The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the Sept. 2 Asked and Answered, Cindy Ann Hamilton of Marco Island, Florida, asked if the Steelers had picked up LB Jon Rhattigan, and my answer was that they had not. But on Sept. 3, the Steelers announced a shuffling of their practice squad, and the result was that they released OL Aiden Williams from the practice squad and added WR Lance McCutcheon and Rhattigan to the practice squad.
RON WILLIAMS FROM ASTORIA, OR: During Heath Miller's career, how many contracts did he sign, and how does it compare with our current TE contracts?
ANSWER: According to Spotrac.com, Heath Miller signed three contracts – his rookie deal as a No. 1 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, and then two extensions – during his 11 seasons with the Steelers. And it makes no sense to me that there could be anything meaningful about comparing contracts, or number of contract extensions, from today's NFL to what happened almost 20 years ago.
SEAN VOYLES FROM TURNERS STATION, KY: Any news on Cam Heyward? Is he planning on playing with his current contract? Last news I heard was he was a hold-in, and I'm not even real sure what that means.
ANSWER: Hold-in is a term given to a player who is under contract and is present and attends meetings but does not participate in all of the team's on-field work. As for Cam Heyward, Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about him on Tuesday during his weekly news conference. This is what Tomlin said: "I'm certainly expecting Cam to play (Sunday vs. the Jets). Cam doesn't play a lot in team development over the last several years. My job is to get him in and out of Latrobe, and I've done my job. There are no reservations about his participation or readiness. I'm sure he's champing at the bit."
STEVE LANTZ FROM LEWISTOWN, PA: If a team claims a player off your practice squad do you have the right of first refusal to add him to your 53-man roster, or is he claimed and gone?
ANSWER: "Claimed" isn't exactly the word I would use for the situation you describe. If I want a player on your practice squad, I have to sign him to an active roster contract. That involves contacting his agent and getting that business done. Sometimes agents will give the player's current team a heads up to see whether that team is willing to do a contract to add that player to its 53-man roster, and other times the agent will simply negotiate the deal with the other team and the player moves on. It usually depends on the relationship the agent has with the original team.
BOB APJOK FROM KNOXVILLE, TN: Would it be wise to stop playing the preseason games altogether and just go with a regular season schedule? I know it would allow less time to evaluate players, but it would be the same for all teams. Season-ending injuries in the preseason must be a heartbreaker for players.
ANSWER: Despite what so many think of the caliber of preseason football, those games do produce revenue from ticket sales and from the NFL's broadcast partners. That revenue is divided between the owners and the players, and that money has an impact on the salary cap. Eliminate the preseason, and that eventually would cause the salary cap per team to drop. There's typically no interest in a drop in the salary cap from either ownership or the NFLPA.
DAN MURRAY FROM MOON TWP, PA: Regarding waiver rules : Is there a defined process for teams to determine the contract status for all players in the league? For example, at 4:01 p.m. on cutdown day, is there a common place that all teams can look to see the official results from all of the teams' cutdown day decisions so they know the status at that time? And at 24 hours and one minute past the time players are waived, does the NFL publish/publicize the outcome of that player's status so everyone is aware?
ANSWER: All of the information that would answer all of the questions posed in your submission is compiled by the NFL and is available to all 32 teams.
DAREN FIKE FROM MONUMENT, CO: I just saw that the Steelers announced their captains on offense, defense, and special teams for the 2025 season. What exactly does it mean to be named a captain? Are there any special duties either on or off the field, or is it a symbolic role?
ANSWER: With the Steelers, captains are not named. They are voted upon by the players. And because of that, my sense of what it means to be a captain is that it's an acknowledgement by one's teammates of a level of contribution both on and off the field.
JOHN O'NEIL FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: Do all players on the practice squad make the same salary?
