on Najee Harris returning to the Steelers? Word has it he doesn't like the Chargers.
ANSWER: Najee Harris tore his Achilles tendon during a Week 3 game last season while playing for the Los Angeles Chargers, and such an injury can require 9-12 months of rehabilitation. Harris is currently an unrestricted free agent as he continues his rehab. It remains to be seen whether Harris will be healthy enough to be able to pass a physical to take part in a team's training camp. Based on all of those circumstances, I would find it unlikely that a new Steelers coaching staff would be interested in a professional reunion with Harris.
MARK RICE FROM LAS VEGAS, NV: Did Darnell Savage finally sign his offer from the Steelers because he found out no other team wanted him?
ANSWER: Early in the free agency period, it was reported that Darnell Savage had agreed to contract terms with the Steelers. When the signing didn't happen in a timely fashion, Savage's agent said publicly that his client still intended to sign with the team. On Tuesday, June 2, Savage officially signed a 1-year contract with the Steelers. Those are the facts. Feel free to interpret them any way you like.
ERIK RYBA FROM FRANKLINTON, NC: Do you think the Steelers will keep four quarterbacks? And how many running backs should they keep?
ANSWER: The only time I can remember the Steelers keeping 4 QBs on the roster was in 1995 when they opened the season with Neil O'Donnell, Mike Tomczak, Jim Miller, and Kordell Stewart. The rationale for it then was that both O'Donnell and Tomczak were scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the 1995 season, and the system of free agency tied to a salary cap was just in its infancy. Miller, a No. 6 pick in 1994, had a good preseason in 1995 and was seen as someone capable in the event both O'Donnell and Tomczak left as free agents; and Stewart was a rookie second-round pick who was seen as the future.
Going back into the 1950s, NFL rosters carried just 2 QBs, and anyone hoping to be No. 3 had to be able to play another position. An example of that came in 1955, when the Steelers' depth chart at QB had Jim Finks as the starter and Ted Marchibroda (a first-round pick in 1953) as No. 2. Also in training camp in 1955 was a ninth-round pick named John Unitas from Louisville, and despite a couple of Art Rooney Sr.'s sons telling their father that Unitas was the best passer in camp, Coach Walt Keisling decided instead to keep Vic Eaton – who was drafted 2 rounds after Unitas in 1955 – because he could play safety and punt.
Anyway, I don't think the Steelers keep 4 QBs in 2026 because it would seem to go against the goal of competing every season. A fourth QB on the roster would have nothing to do during the season while also taking a spot from a position player who at least would be able to contribute during practices.
How the roster numbers break down at other positions cannot be determined until the pads go on at training camp and players can be evaluated based on contributions on special teams. One thing to keep in mind is that it's not so much numbers at the different positions but the players occupying those spots on the depth chart and what they are capable of contributing.
CHRIS SADLER FROM PLACITAS, NM: My understanding is that a rookie contract consists of a signing bonus, possibly some guaranteed money, and an annual salary. If the rookie does not make the 53-man roster and is placed on the practice squad, what money from his contract does he receive? Same question if he is elevated to the 53-man roster during the season.
ANSWER: For a rookie to go from the 90-man training camp roster to the practice squad, he first must be waived and clear waivers. Once a rookie is waived, his previous contract in terms of non-guaranteed money is voided and he signs a practice squad contract when added to the practice squad. If that rookie is moved from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, then he signs a new contract and is paid according to the specifics in that deal.
DAVID PACY FROM SHERMAN, NY: For this question, I want to limit the timeframe to: from when Chuck Noll was hired until now. I remember all the great AFC Central Division rivals, the Super Bowls vs. Dallas – all of it. That said, do you consider our incredibly storied and violent rivalry against the Baltimore Ravens to be our all-time greatest in a long line? Do you think Steelers-Ravens has shown itself to be the entire league's best rivalry?
ANSWER: The thing I always point out about the Steelers-Ravens rivalry is that it had its origins as Steelers-Browns from 1950 though 1995. The original Ravens were nothing more than Art. Modell's team in the orange helmets moved 375 miles east. Then once Ozzie Newsome became general manager and announced his presence by using the first five drafts in Ravens franchise history to add Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper, Duane Starks, Chris McAlister, and Jamal Lewis, Modell's team was a contender and won the Super Bowl after the 2000 season. Then from there, it was Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots because division supremacy usually belonged to the Steelers or the Ravens, or it was impacted by the outcome of Steelers vs. Ravens. With that, it really was a situation of "two trains, one track" as Mike Tomlin came to describe it, and the 2008 AFC Championship Game between the teams is seen as what triggered the NFL's player safety initiative.
I have seen every snap of every Steelers-Ravens game, and some of them have been wars, others have been routs. But all of them have been physical, and the outcomes of all of them were made sweeter or more depressing depending upon which side of the scoreboard you fell.
Is it the best rivalry? For longevity, the Bears and the Packers have been at each other's throats since 1921. But for high stakes and a mutual hatred during a short period, Steelers-Raiders in the 1970s compares to any rivalry in NFL history.
