Bell: Three Burning Questions Ahead of Steelers OTAs
The Pittsburgh Steelers squad will arrive for OTAs on Tuesday, May 27th, and with that in mind, plenty of questions are left unanswered following an eventful offseason in the Steel City. With Mike Tomlin’s group looking to snap an eight-year playoff win drought, there are certain troublesome areas that are worth digging into. Today, we’ll run through the biggest and most intriguing questions remaining as phase three of the offseason program is set to kick off.
When Will Aaron Rodgers Arrive on the Scene?
For months now, it’s seemed like Aaron Rodgers eventual commitment to the Steelers has felt like more of a question of “when” instead of “if.” That still rings true today, after the four-time league MVP has been playfully cryptic about his playing future in recent public appearances. In a perfect world, Pittsburgh would love to have the person leading their offense lead them through OTAs as well. The franchise has been very open about remaining patient as they await his decision, but the start of mandatory minicamp (June 10th) could, and likely should, serve as a hard deadline.
Like most legendary signal callers, Rodgers has a very particular way that he likes to operate behind center. As he’s aged, he prefers to get the ball out as quickly as possible (2.65 seconds time-to-throw in 2024), something that will be a drastic change from the quarterbacks that were on the roster a year ago. He likes to play in rhythm, and he’s also very big on the details, from pre-snap hand signals to specific landmarks in the passing game. The marriage between Rodgers’ unique style of ball and Arthur Smith’s offense won’t be a seamless integration and will take time to mesh together. The 41-year-old’s best chance to go out on top is if the offense hits the ground running from the jump, and it would behoove them to have as much time as possible to work through the kinks.
Who Holds Pole Position for WR2?
After trading the enigmatic George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers coaching staff is left in a similar predicament they were in last season: without a viable secondary option in the passing game. Behind the scenes, they’ll assuredly be working the phones for an upgrade, but their urgency could depend on how the existing options perform in this phase. It should be noted that Calvin Austin III took a nice step forward last fall as a route runner while also providing necessary splash plays down the field. The hiccup is that 77% of his production came while aligned in the slot, and while the tight splits in Smith’s offense do blur the lines between boundary/slot, it’s difficult to imagine Austin having the play strength to hold up as a blocker in a run-first offense.
After having his rookie season wiped away due to injury, Roman Wilson will be given the chance to earn significant playing time early in the process. Like Austin, the third-rounder is an undersized speedster but with added toughness in between the hashes. His biggest area of improvement lies in expanding his route tree from college, but with the Steelers ranking 30th in motion on passing plays (something Rodgers notoriously dislikes as well), he could have a bumpy transition if he’s asked to primarily align out wide. Recently, the team signed Robert Woods to a cheap one-year deal, and even though he’s known for being a rugged blocker, he doesn’t appear to have much juice left from a physical standpoint.
Who Gets First Dibs in the Slot?
It’s rare to see an undrafted free agent start on a legitimately good defense, but that was the case for Beanie Bishop in 2024. As you’d expect, there were some highs and lows: flashes of intriguing playmaking ability from the slot coupled with some struggles in both man and zone coverage. But then the team benched him for Cam Sutton, who was very clearly past his prime, leaving many to wonder just how much they trusted him out there. Having said that, the team did very little to address the cornerback position this spring, which wasn’t really a surprise given how the team doesn’t traditionally value this position very highly.
Their lone signing was acquiring Brandin Echols from the New York Jets, who has primarily operated on the boundary throughout his career, with slot reps sprinkled in. He displays a good understanding of leverage, possesses good closing burst, and is an explosive leaper. He’s tight-hipped and frequently loses early in the rep versus press, but the real concern is whether he can actually navigate through blocks as part of the run fit. Sebastian Castro is another name to keep an eye on, a physical defender that works best in zone coverage but lacks the ideal physical traits that NFL teams look for in the modern era, which is what likely caused him to go undrafted. It would be a surprise to see the Steelers look for help elsewhere on the market, so they’ll be counting on one of these players needs to take the reins and run with the opportunity.