The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
AJ LAPOOK FROM SYRACUSE, NY: Before the season started, there was talk of T.J. Watt moving around along the line instead of just staying in his usual position. That didn't appear to happen in the Jets game, even though the Jets kept running the ball away from Watt. Does that seem to indicate the plan is for him to stay put in his usual spot?
ANSWER: What that indicates is in the first of 17 regular season games, with the Steelers playing without Nick Herbig and with Alex Highsmith coming off a groin injury and with Jack Sawyer in his first NFL game as a rookie, they didn't move T.J. Watt around all over the place. Given those circumstances, don't you now see that was the smart move? Not every wrinkle that's talked about and practiced necessarily has to be implemented in the first week of the season. Patience.
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PETER HAMMERER FROM BALTIMORE, MD: What was the injury that put quarterback Skylar Thompson on the injured reserve list?
ANSWER: In one of the final practices leading up to the opener against the Jets on Sept. 7, Skylar Thompson injured a hamstring, and he was listed as questionable on the Friday status report. Because it was so late in the week, no roster move was made at that time and Thompson was the designated emergency quarterback for that game. Apparently his availability, or lack thereof, moving forward convinced the Steelers to make the move to put him on IR and sign Logan Woodside to the practice squad.
BILL QUIGLEY FROM COLUMBUS, OH: It seems the Steelers opening game is usually an away game. In the last 10 years how many times were they at home for the opener?
ANSWER: During the 10-season span from 2016-2025, the Steelers have opened on the road 9 times. Their only opener at home during that stretch came in 2023 against the San Francisco 49ers.
DENNIS SLEEGER FROM YORK, PA: With what you have seen from Broderick Jones, do you believe we have a problem there? He doesn't seem like he can hold up. Is he a bust? Or should they try him back at right tackle?
ANSWER: You mean, from what I have seen from Broderick Jones at 1 game at left tackle? Here's what Aaron Rodgers said about him during his weekly media availability on Wednesday: "I really like Brod. I've gotten to know him during training camp. I like what he's about. I like his attitude. He's a genuinely positive guy. I've got a lot of confidence in him watching my back." So based on what Rodgers said about him, I'm not going to advocate moving him to right tackle or labeling him a bust.
JAY BISHOP FROM ENID, OK: How much longer is the experiment with Broderick Jones at LT going to continue? Troy Fautanu played LT in college, didn't he?
ANSWER: First of all, Broderick Jones at left tackle is not an "experiment." It has been the plan ever since the Steelers traded up in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to pick him 14th overall. Yes, Troy Fautanu did play left tackle in college, but he has not played anything but right tackle in the NFL, and don't forget that Fautanu's rookie season was ruined by a knee injury, which means he only played 55 offensive snaps as a rookie. Since Jones at left tackle has been the plan, and because Fautanu's limited playing time at the NFL has been at right tackle, and since this isn't Madden but actual flesh-and-blood human beings playing against other flesh-and-blood human beings, I don't believe the Steelers are ready to panic and pull the plug on a big part of their plan to re-make the offensive line. That's what fans do.
VERNON KING FROM HARRISBURG, PA: Truthfully why did Mike Tomlin not keep Justin fields as the quarterback of the future for the Steelers?
ANSWER: Truthfully because free agency in the NFL is a much more complex and multi-layered than the notion of a team "keeping" a player who is an unrestricted free agent. And in the case of Justin Fields this past offseason, it was unrestricted free agency for the first time in his professional career. What it came down to, in my opinion, was that Fields judged the Jets' offer to be the best one for him, and so he accepted it.
STEFAN PISOCKI FROM WILMINGTON, DE: In regard to last week's defensive line play, everyone's solution seems to be "more Yahya Black, less Keeanu Benton." My question is how much more can we get from a 336-pound rookie? At what point does he get totally wiped out in the game and what will he have left in the tank by the end of the season?
ANSWER: "Everyone's solution." Who exactly is "everyone," and does their opinion matter? I believe Yahya Black can develop into a contributing part of the defensive line rotation in 2025, but those kinds of roles usually need time to develop over the course of a guy's rookie season. Coach Mike Tomlin has shown he has a good feel for working capable rookies into the lineup in a way where they don't "fall of the cliff" once the NFL schedule hits Week 13, which usually is when a college player's seasons would have ended.
CRAIG DUMNICH FROM AVONDALE, PA: What are we missing in this run defense, seriously? If that was the Ravens, Derrick Henry would have had 300 yards rushing. Speaking of the Ravens, teams should be scared to play them. Not knowing who's running the ball, Lamar Jackson or Henry, and there's also Lamar's passing.
ANSWER: One of the things about the early weeks of every regular season is that fans seem to have a blind spot to the weaknesses of any and all teams other than the one they follow closely. I'm sure Ravens fans were not thrilled when their favorite team blew a 16-point lead in the final 5 minutes against the Bills last Sunday night, and especially because – according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press – that was the 17th time the Ravens have blown a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and lost the game under Coach John Harbaugh. There are no perfect teams in the NFL, and as the saying goes … "On any given Sunday …"
DAN TURAK FROM BRIELLE, NJ: When NFL sports journalists discuss "reviewing film," what film are they watching? Is it network feeds or something unique? Do they have access to the same "film" the NFL coaches utilize?
ANSWER: While this isn't the same video that NFL coaches use, I'm pretty sure what most "sports journalists" would be using would be what's called the All-22, which is unlike any network feed because it shows a view of all 22 players on the field for every snap of the game. People can watch All-22 NFL film by subscribing to NFL+ Premium to access the NFL Pro platform. Subscribing to NFL+ can be done via NFL.com.
RUSS PETERS FROM NEW PALTZ, NY: Should the NFL make a new rule that quarterbacks going out of bounds who change their mind and truck the opposing defensive back should be flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and a 15-yard penalty?
ANSWER: I would be in favor of that. It could be called the "Mahomes rule."
