The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
SCOTT GREENE FROM ALTOONA, PA: Do you think that Alex Highsmith was ever really on the trading block?
ANSWER: What I take from "really on the trading block" would be if a team was actively trying to move a player, either for performance or cap purposes. And Alex Highsmith is not a strain on the salary cap, and his production was important to the Steelers defense in 2025. During a stretch at the end of the regular season where the Steelers won 4 of their last 5 to win the AFC North Division with a 10-7 record, Highsmith posted 4 sacks, 9 hits on the QB, and 10 tackles-for-loss. During those games he never played less than 77 percent of the defensive snaps, and twice he played over 90 percent. He is a professional, a team guy, an asset in the locker room. Sometimes the phone rings, and just because you answer it doesn't mean you're necessarily interested in what's being said.
BRIAN HENDERSON FROM MURRELLS INLET, SC: Can you clarify the organized team activities and probable dates during the four months between the NFL Draft in April and training camp that usually opens in late July in Latrobe?
ANSWER: Not really. Having a new coach and a new staff means the Steelers can start Phase I of the offseason program – think open gym but with no footballs – on April 6 instead of April 20 for teams with returning coaches. But the dates for the 10 OTAs, when training camp opens in late July, all of that is going to be up to Coach Mike McCarthy, within the parameters set out by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Stay tuned.
JD AKERS FROM NIXA, MO: I was somewhat surprised at the Cole Holcomb signing, because the knee injury seemed so severe I wondered if we were showing loyalty in keeping him through his rehab. Now that he has a working season under his belt, do you think he had a solid season and is starting-caliber, or will he be more in the role of backup, and are his stats telling in any way?
ANSWER: The contract being reported in the wake of the Cole Holcomb re-signing, which happened 2 days before the start of free agency, is $5 million over 2 years. That's not a whole lot more than NFL minimum for a player with his years of experience. Holcomb was a productive starting-capable ILB before he was injured, and he also contributes on special teams. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson figure to be the starters in 2026, and a regular season roster usually has 4 ILBs at least. If Holcomb is healthy, that gives the Steelers a versatile, experienced player at a bargain.
NATE KLEIN FROM FREDERICKSBURG, VA: As you've mentioned many times before, you don't have a crystal ball. Got it. Putting that aside, do you have any reason to think the Steelers trade up in Round 1 to get either Ola Ioane or Monroe Freeling? I think trading with Dallas to jump over the Rams and Ravens would be an easy decision.
ANSWER: You wrote that "trading with Dallas to jump over the Rams and Ravens would be an easy decision." I totally agree that would be an easy decision for me. And it would be easy in this way: I do not believe it's necessary to trade up in the first round of this draft to come out of the three days with a starter-capable LG and a developmental LT. Trading up in the first round should be for a difference-maker, and I'm not confident there are any of those kinds of offensive linemen in this draft class.
RON SNYDER FROM EMMAUS, PA: I had the privilege of bumping into John Norwig recently. What a sweet, humble gentleman. Of the many things we discussed, he confirmed what I had heard rumored – that Hines Ward was drafted and played his entire career with no ACL in one knee. I am amazed. This must be an extreme rarity. Are you aware of any other player who did the same?
ANSWER: I think I remember that Greg Lloyd might have been in that same situation when he came to the Steelers from Fort Valley State in the sixth round of the 1987 NFL Draft. But that was a long time ago, before John Norwig, even.
DICK VOCHEK FROM PORTAGE, PA: Does signing your own free agents count against the compensatory pick equation, a la Asante Samuel Jr.?
ANSWER: Only in the sense that the player didn't leave as an unrestricted free agent on a big-money deal to another team, which would have been "a positive" against the compensatory pick equation. There is no direct penalty for re-signing your own players.
VANCE ELDERKIN FROM ELI WHITNEY, NC: I'm just curious: If tomorrow you were put in charge of fixing NFL officiating, with carte blanche to do anything you wanted to do, how would you do it?
ANSWER: Currently the NFL and the NFLRA are in labor talks, and the way I see it is that there are no easy/obvious solutions. If I could go back in a time machine to the mid-1980s, I never would allow using instant replay as an officiating tool. And then maybe I would have set up a system where candidates to become NFL officials were identified and recruited into an academy right out of college to be trained and conditioned. Then it could have become a career in officiating that started in the individual's mid-to-late 20s and lasted until the early 40s, when the officials would retire and be replaced by a younger, better conditioned and prepared person. In that way, it would be just like teams do with the players on their active rosters. But since there is no such thing as a time machine, I have no answers for you.
BISHOP JAMES WILLIAMS FROM PITTSBURG, CA: Is it possible that the Steelers will sign Mac Jones or Anthony Richardson at the quarterback position?
ANSWER: Both Mac Jones (with the San Francisco 49ers) and Anthony Richardson (with the Indianapolis Colts) are under contract for the 2026 NFL season, and so the only way either could be acquired by another team would be through a trade. Neither one would come cheap, in my opinion.
DIEGO SANTOS FROM CHAPPAQUA, NY: Ty Simpson or Diego Pavia for the Steelers?
ANSWER: No thank you.
DAVE STEELE FROM ERIE, PA: Is there any update on the Darnell Savage UFA signing? It has been over 2 weeks since the agreement was originally announced, but I haven't found a signing announcement for him.
ANSWER: NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, who works for KPCR 2 in Houston posted this on X: "Veteran safety Darnell Savage Jr. intends to sign with #Steelers, per veteran agent Seth Katz. Katz told KPRC 2 Savage is making preparations for the 2026 season. 'Darnell is looking forward to playing for the Steelers,' Katz said."
