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Christopher Carter's Steelers chat: 07.25.25
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Christopher Carter
10:33
That's why they properly hydrate. This isn't a new concept. Many of teams that've gone on to win championships have done this.
Soggy
10:33
Good morning Mr. Carter.  As always, I appreciate you taking the time to do the chat & the effort you put in on covering the Steelers.  I realize it is way too early & no hitting...but... can we get excited about Kaleb Johnson after 1 day?
Christopher Carter
10:37
Good morning and thank you for the compliment!

As for Kaleb Johnson, I liked the burst everyone saw during practice. He's got the speed people were worried that he wouldn't have, now it'll just be about putting the pads on.
Bob D
10:38
Hey Chris...thank you for the chats.  Mike Tomlin has been criticized for truly not having a coaching tree in the NFL.  Heck, the only coach I can remember moving on with any success would be Bruce Arians, and Bill Cowher brought him to Pittsburgh.  In your opinion, what is the main reason that Tomlin fails to attract/or hire coaches that have the talent to move up the coaching ranks in the NFL?
Christopher Carter
10:42
Thanks for being here!

The only other guy would be Brian Flores. I think a big part of this is when the Steelers find good coaches, they often keep them. Keith Butler was sought after for years but stayed in the fold until he was DC and then retired.

Karl Dunbar, Eddie Faulkner and Gerald Alexander all have solid reps, but are sticking around. And heck, Alexander left for a safety position coach role and came back as the DBs coach after being the assistant DBs coach.

But you think of all the coordinators, they've been older established guys save for Matt Canada and now Arthur Smith. But even LeBeau-Butler-Austin are also all settled into coordinator roles during their tenures with Tomlin.

I think that's the biggest part in what's happened.
FirstTimeLongTime
10:42
Hey Chris - How do we see this offense running in relation to being under center.  The smith scheme and Kaleb Johnson would seem to benefit from under center.  Rodgers I'm assuming would prefer to be in the gun so he can survey and adjust easily.  Also asking a lot of a 40+ QB to play action from under center in an outside zone scheme.
Christopher Carter
10:42
I think they'll mix it up a good bit. They want to be a balanced offense, so you'll see them mix up where Rodgers takes the snap to go along with that. The run game won't be abandoned just to be in the gun all the time.
Cristo
10:43
Is Derrick Harmon a first ballot hall of famer stay
Christopher Carter
10:43
Woah. Somebody had too much syrup on their pancakes this morning. I like Derrick Harmon a lot, but let's let the young guy develop before all that.
MajorRick
10:43
Good morning, Chris: First of all, congratulations on your marriage and welcome back. What are a few things you will watch closely in camp?
Christopher Carter
10:45
Thanks MajorRick! We had a wonderful wedding and I'm happy to be back. Shoutout Renee at Wanderlust Weddings and Events for being the best wedding planner we could've imagined.

As for observations, right now without the pads I'm looking at secondary alignment and usage of the WRs/TEs. How they get used in schematics could give us plenty of hints.
Ryan
10:45
Chris how did Ben skowronek look yesterday Go Steelers
Christopher Carter
10:45
I thought he was fine. Didn't watch him too closely. He'll be a depth/special teamer guy.
Anthony Castellano
10:45
How did Jalen R look in the slot? and how did our Roman look running routes?
Christopher Carter
10:46
Ramsey looked like he was already acclimated to the defense and all the things they'll ask of him. He has the reputation of a trash talker but that guy studies A LOT of tape and is a very smart defender. I think it's an underrated part of his game.

Wilson looked smooth and made some plays. Eager to see him do that when the pads go on.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
10:46
Can Kaleb Johnson unseat Jalen Warren as RB one or will the carries be evenly split this year?
Christopher Carter
10:47
I think this COULD happen but it probably won't until sometime midseason. But I do think they're going to try to get the most out of having both in the backfield.
Roman
10:47
Hello, odds ever I escape this obvious MT doghouse? I'm thinking your 66% like BJ?
Christopher Carter
10:47
What is the MT doghouse? Sorry I don't get that one.
Leaper
10:48
If the Steelers end up drafting 18-23, is it a given they’ll have to give up ‘27’s first round pick to move up for a QB?
Christopher Carter
10:51
I think so. That's the approximate range for what you're looking at in a trade to get somewhere around the top 10 is usually giving up your first this year, a first next year, and maybe another pick as well.

But that's also dependent on how good this QB class pans out.
Life's Work
10:51
Christopher, thank you for the great work and for doing these chats. Do you think Jones breaks through this season or will he be a bust, considering his draft position and what they gave up to get him.
Christopher Carter
10:53
Thanks for being here! I think this is his breakthrough year, but that it won't happen right away. But he's gotta show it soon. A lot of this O-line rebuild is dependent on him and Fautanu being strong forces. If he's still struggling by week 10, it'll be a problem.
Life's Work
10:53
A lot of fans are looking for them to add another WR, S, and OL depth. While all would be great to have, I feel the fan base generally doesn't get that they know they can't have all pros or even top 15 players at every position and will play to their strengths and defend their weaknesses. They have somewhere around $32M in cap space that's probably driving these questions. I think they're going to carry as much of that over as possible to next year so they can sign another vet QB as a stop gap and insurance if the draft doesn't fall their way. Any validity to that?  Thanks.
Christopher Carter
10:54
I believe their current cap space is around $17.6M which is enough to sign 1-2 more vets this year on non-expensive deals and then have the usual $8M-$10M in emergency funds they hold onto in case a midseason move is needed. I don't think they'll prioritize rolling much cap space over.
PQ
10:54
Hello, your thoughts, was I tipped off about that first pass to bring the hotshot down to Earth right off the proverbial bat?
Christopher Carter
10:55
Don't think that was a thing. I think they're just being aggressive on defense with their disguises with what they can do now with three flexible cornerbacks and it paid off early.
Mike W
10:58
Are there any young or lesser known players that could push for time as the fourth safety or even unseat Thornhill for regular playing time?
Christopher Carter
10:59
I think all the younger guys are more strong safeties than free safeties. If anyone is going to unseat Thornhill, I think it's going to be an FA they sign or someone they trade for.
Life's Work
10:59
Cordarelle doesn't do much except eat up cap space. Is he that much of a binky for Arthur Smith that they're willing to keep him. I know he's under a $4M hit but still seems like a wasted roster spot.
Christopher Carter
11:00
Yeah, have to admit, I don't see what he brings to this team right now. Also haven't seen him doing anything yet. Wonder if he'll even make the roster.
George T
11:00
I am tired hearing how the Steelers (MT) has screwed up the QB situation since Ben retired.  It took Chuck 5 years to get Terry right then nothing after he retired.  Bill did not find a franchise QB until Ben. So that was 20 years between franchise QB’s. So let’s give the Steelers some time to find one.  Also since 1970 there have not been that many franchise QB’s in the NFL and many teams have never had a franchise QB.
Christopher Carter
11:01
I agree with you that finding a franchise quarterback is a lot harder than people realize and that it takes time to get it right. It's why I think patience is important when it comes to development.
Alright everyone, I've got to get moving here. Checkout all our coverage from camp!
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