Steelers Now
It’s that time of the month, Pittsburgh Steelers fans: the monthly mailbag is here. With winter fast on our heels, not only are the holidays on deck, but so is playoff football! For that, we can all rejoice. As always, I appreciate the thoughtful questions submitted via various platforms. This iteration hits on topics such as Pittsburgh’s passing game, reasons for optimism and 2026 NFL Draft prospects worth paying attention to.
Without further ado, here we go!
Q: Why did it take the Steelers until Week 14 to start throwing the ball down the field more? Do you foresee this approach continuing or was this merely a mirage?
A: From the opening snap of the contest, it became pretty clear that Aaron Rodgers wanted to be aggressive in attacking the Ravens secondary overtop and some of that was definitely dictated by the coverage. Unlike other opponents this season, Baltimore elected not to provide their cornerbacks with as much help on DK Metcalf and he made them pay for it, consistently stacking guys vertically versus press coverage with his quarterback showcasing pinpoint accuracy all day long.
Being able to take advantage of what the defense is presenting you is the definition of a balanced offense more so than the run/pass split. Pittsburgh needs to continually search for ways to generate more explosive plays down the stretch, even if it’s just low-risk go-balls down the sideline against single-high coverages. Hopefully they’re heating up at the right time, but I’m going to need to see it again to believe in that.
Q: Can you explain why the Steelers benched Roman Wilson in favor of Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling when they likely won’t even be on the roster next season?
A: The easiest way to explain it is that they are trying to win games and maximize their aging roster’s potential this season instead of prioritizing the development of young players. Do I believe that those recent additions are going to move the needle for them offensively? Nope, but it’s understandable for them to turn over every stone to find a spark on that side of the ball considering they’re still very much in the playoff hunt.
To his credit, Wilson has been open, particularly down the field, a little more than the box score indicates and it’s been rather frustrating to see how little they’ve leaned into the things that he did well in college, such as crossing routes in the intermediate area. At the same time, this has been one of the worst receiver rooms in the league for two years running and the fact that he hasn’t been able to seize the opportunity is definitely concerning for his outlook moving forward.
Q: Would you draft Alabama QB Ty Simpson in the mid-first round range?
A: So, this is one of the more fascinating quarterback evaluations that I can really ever remember because we just don’t see guys wait their turn for three years in today’s college football landscape. Because of...
