Steelers gear up for OTAs preparing to face some familiar issues

Since making another all-too-familiar early playoff exit, the Pittsburgh Steelers have waited for a chance to get back on the field and turn the page toward a new season.

That wait ends on Tuesday with the start of organized team activities.

Offseason conditioning began last month, but this part of the calendar — known officially as Phase 3 — is the first time players and coaches can conduct a workout that resembles a practice. Without the pads and hitting, of course. That must wait until training camp in August.

The Steelers churned over the quarterback room for a second year in a row and said goodbye to veterans at running back, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, inside linebacker and cornerback.

The questions and issues facing the team at this stage of the offseason seem endless. Here are a few that can come into clearer focus over the next two weeks of OTAs, which will be followed by a three-day mandatory minicamp:

1. Welcome back, Mason

General manager Omar Khan promised the Steelers will have four quarterbacks under contract for training camp. He mentioned nothing about OTAs and, barring a late Aaron Rodgers signing, the Steelers will have three on the roster when they begin this phase of offseason workouts.

While the Rodgers saga continues to play out, Mason Rudolph will get a chance to prove he can hold down the job. After spending a year with Tennessee, Rudolph is back with the team that drafted him in 2018.

Rudolph returned on a two-year, $7.5 million deal that is essentially backup quarterback money. He could be keeping the seat warm for Rodgers, or he could end up as the starter if circumstances change. Fresh in the mind of fans is the way Rudolph led the Steelers on a three-game winning streak at the end of the 2023 season, which earned him a playoff start in Buffalo. He didn’t fare as well in his lone year with the Titans, who emerged as the worst team in the league. He went 1-4 in five starts in place of Will Levis.

The Steelers also will get the first chance to see how sixth-round pick Will Howard fares with the veterans. The other quarterback on the roster is Skylar Thompson, whose resume consists of three career starts with Miami.

2. New year, same question

Who will emerge as the No. 2 wide receiver? That was a question that never fully was answered in 2024 as the Steelers failed to adequately replace the production of Diontae Johnson, who was traded in the offseason.

This year, it applies to George Pickens, who was dealt to Dallas earlier this month, a decision that leaves the Steelers without a true secondary receiving complement to newcomer DK Metcalf. Calvin Austin, entering his fourth season, is coming off his best year when he totaled 36 catches for 548 yards and four touchdowns.

Filling the role of veteran complementary piece this year will be Robert Woods after Van Jefferson was used in that capacity last year. A two-time 1,000-yard receiver with the Los Angeles Rams, Woods is 33 and coming off a season in which he totaled 20 catches for 203 yards — both career lows — for Houston.

The Steelers are counting on 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson to contribute after he spent virtually all of his rookie season on injured reserve. Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek were brought back in free agency to round out the bottom of the depth chart. Roc Taylor and Ke’Shawn Williams will try to impress as undrafted free agents.

3. Will T.J. be there?

Outside linebacker T.J. Watt is entering the final year of his contract, and if he wants to be the highest-paid pass rusher, the Steelers will have to surpass the $40 million average salary that Cleveland’s Myles Garrett got in his restructured deal this offseason.

When Watt was in the final year of his previous deal, in 2021, he skipped OTAs that spring but showed up for mandatory minicamp. The Steelers had nine OTAs that year instead of six. That will mean one less week around the team this year if Watt stays home.

Watt didn’t sign his then-record contract until September. The Steelers obviously would like to get a deal done with Watt before they report to Saint Vincent in July for training camp.

Coach Mike Tomlin can use a Watt absence this week to see how fourth-round pick Jack Sawyer performs behind Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, who also would take on a bigger role if Watt is a no-show.

4. Health report

When the Steelers take the field Tuesday, it will provide a fresh start to a handful of players who spent some or all the 2024 season on injured reserve or, in the case of linebacker Cole Holcomb, the PUP list.

Holcomb returned to practice late in the season but was not cleared to return before the wild-card playoff loss at Baltimore. He hasn’t played since suffering a devastating knee injury in November 2023 against Tennessee. The Steelers reworked Holcomb’s contract in the offseason, freeing up $4 million in salary cap space. He will join a rotation with Payton Wilson alongside starter Patrick Queen. He’ll essentially fill the role vacated when Elandon Roberts exited in free agency.

Troy Fautanu, limited to one start as a rookie because of knee problems, is expected to be the starting right tackle if healthy. Roman Wilson will be part of the group of receivers tasked with replacing Pickens. Punter Cameron Johnston will try to reclaim his job after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the season opener.

On the defensive line, Logan Lee spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve with a calf injury, and DeMarvin Leal had a season-ending neck injury in October.

5. Carrying the load

Jaylen Warren will get the first crack as the starting running back following Najee Harris’ exit in free agency. It could only be a matter of time, though, before he is replaced by third-round pick Kaleb Johnson.

Warren showed value the past two seasons as a third-down and change-of-pace running back, and the Steelers may be reluctant to give the fourth-year runner too heavy of a workload. By drafting Johnson on the second day, the Steelers fortified the position with a running back who more closely resembles Harris. At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Johnson is a power runner who emerged as the Big Ten’s top back in 2024.