Christopher Carter's Steelers chat: 07.02.26
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Christopher Carter
12:30
I actually think that's one of the more interesting lower depth chart camp battles.

Wetjen is more of a shifty guy who beat special teams units with his abilities to make guys miss against some of the smaller schools Iowa faced.

But Heidenreich is less shifty, but faster and bigger with better hands.

Where I think Heidenreich could have the edge here is he's just more dangerous as a receiving threat. He could at least be moved around the offense and beat defenders in mismatches and make contested catches.

Wetjen doesn't have a single contested catch on his stat sheet from Pro Football Focus in his career. And when I studied him, he wasn't getting open. He just did well with screens or when he fit into the right spot of a zone. But if someone manned him up, it was rough.

If Heidenreich and Wetjen are neck and neck as returners, Heidenreich should get the spot. He'll be more useful on offense.
J D
12:34
Chris, great article on Heidenreich!  He's first and foremost a football player that plays the game aggressively but will have to make it on special teams.  McCarthy must like him since he's a local guy, a Pittsburgh guy, a solid person with football smarts.
Christopher Carter
12:35
Thanks!

I also think Heidnreich has to make his place on special teams. The WR is tighter now with Pittman and Bernard and Wilson, and RB is going to be tight as well.

But whether Heidenreich is a returner on special teams or a helping hand in kick or punt coverage, that could be interesting to watch as well.
Realist
12:35
Dulac thinks the Steelers may keep 4 QBs.  I'm skeptical. What are your thoughts?  I'm sure how Howard plays in the preseason will have a lot to do with it.  Do you think they may take a chance in cutting Howard and gamble that no team will pick him up, so they can sign him to the practice squad?
Christopher Carter
12:39
The move that makes the most sense to me is for the Steelers to pump up both the quarterbacks who'll be battling it out for the #2 spot and then trade away the one they don't want.

That means Mason Rudolph vs. Will Howard while Drew Allar learns the ropes.

Now mind you, Howard doesn't have to prove he's completely better than Rudolph to necessarily win the job. If he's close enough, they could ssee his youth as the upside they want to bank on and try to get light draft capital for Rudolph.

But where Gerry's coming from, I can see why they might keep both for an emergency. Rodgers will be 43 in November, and Rudolph is a proven backup while Howard is not.

Heck, Howard could light it up in preseason and that won't guarantee anything. Remember how good Kenny Pickett looked in the 2023 preseason?

This is one of the less straightforward questions for the Steelers' training camp.
12:41
Could they cut Howard and try to stash him on the practice squad? Maybe. But I wouldn't have been hyping him up at every press conference and then just let him go and hope nobody notices.

I think there's a good chance they try to entice someone to want to trade for either Rudolph or Howard who might need a backup quarterback on their roster.

If they cut Howard and he gets signed away, they would miss out on that chance.
DeathByMisadventure
12:43
I rewatched the games at the end of last season. Dylan Cook was very good. He had on penalty, one sack, and a total of six pressures in 300 snaps. His stats are actually better than Troy Fautanu over the same period. I am not saying he is better, but changing the side for each offensive lineman is confusing. I thought they'd be better replacing the left guard either with Dunker, Anderson, or Hoffman. As Max Iheanachor develops, and Cook either continues his strong play or he does not, it would be easier to start him out on the right and move Fautanu to LT. If Cook continues to ball out, I think Fautanu would be a dominating RG.
Christopher Carter
12:50
I think Dylan Cook did very well in a pinch. But I also think he started to get exposed a bit.

Against the Lions, he got ate up a bit with four pressures allowed and allowed a sack. Also got beat decently against the Texans.

He deserves the chance to fight to start, for sure. But Fautanu was very consistent over a longer stretch of the season and has the potential to be an all-pro in my opinion. I think Cook could fill in well if Broderick Jones doesn't recover. But I wouldn't lock him into anything just yet.
Takoma Tom
12:50
Why do the Steelers keep spending on defense when offense wins in today’s NFL?   Isn’t it time to move some older defensive players?
Christopher Carter
12:54
Tom, we did this like two weeks ago.

The last three Super Bowl champions were either #1 or #2 in points allowed. Defense has been winning over offense.

The Steelers will eventually move on from their older defensive core when it's time to sign offensive pillar players they want to stick around and I imagine that starts with the offensive line. They'll be due paydays and that'll shift the balance of what's the most expensive unit. But they haven't had those players to pay on offense for a bit now, and that led to their current pay structure.
Mark Katy, Tx
12:54
Hi Chris! Always like reading your chats and articles. Regarding the Pirates Paul Skenes. "since May 17, Skenes has posted a 5.36 ERA and 1.40 WHIP through 47 innings. He gave up four or more runs in five of those outings. He didn’t eclipse six innings in any of them."  Skenes is still young, do you think its possible he should skip a start to rest his arm a little and maybe rethink how he attacks batters? He is still striking out a lot of hitters but his fastball speed was only 95 to 96 in last couple starts.
Christopher Carter
1:00
Hello!

Don't normally do baseball but I'll take a swing at it.

It is wild that he hasn't won a start since May 12 and has given up an earned run in every game since then and multiple runs in all but two of those games.

Maybe he does need something to shake him out of his slump. For him to be the generational superstar that supposedly nobody will ever see again in their lifetime, you'd think you'd see him shake this off by now.

From what's been reported, Skenes' velocity dipping is partially strategic to preserve his arm.

But it's also important to note that the Pirates haven't exactly helped him with the defense, either.

I don't know the diamond like I know the gridiron, but I think a player with the pedigree of Skenes will figure it out soon enough.
LarryG from Punxy
1:01
Are you encouraged by the new coaching staff and new players, or are you holding off until we get a few real games under our belt before making any assessments?
Christopher Carter
1:04
Last one here and then I've got to roll.

I like what I've seen from the new coaches. James Campen seems to have a good rapport with the O-line already, and I like the Steelers' new defensive staff with Graham, Whitt, Simmons and company.

But the things I've liked so far don't measure up to wins just yet. Need to see more from them and how their plans 1) work out on the field; and 2) they change when they hit adversity.

That's one aspect Tomlin's staffs did well most seasons and what kept them from ever having a losing season. They switched up their entire defensive structure last season with how they deployed their secondary and it helped them win the division.

Will this crew be able to quickly change things around? I think they can. But that'll be one of the many things we keep tabs on here with our reporting.
1:05
That's all for today! I'll have an analysis piece coming out tomorrow on a key aspect I expect to see in McCarthy's offense that makes it different and more aggressive moving forward.

Have a great holiday weekend!
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