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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 07.21.25
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Brian Batko
2:00
Hey everyone, training camp week is officially here for the Steelers. What's on your mind?
Butcher
2:00
Bats - Now that the elephant in the room has been put to sleep (still don't think you could let TJ walk for more reasons than I can count) - What would be the sneaky move you could see in the next month - Safety, WR, swing tackle? Anyone available or likely to become available you would target?
Brian Batko
2:02
Not sure any of them would be considered sneaky, but seems like Romeo Doubs in Green Bay is always being rumored as disgruntled or potentially on the outs. He'd make for an intriguing add at WR given his size (6-2, 204) and Aaron Rodgers familiarity (2022). And Jordan Whitehead is interesting to me as a local connection at safety.
Steeler Joe
2:03
Hey, Bats! Nice piece this week on the T.J. Watt contract. I was always confident it would get resolved. Now the question: Is there a chance the Steelers will consider moving him around to be less predictable and keep teams from double- and triple-teaming him and taking him out of plays?
Brian Batko
2:04
Thank you, sir. That's certainly a good question to spin it forward even more with TJ Watt and one we'll be keeping an eye on every time the first-team defense lines up in Latrobe. Based on everything we heard from TJ, Alex Highsmith and some others at the end of last season, once the dust had settled and another disappointing playoff loss was in the rearview, I do believe they're committed to making some tweaks on that front.
Life's Work
2:05
Hi Brian. Hope you had a good week and thank you for doing these chats.  Were you surprised by the TJ deal? There seems to be a faction of the fan base that didn't believe he was worth the money. I'm not one of them. The $ value is ridiculous but so is every other contract in this league. Just never understood how anyone thought someone would trade draft picks and pay this price for a 30+ player. He's more valuable to the Steelers than anyone else so not surprised by the value or that it got done and glad TJ will be here for at least 3 years.
Brian Batko
2:07
A GM probably would've bitten on that to some extent. I don't doubt that Omar Khan gauged interest, even if just at the most cursory level. That's his job. One could argue TJ is actually more valuable to a team that's closer to contending for a Super Bowl right now, but I suspect the Steelers don't think they're far away. The length of this new deal gives them a three-year runway to go from Aaron Rodgers to potentially a top-flight rookie and see what happens.
SMF
2:08
Hi Brian:  I was baffled last year that WR Mike Williams seemed to be cut out of the offense after spending a 5th rd. draft choice for him.  Now he retires for cause-some undisclosed injury.  Did the Steelers blow it in their Physical Evaluation of him last year?  Or was he injured AFTER becoming a Steeler and the Team covered it up?
Brian Batko
2:09
I talked to Mike Williams several times after he came over from the Jets and I never got an inkling that he wasn't healthy. He was practically begging for more opportunities. They may have misevaluated how well he could still play when they gave up that pick for him, but I can't fault them too much. At the time, it made a lot of sense to bring in another piece for the offense, particularly a field-stretcher for Russell Wilson's deep ball.
russellhalloffame34
2:11
Brian, why the concern on replacing Minkah? Just play anyone 30-40 yards down the field and if they get juked out or miss tackles or don't get any interceptions nothing new there.
Brian Batko
2:13
Yeah, tongue-in-cheek aside, I think it's clear that was part of their thinking. What Minkah Fitzpatrick was willing to do/capable of doing at this point no longer matched with the skill set necessary to justify a $20 million-plus salary at that position. Can he be a better free safety than Juan Thornhill? Yeah, probably. But is he $17 million better?
TVC15
2:14
Hi Brian,  Which UDFAs are most intriguing to you.  At least at this early stage.
Brian Batko
2:16
Sebastian Castro, the Iowa safety/nickelback and Roc Taylor, long and physical outside WR from Memphis.
Jim Bow Dean
2:17
Many teams have their rookies report to training camp a few days before veterans, but the Steelers do not. Is that because they have a rookie minicamp?   Do other teams do not have rookie minicamps.
Brian Batko
2:20
No, they do. Every team does as far as I know. But I think the Steelers have everyone report at the same time because of the remote location for camp. Just off the top of my head, I believe only four or five teams still go away for camp and all but one have the rookies and vets report the same day.
Zach Splat
2:20
Hi Brian, Thanks for the chat. I see a lot of figures thrown around for moving up in the draft in 2026 that don’t match the NFL trade chart at all. To move up from pick 21 to 7 would require giving up pick 21, 2nd rounder, 3rd rounder, comp 3rd rounder, and 4th rounder in this coming year’s draft. This is according to the chart. It should be somewhere in that ballpark. Why do people think it will mean we need to give up the 2027 1st rounder? If we move to #7, we would still have a 3rd, 4th, two 5ths etc in this year’s draft. Assumes we finish same as last year, but even from 25th pick, we could make it work with a little more.
Brian Batko
2:23
The trade chart is a loose guide, not always how it will play out in reality, of course. It'll likely depend on how the QB class is shaping up next March and thus how much demand there is for teams to move up and down. That's so difficult to predict which teams will be in the market to do so, how many surefire first-rounders there are, etc. All Omar Khan can do, which I think he has done, is try to stockpile picks as much as possible within reason to give themselves that flexibility.