ANSWER: In 2025, players on the practice squad are paid between $13,000-$22,000 per week, with the entire regular season amounting to 18 weeks. That means a player who is on the practice squad for the entire 18 weeks of the regular season – 17 games plus the bye week – would earn between $234,000 and $396,000.
SCOT PAINE FROM NATRONA HEIGHTS, PA: I was wondering what your thoughts are on the Steelers not being able to land a proven WR2 for the second straight season? What if DK Metcalf gets injured like George Pickens did last season? I don't know why they would risk that happening again.
ANSWER: To begin with, I don't believe I fully grasp what a "WR2" is and the exact role that player is to fill, and my sense is that many of the people asking about it don't either. I would not disagree with the contention that a significant injury to DK Metcalf would have serious consequences to the Steelers' passing attack, but I imagine the same thing could be said in Minnesota if Justin Jefferson were injured, or in Dallas if CeeDee Lamb were injured, or in New York if the Jets' Garrett Wilson were injured. In many cases, it's these No. 1 receivers who create opportunities for the other guys on the depth chart – either wide receivers or tight ends – to take advantage of the attention paid by opponents to the No. 1 every week and then to take advantage and make plays for their teams. I don't believe the Steelers ignored this "issue," but the reality is that it isn't as easy as going to the store and picking up another gallon of milk just to make sure you don't run out. Some players opted to sign elsewhere; some players weren't healthy; and some teams likely wanted too much in return. If DK Metcalf finishes the season with 108 targets, 66 catches, a 15.0 average, and 5 touchdowns; and Jonnu Smith finishes the season with 111 targets, 88 catches, 884 yards, a 10.0 average, and 8 touchdowns (as they both did in 2024), I don't believe entering 2025 without "a proven WR2 for the second straight season" will be much of an issue.
MAX MASHONEY FROM THE WOODLANDS, TX: Do you have any contacts or sway with uniform design or selection? If so, what are your thoughts on a color rush uniform based on the all-white Steelers road uniforms from 1970-71? As a kid, I absolutely loved those uniforms.
ANSWER: I have neither contacts nor sway, and truthfully I always have viewed the whole color rush thing as something to get fans excited about buying merchandise. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I also was a kid during the Steelers 1970-71 seasons, and what stood out to me about those years was having to listen to my relatives from Cleveland giving me a hard time about the Browns still being the better team.
DANIEL UTLEY FROM WICHITA, KS: When did the Steelers start having a captain for special teams? And can you elaborate on your most influential Steelers "special teamer?" Rosie Nix was my favorite in most recent memory.
ANSWER: Lots of respect for Rosie Nix, who was a 5-foot-11 defensive lineman in college who then had to re-make himself in order to have a career in the NFL, and through perseverance and hard work he did just that. First a linebacker and then a fullback after his college career at Kent State, Nix made his living on special teams. In 60 regular season games over 5 seasons, Nix carried 4 times for 4 yards and caught 12 passes for 69 yards, but he was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2017 for his work on special teams and was voted special teams captain in 2019. But the player who first made me understand that a player could use special teams as a foundation for a career in the league was Fred McAfee. Listed as a running back during his 16 seasons for 4 different teams, McAfee played in 194 regular season games but only had 304 carries (an average of 1.6 per game). But McAfee kept earning an NFL paycheck because he got himself down the field under punts and kickoffs, found the ball, and got the guy with the football on the ground. McAfee played 5 seasons for the Steelers (1994-98), and in Super Bowl XXX he made his mark with 2 tackles on special teams. There were many Steelers of that era who used special teams as a springboard to a career on offense or defense, but McAfee was a teamer first and foremost. And he never was ashamed about that role.
KEVIN NEWBY FROM EMIGRANT, MT: If a player is waived how does he still have a contract? If he is waived and not picked up, there is no one to pay him. If he is picked up, does the new team not negotiate a new contract?
ANSWER: If a player is placed on waivers and then claimed by another team, the team that claims him also has to assume his contract from his former team.
