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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 02.24.25
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Brian Batko
11:50
Hi everyone, I'm here to answer your pre-combine Steelers questions and I'm excited to see what you all come up with after a few weeks of relative inactivity.
11:51
And why wait til noon? Let's start now
artie bridge
11:51
Bats, Here we are in the last week of February.  I thought by now the dam would break, Steelers would start to make some moves.  QB?  Najee?  Pickens?  My Question:  WHEN can we expect some of these decisions?
Brian Batko
11:52
Artie, you should know from previous offseason as an astute observer the Steelers rarely make moves before they have to. Deadlines spur action. Their evaluation period is lengthy. And now they're on to the combine. I'm still not certain we'll see much of anything until March 10 when free agency (tampering legally) begins.
Ron
11:52
One thing I as a fan do not want is to give away a lot of draft capital for a QB who is past his prime. I'd rather sign Justin Fields, Daniel Jones or send a mid-round pick to NE for Milton. In what world are we just a veteran QB away anyway? Thoughts?
Brian Batko
11:54
I assume you're referring to trading for Matthew Stafford. Depending on the price, I think you owe it to Cam Heyward and TJ Watt to consider it. But I'd also have some real reluctance to take a QB off the hands of Sean McVay and the Rams. If they seem that he's not the player he once was, I'm not sure I trust the Steelers to have a better read on him than that.
HeHateMe
11:55
Why not just sign Fields and sign a bunch of talent around him? I think he's our franchise QB. Your Thoughts?
Brian Batko
11:56
My thoughts are I agree and that's ultimately what I think will happen. But there are other moving parts that I wouldn't call it much more than a 50-50 coin flip between Justin Fields and the field in my mind.
Tom
11:56
Is this the most boring offseason the Steelers have had in awhile? No big names hitting free agency, no coaching changes, a mid-late draft slot, expectations of
Brian Batko
11:59
On one hand, yes, for all the reasons you astutely point out. On the other hand, it's entertaining for one major factor: Quarterback, quarterback, quarterback.
KJ
11:59
Hello Brian, thank you for all of your insight and these chats.  What does your "gut feeling" tell you how the Steelers will approach this draft?  Do you see them possibly drafting DL in the 1st & 2nd rounds?
Brian Batko
12:01
My gut feeling is DL or WR in the first. A WR no later than the second. A corner and RB in the first five rounds. And yeah, possibly a double-down on the DL, especially if they don't take one early.
Tim
12:02
There has been a lot of speculation, tea-leaf-reading and palace intrigue about which potential QB is preferred by the owner, which is preferred by Tomlin, etc., but might this not be determined by the fact that Fields is preferred more by some *other* team who is simply willing to give him more money?
Brian Batko
12:04
It's like Game of Thrones, except with the Steelers' QB1 slot somehow being the most desirous chair in Westeros. And with some of the veteran names being thrown out there, it might be more like the Game of Rocking Chairs. But you're exactly right. Even if the Steelers know which option they prefer, they don't necessarily know how the rest of the league is going to operate. Free agency is like the draft in that sense.
Mike in Virginia
12:05
Do you think there's even a small chance that if one of the top tackles slid in the first round, the Steelers would be tempted to take them and slide Fautanu inside to guard and go all in on a top offensive line? Do you think they also could be worried about Jones at left tackle and surprise everyone by taking someone there?
Brian Batko
12:06
Not really, no. But I'll tell you who I am intrigued by are the top two guards in this class, Tyler Booker (Alabama) and Donovan Jackson (Ohio State). Wouldn't project the Steelers to be in the OL market that early in the draft again but if they were ever going to do it, those two seem like Steelers-type guys all the way.
Missy
12:08
Hi Brian…other than money, I can’t understand why a quarterback would want to play for the Steelers’ given their current receiving situation.  Can you enlighten me?
Brian Batko
12:09
One might be enamored with the defense potentially making your job easy. Those of us close to the situation are well-aware how that unit backslid late in the season, but by and large, the Steelers still have an NFL-wide reputation of being a dominant defense. And for as much as things fell apart down the stretch, my sense on Arthur Smith is that he's got plenty of respect and people who like him around the league. I don't view him as a deterrent.
12:10
Oh, and there are only 32 of these jobs.
Tmac
12:10
Hi Brian - Great Sports staff at the PG. Do you have faith in the Steelers ability to groom a QB?  Tomlin never had to develop Ben.  Failed with  Rudolph and Pickett.  Not sure they can develop Fields. Seem they don't emphasize the component. Thanks!
