The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
KEN MAULDIN FROM CLYDE, TX: In a recent Asked and Answered, a question that got my attention was about players who have left the Steelers and then been successful elsewhere in the NFL (very few). The one name that jumped into my mind was Mike Merriweather. I was thinking he continued to play well after leaving the Steelers, and I was thinking there was some controversy also about him leaving. Can you shed light on his departure and what happened?
ANSWER: Mike Merriweather came to the Steelers as a No. 3 pick (70th overall) in the 1982 NFL Draft from Pacific. In 6 seasons with the Steelers, Merriweather appeared in 85 regular season games at outside linebacker, with 76 starts, and in those he posted 11 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns, plus 31 sacks, and 9 fumble recoveries. He was voted to the Pro Bowl 3 straight times – 1984-85-86. Merriweather missed the entire 1988 season in a contract holdout, and he was traded to Minnesota before the 1989 NFL Draft for the Vikings' No. 1 pick, which the Steelers used to select OL Tom Ricketts from Pitt. In 4 seasons with the Vikings, Merriweather appeared in 63 regular season games, all starts, and he posted 7 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns, plus 10 sacks, and 7 fumble recoveries. Merriweather was not voted to a Pro Bowl after leaving the Steelers.
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RICK MILLER FROM COLUMBIA, SC: My friend, who is a Vikings fan, and I were planning on attending the regular season game vs. Minnesota. With it being scheduled for Sept. 28 in Ireland, is the game going to be broadcast at the stadium or another venue with a large screen for fans who can't afford to travel to the game?
ANSWER: I am not aware of any current plans to have a mass viewing of Steelers-Vikings, but I can tell you that there are many bars/restaurants on the North Shore in close proximity to Acrisure Stadium that serve as a gathering place for fans, and those establishments certainly will be televising that game.
TODD FURST FROM ALLENTOWN, PA: What are your expectations for WR Roman Wilson this year? Should expectations be in line with a first-year rookie since Roman wasn't able to play any games in his first year?
ANSWER: In looking for a comparable for Roman Wilson in this situation, I would use Calvin Austin III, a No. 4 pick (138th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft, who missed that entire season because of injury. While Austin didn't play as a rookie, he had a leg up on the real rookies when training camp opened in 2023 because he had been around the team and in the NFL for a year. Once this training camp opens in July, Wilson will have an opportunity to carve out a spot on the wide receiver depth chart and a role for himself within the offense. My suggestion to fans would be to allow that to happen organically, without any preconceived expectations.
JOHN PUHATCH FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: What is going on with the signing of T.J. Watt? Have not heard anything lately. We need him.
ANSWER: Patience. Signing a superstar such as T.J. Watt to a contract extension is not a simple matter, and so it's going to take time. Those kinds of things usually take place during the summer, and we're not even to Memorial Day yet.
MICKEY HAMER FROM TROY, OH: I keep hearing about this year's game being the first NFL game in Ireland. I remember an August day in 1997 sitting in Croke Park and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers playing the Chicago Bears. Two NFL teams, playing an NFL game. Why are people discounting this game?
ANSWER: On July 27, 1997, the Steelers and the Bears played in Croke Park in a preseason game, and preseason games do not count in the standings and therefore are viewed much differently than regular season games. In my references, I have tried to refer to Sept. 28, 2025, vs. Minnesota as the first NFL regular season game in Ireland.
BRETT ENSLEY FROM FAYETTEVILLE, NC: I know Andy Russell returned a fumble 93 yards for a touchdown in a 1975 playoff game against the Baltimore Colts. That was a record for the longest fumble return for a touchdown in the playoffs at the time. Is this still a record, or has it since been broken?
ANSWER: Andy Russell's NFL record for the longest fumble return for a touchdown in the playoffs was broken on Jan. 15, 2003. In a Wild Card Round Game at the end of the 2022 season, Cincinnati's Sam Hubbard scooped a fourth quarter fumble by Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown for the deciding points in a 24-17 Bengals victory.
NICHOLAS PELCHAR FROM PURCELLVILLE, VA: I liked what I saw from OLB Julius Welschof last preseason. Does he have a chance to make the team this year, or is he just there as Germany's NFL representative player?
ANSWER: Julius Welschof was born in 1997 in Germany and was raised in Mielsbach, Bavaria. After falling in love with "American football," Welschof played at the University of Michigan and then completed his college eligibility at Charlotte. After being undrafted in 2024, Welschof was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted rookie to play outside linebacker and then was awarded the Steelers' international roster spot afforded to all teams as part of the International Player Pathway Program. Welschof currently is on the Steelers' 90-man roster and figures to be at Saint Vincent College when the team gathers there in late July for training camp. Every player at training camp has a chance to earn a spot on the 53-man roster or the practice squad, but the outside linebacker position for the Steelers in 2025 is going to be a competitive one. Last season, the Steelers carried 4 OLBs – or edge players – on their 53-man roster. And some of the players currently at that position are veterans T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig, plus Jack Sawyer, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound rookie from Ohio State who was picked by the Steelers in the fourth round (123rd overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft.
MARK RICHTER FROM HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA: Is there a historical list of Steelers jersey numbers with the assigned player? Saw that Yahya Black is wearing No. 78, which was Dwight White's old jersey number.
ANSWER: Yes, the Steelers Media Guide contains a section that lists players in franchise history based on the jersey numbers worn during their careers. As for No. 78, the players who have worn that jersey since Dwight White's retirement after the 1980 season include Mark Catano (1984-85), Tim Johnson (1987-89), Garry Howe (1992), Ta'ase Faumui (1994-95), Chris Conrad (1998-99), Mathias Nkwenti (2001-03), Max Starks (2004-12), Guy Whimper (2013), Alejandro Villanueva (2015-20), and James Daniels (2022-23).
KOLBY CARR FROM NEW CASTLE, PA: Just wanted to check in on your opinion of Logan Lee, who was drafted last year and then ended up getting hurt early. Can you expand on where they have him rated, and whether you believe he has a chance at being part of the D-line rotation? Also, how many D-lineman do they typically dress on Sunday? I see that they have had a lot of in-game rotation up front over the past few seasons.
ANSWER: Currently, Logan Lee, who came to the Steelers in the sixth-round (178th overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft from Iowa, is one of 13 defensive linemen on the 90-man roster. In 2024, the Steelers carried 8 defensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster, and typically there were 5 defensive linemen active on game days. Some might look at those numbers and decide that Lee (6-5, 286) has an uphill battle to make it, but there are a lot of things that are going to happen during the days at training camp and through the preseason, and Lee is going to be able to determine his own destiny based on how he performs. There won't be a depth chart issued that's really significant for quite some time, and so any kind of projection or numbers-crunching at this point has no meaning. I believe what Lee has to do is stay healthy so he's able to practice and improve, and then from there things have a way of taking care of themselves.