Ben
2:23
Hey Brian - here’s something exciting to ponder: given the window of the 17-game season and the inevitability of an 18-game season, the Steelers have a good chance to be the franchise with the most 10-7 and 9-8 seasons of all time! Can’t wait to see how 9-9 and 10-8 feels one day :)
Brian Batko
2:24
Let's shoot for 8-8-1 first before we get to that point, shall we, Ben?
epiballo
2:25
Hi Brian - thanks for the chats! With the signing of Aaron Rodgers and the many off season moves, a commentator on 'First Take' speculated that this is Mike Tomlin going 'all in,' and if it doesn't work out, he might be stepping down rather than start over with a new 'franchise' QB. I like Tomlin; do you think this is a possibility?
Brian Batko
2:27
I can't climb into Mike Tomlin's psyche, but I'd just say that strikes me as a possibility for any head coach who's been on the job with the same team for 19 years - especially one who has hit such a plateau. Tomlin's enough of a football junkie that he's already lasted longer than most would in one spot, albeit it's for a franchise that emphasizes stability more than any other. If nothing else, it's an interesting hypothetical.
Greenwood
2:28
Man, those new throwbacks are hard on the eyes. We thought the bumblebee's were shockers. What are people in Pittsburgh saying?
Brian Batko
2:29
Sheesh, 20-plus minutes in and we've got our first jersey question. If you've got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all right? I personally don't have much of a strong opinion on them one way or the other, though I do think the pants are a bit weird. But then again, that sort of gives it the throwback vibe. From what I'm seeing in my group chats and social media, most fans are not loving them.
Bob
2:30
Do you know if Mike Munchak is still coaching? He was the best OL coach we ever had and much better then the ones we seem to fire every year due to their poor coching.
Brian Batko
2:32
He was on staff for the Rams the last two seasons but only as a consultant. Not sure if he'll be back there this year or somewhere else, but he left here for family reasons and I don't see that changing.
Bud
2:32
Brian, for this season would you rather have Alexander or Ramsey?
Brian Batko
2:32
Jalen Ramsey over Jaire Alexander for the 2025 Steelers
Bob D
2:34
Hey Brian...thanks for the chats.  I used to follow sports in general and the Steelers specifically as a diversion from life's drama, however, it appears sports has became the drama.  Can we just play the games?!?  What say you?
Brian Batko
2:36
Hey Bob, that's fine but sports has become such big business and such entertainment that the players become characters and fans are fascinated by the inner workings of stuff beyond the field. As someone who covers football year-round, I'm NOT a proponent of just playing the games!
Mike
2:37
Hey Brian.  Prior to this season, the Pirates sent a survey to the fans to gauge their level of satisfaction with the organization.  Do you know if the Steelers have done that?  If not, why not?  I feel the answers Art would get would be very eye-opening.  I have always attended a few games every season.  Last year was the first season I did not, and I will not again as long as Tomlin is still in charge.  I'm tired of the same story every year.  Larger changes are needed than what has been tried.  I feel a lot more fans feel like I do.
Brian Batko
2:38
Not sure if they have or haven't but I certainly don't think Art Rooney II is unaware of fans' complaints. Here's what he said after last season in late January: "My inbox has been pretty full. I have a sense. I share the frustration. I was very disappointed the way we ended the season. I understand. I understand why people are mad. All I can say is actions speak louder than words. We have to be better."
Mike in Virginia
2:39
Do you get a feeling the team is more high or cautious on Roman Wilson? I feel like he is a complete unknown and someone I rarely hear discussed
Brian Batko
2:40
Roman Wilson basically is a complete unknown. And I get the sense that no one within the organization wants to hype him up too much one way or the other. He's someone who already had a disappointing rookie season, has high expectations as a third-rounder and plays a premier position. No use putting any additional pressure on him.
Just The Truth
2:42
Brian, in almost all cases new coaches are hired because the guy before them got fired and the team needs an overhaul. Despite this, MT is 0-7-1 in his last 8 games against rookie head coaches. What do you make of this?
Brian Batko
2:44
I'd have to check the exact specifics of that stat - I was tracking it for a while there - but I'm not sure what to make of it. If you want to really reach for an explanation, you could say Tomlin doesn't have a feel for the tendencies of head coaches he's never been in a stadium against before. But it's probably just as likely that it's a coincidence. An unfortunate coincidence ... obviously.
Chris
2:45
There's a lot of talk about how TJ's role will change and he'll be more than LOLB. Is there any sense that that will happen?
Brian Batko
2:46
TJ expressed interest in doing so after last season and I assume that's essentially the green light they need. If it ain't broke, don't fix it used to be the answer. But he seemed particularly frustrated with the way last season ended for the team, the defense and himself individually, so he's singing a different tune now and might be more eager than ever to make that adjustment.
Ryan
2:47
Good afternoon brain with training camp starting Wednesday who will you be watching looking forward to your reports along with Ray Chris and Gerry’s Go Steelers’s
Brian Batko
2:47
Thanks, Ryan. One minor correction, training camp report day is Wednesday. First practice is Thursday. But I guess after last year's conditioning test on report day, we better be on our P's and Q's to make sure no starting quarterback injures his calf pushing a sled.
KMan
2:48
Any rumblings on safety depth, or a dependable starter that can last 7 games? That's a big hole to be filled (even if not always splashy) and I don't see Thornhill as  season-long answer
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