The Pittsburgh Steelers published their latest “Asked and Answered” segment on November 2, addressing questions from fans about team performance, player health, and league regulations. The responses provided insight into current roster challenges and the impact of NFL rules on team preparation.
One question focused on the status of cornerback Cory Trice Jr., who has faced a series of injuries since joining the Steelers as a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. According to the answer, “On Oct. 29, the Steelers returned Cory Trice Jr. to practice, which started the 21-day clock during which the team can evaluate him and determine whether to add him to the 53-man roster or he will be lost for the rest of the 2025 season.” Trice’s career has been hampered by multiple serious knee injuries requiring surgery, both in college at Purdue and in his time with Pittsburgh. The response noted that while there are qualities the Steelers value in Trice, his ongoing injury issues have limited his playing time: “In 3 seasons, Trice has appeared in 6 games with 1 start (all in 2024), and he has played just 193 defensive snaps (also all in 2024).”
Another fan asked how home teams are determined for NFL International Games. The response explained that each regular season game is assigned a home and visiting team when schedules are released. If a matchup is selected for an international venue, “the home team when the NFL released that season’s schedule is the home team if that matchup is chosen to be an International Game.”
Regarding Hall of Honor eligibility for former players such as Brett Keisel, it was clarified: “Players are eligible for election to the Steelers Hall of Honor three years after they retired. Keisel retired after the 2014 season.”
A personal question led to a story about Dan Rooney: “Dan Rooney had me do some work to help with the project that turned into his book, ‘Dan Rooney: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL,’ and when the book was published, he presented me with a copy that included a personal inscription. It’s a very personal memento.”
A question about veteran quarterbacks analyzing their own team’s defense prompted this answer: “I cannot say for certain whether what you describe about having a team’s veteran quarterback watch video of his team’s defense and then critique its setup and/or disguise has ever happened… And again, it’s my opinion that setup and disguise aren’t the primary issues affecting the performance of the Steelers defense in this snippet of the season… The Steelers have not been executing well enough consistently enough.”
When asked if there were any cover defensive backs available near the trade deadline, it was stated: “There is not a team in the NFL that has enough defensive backs who can line up and cover top-quality WRs and/or TEs, and I would guess there has never ever been an NFL team with EXTRA defensive backs who can line up and cover top-quality WRs and/or TEs.”
Questions also arose regarding potential trades involving key players T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, or Patrick Queen before November’s deadline. The response indicated no trades were expected but shared Spotrac.com’s projected dead cap charges for these players in 2026: “$94 million” for Watt; “$11.2 million” for Highsmith; “$3.86 million” for Queen.
Another topic covered whether analysts ever review their inaccurate predictions at season’s end: “Full disclosure, I wouldn’t have any more interest in reading/hearing/watching that than I had for the original ‘expert analysis.'”
Concerns over tackling were addressed by referencing recent changes to league practice rules limiting contact drills throughout much of training camp and regular-season practices. It was noted that while tackling inconsistency has increased this year across teams due to these restrictions—implemented largely out of concern for player safety—the Steelers remain one of few teams still practicing tackling during every padded session at training camp.
