The 2024 regular season is here! The week of preparation for the Steelers as they face the Atlanta Falcons is underway with head coach Mike Tomlin taking to the podium to address in the media for our beloved Tomlin Tuesday. With plenty of questions asked by those in attendance, it is once again time for a players mentioned article. Remember these are players where a specific question was asked during the Q&A period.

Troy Fautanu

Coach Tomlin was asked how the makeup of the offensive line will look in regards to the tackles relative to the health of Troy Fautanu. In his reply, Coach Tomlin also mentioned Spencer Anderson but he will have his own section.

“We’ll determine that as we get closer to game time. He was a partial participant yesterday, went well. We expect it to be more so tomorrow. The closer he gets to health, we’ll have a better reflection of how we might divvy that up, but obviously the first two guys are going to be participants. He potentially could be as well, and Spencer Anderson has played some tackle in the past as well. I think those are the candidates, and what the mix is will be determined by how we distribute reps and how they perform in the reps given.”

Russell Wilson

Coach Tomlin was asked about how the experience of Arthur Smith as a play caller and Russell Wilson as a quarterback can overcome some of the collective newness with the offense.

“I think their experience was an attractive component to both guys certainly.”

In a later question, Coach Tomlin was asked how he has seen Russell Wilson‘s drive show up since he’s been here.

“It’s just who he is. I don’t know if there’s a translation component of it. It’s just who he is. You don’t have the type of resume he has and have done it at the level he has for the length of time he has without bringing some unique traits and approaches to business. I think that’s just been reflected in his day to day.”

In a later question, Coach Tomlin was asked about Russell Wilson’s ability to throw the deep ball and what makes a quarterback a good deep-ball thrower.

“Arm strength and accuracy. Not only that, trajectory, and he brings all three. He’s got arm strength. He’s got pinpoint accuracy. He can drop the ball in your front right shirt pocket, if you will. And his ability to throw the ball over defenders or power a ball in terms of being able to change his trajectory based on circumstances are some of the things that kind of comprise that discussion.”

In a later question, Coach Tomlin was asked how he’s found Wilson’s influence manifesting the most and what he has seen so far. Examples in the question were off-the-field stuff, communication, calmness, and in the huddle.

“I think the journey is really going to define that. I think, when you’re undefeated, man, it’s easy to point to glowing things, but really, it’s revealed during the challenges that is the journey in the season. I’m not surprised that he’s going to be positioned to do those things based on who he is and his experience, but it just happens in a really natural way. But the significant component of that discussion lies ahead, certainly.”

Spencer Anderson

Coach Tomlin was asked if Spencer Anderson is the next man up at left guard.

“Yes, he is.”

In a follow-up question, Coach Tomlin was asked about how he has seen the offensive line come together in terms of the cohesion after the depth has been tested over the last few weeks. In his response, Coach Tomlin also mentioned Broderick Jones who will have his own section.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys in there. There’s a lot of meat on that growth bone, and we’ve seen a lot of it, to be quite honest with you, for several reasons. We had some young guys that drafted high in the Draft that have shown that the NFL is not too big for them, and I imagine they’ll continue to show that and continue to grow with exposure. But we’ve also got some second-year players like Broderick [Jones] and Spencer [Anderson], and that second lap around the track, it’s reasonable to expect growth and development because of the knowing component. So, we’ve challenged them in that regard, and they’ve responded. We’ve got some talented young people, so it makes for an exciting mix certainly.”

In a later question, Coach Tomlin was asked about what has stood out about Anderson’s development.

“As I said earlier, his versatility was a calling card that allowed him to sustain, but the longer he’s here, you’d better specialize in a certain area. Really his growth and development kind of reminds me a lot of Kelvin Beachum, if you remember years ago. Versatility was kind of his calling card, but then he settled into the tackle position and went on to – ‘Beach’ might still be playing. I think he is.Spence will be fortunate if he has a Kelvin Beachum-like story.”

Scotty Miller & Van Jefferson

Coach Tomlin was asked about what he has learned about the depth he has at receiver and in his answer he mentioned Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson.

“I’m comfortable with the performance of these guys. Had some questions, even dating back to spring, and to be quite honest with you, I probably went into the receiver room a couple weeks into camp and told them that. I just believe in being really transparent. But the consistency with which those guys performed in Latrobe and through team development has made me more comfortable, and specifically I’m talking about Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson. I just can’t say enough about the consistency with which they’ve performed, their floor, if you will. They behave like veteran NFL players, and that’s provided some comfort in the midst of the transition that comes with dealing with new people and getting acclimated in that way.”

Beanie Bishop

Coach Tomlin was asked about what Beanie Bishop did to prove that he should be the Steelers nickel cornerback.

“I don’t know that he’s done it yet. We have player elevation opportunities and things of that nature in the course of a work week that determines how we divide the labor up. Beanie is an exciting, young guy. We’ll watch him during the week, along with some others, and we’ll make decisions at the end of the week that’s best suited for winning this game.”

Broderick Jones

Coach Tomlin was asked if he has determined which side Broderick Jones would be best on.

“No, I made no determinations regarding that. Obviously, he’s worked a lot at right, but again, we’re going to continue to watch that as we progress through the week because the versatility has been an asset for him and us.”

