The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
JOHN GENSMAN FROM WEST PALM BEACH, FL: Watching Jaylen Warren run it's hard to believe he played behind Najee Harris. I know Najee Harris had 1,000-yard seasons and ran hard, but I thought his vision and ability to get upfield were below average. Did you think Jaylen was the better back when they were together?
ANSWER: I did not. I disagree with any and all parts of the narrative that Najee Harris was a bust. A first-round pick in 2021, Harris didn't miss a start during 4 regular seasons (68 straight games) in Pittsburgh, he played 2,881 offensive snaps, had 1,277 touches (runs and receptions), gained 4,492 yards, and scored 34 touchdowns. Opposing defenses prepared for the plays where Harris got the ball, and he regularly had to break tackles just to get to the line of scrimmage. He was tough and reliable and available. Jaylen Warren is a different kind of player, and he has been successful using his unique skills to get to this part of his 5th NFL season as the best RB on his team. Harris should be remembered fondly for what he gave the Steelers during his time here, and if you choose not to do so that's your decision.
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MARK RICE FROM LAS VEGAS, NV: I write a lot of (stuff) to Asked and Answered, and they are long questions. You don't answer them and I respect that. This question is short. Should the Steelers be reaching back out to ILB Elandon Roberts?
ANSWER: I will agree with you in that I was impressed with Elandon Roberts during the short time he was at training camp, and I believed he acquitted himself well during the preseason games. Why Roberts was among the cuts when the Steelers went from 90 players to 53 may have come down to special teams, because that's often how the bottom-of-the-depth-chart spots are assigned. But what I find interesting is that no other NFL team has signed Roberts, even to its practice squad, which often serves as a stop along the way to a spot on the 53-man roster. Oh, and since you're admitting that your submissions are often insufferably long, I will admit that more often than not I stop reading them.
ANSWER: Maybe the Browns weren't playing the same soft defense the Cowboys were when the Ravens pulled that off the previous week. What you propose is not such a simple matter in the final seconds of an NFL game that it can be and should be duplicated by every team in the same situation. Maybe the Browns were prepared for what the Cowboys were not.
DAVID PACY FROM SHERMAN, NY: Maybe I am just a tired, misremembering, grumpy old man now, but there is such a vast decline in the "wow factor" of the Steelers teams that have taken the field since the days of "Cowher Power" and into the early Mike Tomlin years when we could absolutely (and often did) win ANY game, and compete for the Super Bowl. We have so few HOF-caliber household names now. Is this the product of drafting 21st every single year?
ANSWER" No, you're part of a generation of Steelers fans who grew up during an era of sustained success and then you all came to believe that's the way it always should be, as though it was some kind of birthright. Imagine the Steelers' fans of the 1980s after growing up experiencing the unprecedented success of the 1970s. Those teams put 10 Hall of Fame players on the field every single week and they were coached by another Hall of Famer. You can either choose to be thankful for what you once experienced or bemoan what no longer is. Totally up to you.
JEFF MAYER FROM FORT MYERS, FL: On the Pat Freiermuth tush-push, why is Aaron Rodgers in the game? Wouldn't it make sense to bring in another big body to push, or at least put a guy back there who would be capable of doing something in case something did go wrong?
ANSWER: This is what I think: In the NFL, any time the starting QB on the other team goes to the sideline in a non-injury situation, red flags immediately go up for the opponent. When the QB comes off the field, the defense gets advance warning and then by rule is allowed the opportunity to match the offense's personnel changes. Keeping Aaron Rodgers on the field probably is preventing the opponent from getting some of its preferred defensive players on the field.
NICHOLAS PELCHAR FROM PURCELLVILLE, VA: I understand that the Joey Porter Jr. deal with Dallas has a condition that the Steelers sixth-round pick in 2027 only happens if Porter plays or is on the game day roster for his first two games with the Cowboys. He suited up against Houston. What's the correct story?
ANSWER: The Steelers will receive a 6th-round pick from Dallas in the 2027 NFL Draft provided that Joey Porter Jr. is on the active list for any two games in the 2026 regular season (Sunday's game vs. Houston counted as No. 1), They also get a No. 2 pick in the 2028 NFL Draft.
JOE ASHER FROM TAMPA, FL: Given how quickly his lower back injury healed up after he was traded, in your opinion was it just a lower "contract injury" all along? Did Joey Porter Jr. quit on his team?
ANSWER: What disappointed me most about the whole situation was that during a media session in the days before he was traded, Joey Porter Jr. was asked directly whether he would return to play for the Steelers at some point this season, and his answer was "Yeah, definitely." He lied, because he then tapped out of a practice with more tightness in his back before the trip to Cleveland. I believed him, and I wrote that in this space.
ROD KEEFER FROM EDMOND, OK: Watching some old game recordings from the 1970s, I noticed that wide receivers often lined up in a 3-point stance. We rarely see that anymore – in fact even offensive linemen often start with their hands off the ground. Are there rules about when you must be in a 3-point or 4-point stance, and if so have they changed through the years?
ANSWER: There are no rules governing that. Players just need to be set for 1 second before the ball is snapped.
KARL WARHEIT FROM HOLLYWOOD, FL: Is it possible that the NFL could schedule Thursday night games after a bye week? It seems that the teams would be better rested and would have better games.
ANSWER: There are Thursday night games played every week on the NFL schedule except the first week and the last week. The two teams that are scheduled for a Week 2 Thursday night game would have their bye on opening weekend. Think teams ever would agree to that? Me neither.
KEITH MILLER FROM CANTON, NC: Given that the second half of the schedule is very difficult, the Steelers cannot lose another game before the bye if they want to make the playoffs. Do you agree?
ANSWER: No.