Brian Batko
12:12
Thanks, Tmac. Loved your shoes growing up. Honestly, I do. The sample size is small and I almost discount Mason Rudolph because of the Ben Roethlisberger effect on that whole thing. Kenny Pickett was never really a developmental QB in the first place; he was a win-now guy and I'm not sure he was ever that good as a player and prospect to begin with. But they've got a solid core of coaches there with Smith, Tom Arth the QB coach and even Mike Sullivan still around as a senior offensive assistant.
Obx Jim
12:14
Hey Bats!!  Love the chats!  How was your weekend?  Tomlin said there would be change at the end of the season.  How many years will we have to wait for those changes?
Brian Batko
12:17
Thanks, Jim. Pretty chill weekend here but it was good. Went to see my wife's cousin whom I've known since he was 4 hoop at Edinboro for his senior day and he played well, they won, so that was nice. To be fair, Tomlin lumped the "changes" stuff in with natural coaching staff turnover, etc. And there has been that, with Gerald Alexander and Scott McCurley coming in, Grady Brown and Aaron Curry departing. But, obviously, fans were looking for more to this point.
SMP
12:18
Do you think big picture the Steelers are trying to set up the roster so next year they can draft a qb and then have a serious chance to make a run in the playoffs going forward.
Brian Batko
12:20
There's a possibility that could be part of it, yes. And beyond just the rest of the roster being set up to drop in a QB, they need to have a better bridge to the hypothetical 2026 rookie than Mitch Trubisky was to Pickett. Or, alternatively, they need to give that guy more time to marinate than they did Pickett.
Grady
12:21
Brian, it seems Russell Wilson has been more outspoken, almost campaigning to be the Steelers starting quarterback. Have you heard Justin Fields speak lately about his desire to stay in Pittsburgh or do you think he’s trying to gauge the interest of other teams in him?  Thanks.
Brian Batko
12:22
No but the Atlanta Hawks posted that he was back in his hometown and at their game last night. If nothing else, Fields is a low-key guy who doesn't seem too interested in doing the whole media circuit. I think that's endearing to some around the league. It's clearly endearing to Arthur Smith, who mentioned the humility and old-school approach of Fields last season when Mike Tomlin made the switch to Russell Wilson. But sure, I imagine part of that too is not losing any leverage you have this offseason if you're Fields and his agent.
Skyscraper
12:25
I've often wondered if the following player type would be a wise use of a roster spot - a 7 foot tall basketball player with good hands and a decent vertical whose job is to block FG's and PAT's and catch endzone passes over 6' tall DB's. Your thoughts?
Brian Batko
12:25
You know, I think he'd get broken in half.
Drunk uncle
12:25
How was your weekend Bats., and hope family doing well. You do outstanding work sir
Brian Batko
12:26
The weekend was terrible for my fantasy college basketball team and that's the only thing I truly, deeply care about other than my family and friends, so that part wasn't great. But thank you for asking and for the compliment, Drunk uncle.
Word Salad Sandwich
12:27
Brian, Mike Tomlin always mentions the 2nd year jump he expects players to make. Who is the last guy who actually made a significant jump in year 2?
Brian Batko
12:28
Probably Jaylen Warren all of two years ago. But I could make the case Nick Herbig did that this past season, too.
RingMyKordell
12:29
Will the Steelers take any big swings in free agency with premium A+ names? Or will they play it safe and cheap with bargains and B-/C+ talent?
Brian Batko
12:29
Divine Deablo is a premium A+ name but I suspect that's not how you meant it...
David
12:30
Hey ,Brian if Joey Bosa get cuts is he someone the Steelers look if he comes  at a good price, for a boost on the D-line he isn't super old and still pretty productive.
Brian Batko
12:31
If he's willing to play more interior than edge in this defense, sure.
Southside Jimmy
12:31
Hey Brian.  What’s your opinion about Cooper Kupp?  It seems there are varying thoughts about whether he’s still a good receiver or whether his age and injury history work against him.
Brian Batko
12:33
Can still be a good receiver, but I don't think Pittsburgh is the fit for him. Go someplace where he can round out a team's receiving corps rather than be a focal point. I'm guessing he goes to KC or Denver, with an outside chance of following Stafford somewhere like NYG.
Carl in Carrick
12:34
Any truth that there is a mutual interest in Mike Hilton returning to the Steelers?  Thanks Brian.
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