George Pickens

Coach Tomlin was asked where he thinks George Pickens has grown in his game and maturity-wise going into his third season.

“I think he’s grown in all areas, not only in terms of skill relative to his position, he has a lot of that, but the nuances of the game, getting in and out of cuts, hand selection, and so forth, he’s grown in a lot of ways. Obviously as a human, he’s grown in the ways you would expect young guys to grow in terms of knowledge of the game and what it means to be a professional and how to conduct yourself.”

In a later question, Coach Tomlin was asked if he thinks Pickens is in a place where he’ll be able to handle the extra attention he’s going to get until the younger receivers establish themselves.

“I think George [Pickens] has gotten attention all of his life as it pertains to football. I think that’s nothing new to him.”

In a follow-up question, Coach Tomlin was asked if he is confident that Pickens will be able to handle things in a positive fashion.

“Absolutely.”

Roman Wilson

Coach Tomlin was asked about if he found the landscape of building the wide receiver room more challenging after trading Diontae Johnson. In his response, Coach Tomlin mentioned Roman Wilson.

“Not at all, to be quite honest with you. There is a plethora of receivers, not only in the Draft, but in free agency. You can look at that position in the top three rounds of the draft over the last five years, and it gives you an indication of the amount of talent and the readiness of that talent in recent years.So we were really comfortable with it and not overly concerned about it, to be quite honest with you. We’re really excited about Roman Wilson we got in the third round, for example. We’ve always done a nice job of acquiring receiver talent and not necessarily in the first round, and I just think that speaks to the depth and the readiness of the position.”

In a later question, Coach Tomlin was asked how big of a role he can expect Roman Wilson to have given his limited reps in training camp due to injury.

“We’ll see. That’s what the week of work is about, certainly.”

Payton Wilson

Coach Tomlin was asked about what Payton Wilson has shown throughout the course of team development.

“He’s a talented guy. He’s a quick and eager learner. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes twice. He’s got a skill set that might allow him to contribute, particularly in some passing circumstances. He’s an easy runner. He can cover people.We’ll just continue to carve out a role for him, but make no mistake, we’re excited about the prospects and his talent level.”

Jaylen Warren & Cordarrelle Patterson

Coach Tom was asked about if he has an ideal distribution of reps at running back and if Jaylen Warren‘s injury will affect the distribution in Week 1. In his response, Coach Tomlin also mentioned Cordarrelle Patterson.

“It remains to be seen in terms of the impact of his injury or his ability. We’ve got a week’s worth of work ahead of us. In terms of how we divided the labor up, that’s going to be week-to-week. We’ve got some really capable guys. You throw “C.P.” [Cordarrelle Patterson] into that mix as well. More than anything, I just love the demeanor of that running back room. These guys don’t run away from confrontation, they run to it.That collective, those three guys, I’m really excited about. They’re going to lead the charge for us in a lot of ways, that competitive component being a significant one.”

Dan Moore Jr.

Coach Tomlin was asked if it says anything to him about how Dan Moore has approached the past couple years with the Steelers drafting tackles in the first round yet he always seems to be getting better.

“I think that’s professional football. I think we’re continually trying to replace people, and people better be continually getting better in an effort to sustain and grow, and that’s kind of reflective of his approach and what’s happened with him. He’s gotten better continually. He’s gotten snap opportunities in an effort to do so. Obviously,experience is a component, a significant component to get better. But I just think that’s a really natural thing. I think that happens across all positions on every team at this level.Competition is ever present. New talent, new competition is just a component of our game at this level.”

Coach Tomlin was asked about having players potentially making their first NFL start on the offensive line and relying on other veterans to help get them through.

“They are going to have to make their plays. Dan [Moore] is not going to block two people, you know what I mean? Certainly in terms of mindset and communication and things of that nature, but the guys that you mentioned are really capable, and they’re going to be capable of absorbing their assignment and blocking their people.”

Nick Herbig, Montravius Adams, & DeMarvin Leal

Coach Tomlin was asked about if he’s looking for other ways to get Nick Herbig on the field. In his response, Coach Tomlin also mentioned Montravius Adams and DeMarvin Leal.

“We’re interested in playing everybody that’s capable of helping us. ‘Mont’ [Montravius] Adams, [DeMarvin] Leal. It’s not an 11-man job, particularly in Week 1 as you meet the challenges of conditioning, in-game conditioning. So, we’re going to cast a big net from a participation standpoint. I would imagine that a lot of people are, globally speaking, as we get acclimated to in-season conditioning and the workload associated with playing 60 or 60-plus minutes.”

Zach Frazier

Coach Tomlin was asked if he has noticed anything different about how Zach Frazier approached his things since Nate Herbig was injured and he was clearly going to be the starter.

“I haven’t sensed any difference at all in his approach, to be quite honest with you.”

Mike Tomlin’s complete press conference can be seen here:

Coach Tomlin speaks to the media ahead of our Week 1 game against the Falcons. @PNCBank

📺: #PITvsATL 9/8 at 1 PM ET on FOX https://t.co/mEZjhluhAZ

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 3, 2024