Welcome to Brian Batko’s Steelers mailbag. You’re more than welcome to email him at bbatko@post-gazette.com, tweet him @BrianBatko or slide into his DMs to inquire about the Steelers, NFL or anything out of bounds.
Mike from DC: Do you think Weidl will be around here for the long term?
Brian: That’s an excellent question, one I found myself pondering, as well, last Friday as we listened to assistant general manager Andy Weidl give his insight on the 2023 Steelers draft class. Weidl’s only 48, and assuming he has the desire to be a general manager someday, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another team try to poach him.
That’s especially true if the Steelers do exactly what all you dear mailbag readers want them to do: win and win a lot, bolstered by players added in this very offseason, with Weidl as Omar Khan’s right-hand man atop the football operations department. Because, if that happens, if the Steelers return to relevance in a major way starting in 2023, Weidl will have been the vice president of player personnel for an NFC powerhouse and assistant GM of an AFC contender within the last few seasons.
Beyond the nuts and bolts of his burgeoning resume, there are other factors that should make him appealing to the next team that needs a new GM. He has worked under some of the league’s most respected scouting minds in Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta with the Ravens. And he has worked under a couple of salary gap gurus who are well versed in the more analytical aspects of running an NFL team in Philadelphia’s Howie Roseman and now Khan.
Weidl is from here and, by all accounts, has a longstanding good relationship with Khan. Perhaps those ties will keep him plenty happy as more of a behind-the-scenes presence, and teams can always open their wallets if coaches or executives have outside interest. But he came back home to Pittsburgh for the same role, effectively — No. 2 in a front office — and he’s now on the doorstep of becoming a No. 1 somewhere. The shorter answer is: I don’t know if he’s here for the long term. If he wants to be, that’s good for the Steelers and their scouting stability. If he wants to be a GM, my sense is he’ll have interview opportunities and chances to make a move.
Dave in West MD: Considering the tremendous draft the Steelers were able to complete. Getting not one but two of their potential first rd picks along with valuable talent in positions of need. Do you think the 2023 Steelers could make a deep playoff run with solid play from last years draft class?
Brian: Sure, if that first-round pick from last year is solid, they could go far. But yes, even beyond Kenny Pickett, there’s a lot riding on the 2022 class in 2023.
George Pickens can be the tide that lifts all ships on this offense. If he can stretch the field consistently and draw double teams in Year 2 — not to mention dominating 1-on-1 matchups the way he’s shown the ability to do so far — that will do wonders for Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth and the rest of the crew. Speaking of which, Calvin Austin III gives the Steelers an element of speed that should be even greater than what Steven Sims provided last year, so Matt Canada making use of that is another way to stress defenses.
Defensively, DeMarvin Leal is going to have a shot to be a more impactful player, but the line is so deep that he won’t necessarily be counted on to be a starter. The same could be said for seventh-rounder Mark Robinson, although his development at inside linebacker is arguably even more crucial than Leal’s now that Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig are in the fold.
Bob from Beaver Falls: Does Trevor Downing being a pure center give him a good shot at being the backup center if he performs well in camp? He cannot be worse than Kendrick Green. Never know, that Ramon Foster fellow worked out pretty well as a UDFA OL
Brian: Yes, Trevor Downing from Iowa State has as much of a path to a roster spot as anyone in this undrafted group. Not that he’ll be able to show much in rookie camp or even OTAs, but he fits the classic backup center mold as a cerebral, experienced guy, albeit undersized.
Mason Cole dealt with injuries for parts of last season, though he never missed a game. It’s important to have a steady center behind him, and with J.C. Hassenauer gone, the Steelers don’t have an obvious option. They could give a look there to Nate Herbig, who’s likely the swing guard behind Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels, but he’s only snapped it 49 times in his NFL career and is listed strictly as a guard on the team website.
Unless they want to re-open that door with Kendrick Green, the other candidates figure to be Ryan McCollum, a holdover from the 2022 practice squad who worked at center last year in training camp, or Spencer Anderson, the second seventh-round pick this year who started four games at center in 2021 at Maryland before moving to guard last season. To your point on Downing, the Steelers always seem to leave a light on for those undrafted offensive linemen (Foster, Doug Legursky, Al Villanueva, Matt Feiler. Even Fred Johnson made the 53 back in 2019.)
Paul in NY: Steelers have some players who could be of use on the other side of the ball. Patriots have used several players both ways with productivity, such as Troy Brown and Vrabel and current Steeler Roberts. Have you ever heard of this even being considered by the Steelers?
Brian: Well, they did throw some fullback duties to Sutton Smith, who was far too small to be an outside linebacker, after drafting him in the sixth round in 2019. Roosevelt Nix was a converted defensive player to fullback, too.
But I guess you’re asking about players currently on the roster who would be moonlighting elsewhere. No, I don’t think Mike Tomlin is particularly keen on that. There aren’t many NFL coaches who do, other than Bill Belichick in those instances and the occasional gadget player switching from defensive back to a ball-carrier.
Keep in mind that when the Patriots and other teams have resorted to playing someone both ways, it’s often out of emergency. Elandon Roberts switched to fullback because the starter was injured. So, Tomlin likely hopes he’ll never have to be that creative with the Steelers. But if they ever find themselves dropping like flies in the secondary, sign me up for George Pickens at corner or even safety. You know he wouldn’t mind the physicality.
Think you have better questions? Email bbatko@post-gazette.com or write him on Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: May 12, 2023, 9:30 a.m.