Steelers Read & React: Summer Mailbag

We put out a call for questions for a summer mailbag, and the BTSC readers answered. Now it’s time for us to return the favor.

We’ve gone with three questions — one submission we’ve split into two questions — for this edition. Fear not if the question you sent in wasn’t included in this edition; we’ll be holding on to all of the unanswered submissions and attempt to do one or two more mailbags before Week 1 of the NFL season. Some of the questions we received we deemed more timely for another mailbag after the beginning of training camp and the preseason. Plus, truthfully, Ryland has a busy summer ahead with a newspaper internship and BTSC duties to balance, so we plan to make these mailbags smaller and easier to manage.

But that’s enough introduction, let’s dive into the mailbag!

From SteelerSince73!: What will the actual numbers look like for the Porter Jr. extension?

RB: This is admittedly a bit of a tough deal to predict, as the cornerback market keeps going up, and it’s unclear how much the Steelers value Porter.

To be clear, I’m confident Pittsburgh wants him back long term, and Porter certainly played like one of the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL last season. He’s not even 26 yet and comes from Steelers bloodlines. What’s not love?

But the Porter deal is in a weird place as the young corner doesn’t have any big-time accolades yet (no All-Pro or even Pro Bowl nods) even though there’s plenty of chatter about him getting a deal in the range of decorated names such as Patrick Surtain II, Sauce Gardner, and Trent McDuffie (the NFL’s highest paid cornerback at the moment at $31 million per year).

Then, there’s timing. Porter is part of an extremely talented crop of corners drafted in 2023, with names such as Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon also up for new deals that will certainly affect the market of the others. And the Steelers have already signed two players from Porter’s draft class — Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington — to big-money deals this offseason.

Without an expensive quarterback on the books, the Steelers undoubtedly have room to pay, and even overpay, Porter, but longtime Steelers writer Gerry Dulac noted earlier this month that the team didn’t think it would be able to sign all its top names eligible for extensions this offseason. And with Herbig, Washington, and kicker Chris Boswell all recently locked up long term, the odds of Porter and Keeanu Benton re-signing definitely look a bit lower.

I still think we’re in “when” territory more than “if” when it comes to Porter signing an extension with the Steelers, but I do think there’s a bigger chance than some realize that he might price himself out of what the team is comfortable paying.

Earlier this offseason, I predicted a four-year, $23 million average per year contract for Porter, sliding in at $1 million under what former Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II was making per season. But since then, the Rams reset the market with McDuffie, and the Broncos responded by giving Surtain a $5 million raise in 2026. And as Porter remains without an extension heading into training camp, it’s easy to assume that a deal would’ve been completed already if all he was asking for was that $23 million mark — just above DaRon Bland and AJ Terrell.

I still think it’s unlikely for Porter to challenge for the highest cornerback contract in the NFL as he simply can’t match the accolades of the top talents at his position. But now, the low-end of his potential extension feels like it’s that $23 million mark, with the more accurate range being around $27 million per year — enough to leapfrog teammate Jalen Ramsey and the Panthers’ Jaycee Horn, who reset the cornerback market back in 2025.

Something around $30 million is still certainly viable, though. Porter can certainly argue he’s been outplaying Gardner ($30.1 million per year) as of late, and if Gonzalez and Witherspoon hit that mark with their extensions before Porter gets his, that’ll be even more of a reason to bump his pay.

Beyond the actual dollar amounts, though, three or four years is the average length to expect for a big defensive back extension like this, and I’d expect around 70% of the deal to be guaranteed (and half of that to be fully guaranteed), based off similar extensions.

Exact numbers are hard to pin down. But it’s going to be a big contract.

From NHSteelersFan: In looking at our 2026 draft class, my assumption is that everyone drafted in the first three rounds (Iheanachor, Bernard, Allar, Everette, and Dunker) will make the 53-man roster, barring injuries. Of the remaining rookies (Wetjen, Nowakowski, Rubio, Spears-Jennings, and Heidenreich), which player(s) have the strongest chance of also making the 53?

RP: I’ll do you one better and rank them and suggest how likely they are to make the 53-man roster before giving my explanation:

• Riley Nowakowski – 90%
• Robert Spears-Jennings – 75%
• Kaden Wetjen – 60%
• Eli Heidenreich – 45%
• Gabriel Rubio – 40%

Nowakowski was one of my favorite picks the Steelers made in the entire draft, let alone among their Day 3 picks. But my confidence in his ability to make the final roster isn’t solely rooted in my own enjoyment of his skillset. Despite Mike McCarthy’s affinity for running a high rate of 11 personnel packages (single running back, single tight end, three receivers), his rosters have carried fullbacks at both of his previous head coaching stops.

Nowakowski fits the size profile of a fullback, and split time between the backfield and inline as a tight end during his college career at Wisconsin and Indiana. He was one of this class’s premier blockers, which only should boost his chances. Add in that he played 471 special teams snaps, playing everything from kick/punt coverages, to kick/punt returns, to blocking for field goal attempts, and Nowakowski is the exact type of player who may never make headlines, but will make a career of doing the dirty work.

Barring injuries, Spears-Jennings is unlikely to see many defensive snaps thanks to the Steelers’ depth in the secondary. DeShon Elliott, Jalen Ramsey, and free agent signee Jaquan Brisker are certain to dominate the Steelers safety snaps. Veteran free agent Darnell Savage should also hold the early lead for the Steelers’ fourth safety spot on the depth chart. Spears-Jennings, however, should contribute immediately on special teams and be allowed to leapfrog Savage should the rookie have a better summer than expected. He’ll also be in competition with Sebastian Castro, a formerly undrafted player entering his second year. Spears-Jennings is more athletically gifted than Castro, but that doesn’t guarantee anything when battling for the final spots on a roster.

The Steelers had better hope Wetjen makes the roster and proves to be an amazing return man after the team spent a fourth-round pick on him. That draft capital and projected role as the Steelers’ top kick and punt returner puts him in the driver’s seat to make the roster, but his spot becomes much less certain if he struggles in that role this summer. I’m expecting next to nothing from Wetjen as a receiver. He’s undersized (5’9, 193 pounds) and inexperienced, playing less than 400 snaps on offense during his three years in college. The 2025 season was the first time he played more than 80 offensive snaps. He also hasn’t played on any special teams coverage teams, meaning he is realistically a returner-only with some limited gadget upside on offense. He can’t afford to cause any doubts this summer about his ability to perform his hyper-specific role if he wants to make the roster.

Rubio could be one of the surprises of the class if he can remain healthy and quickly shows an aptitude as a pure nose tackle. The Steelers have hinted at moving Keeanu Benton back into more of a B-gap defender after he was played out of position for years under Mike Tomlin. Yahya Black also struggled with leverage in the nose tackle role, so an opportunity certainly exists for Rubio. Still, with Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Benton, Black, and Sebastian Joseph-Day all essentially locks for the roster, Rubio will need to beat out at least one member of a veteran group that includes Esezi Otomewo, Dean Lowry, and Logan Lee to make the roster. Rubio’s injury history and relative anonymity — demonstrated by how sparse the information one could find about him in draft guides and during the draft’s broadcast — make a stint on the taxi squad likely for him.

Heidenreich is the player who is hardest to project. On the one hand, his athletic testing and running back/receiver versatility could make him an appealing end-of-roster stash for the Steelers. Heidenreich is a Pittsburgh native, he’s drawn Christian McCaffrey-lite comparisons, and is a high-character prospect who seems likely to do anything the coaches ask of him in his quest to make the team.

On the other hand, the Steelers are unlikely to carry more than three running backs on the roster, and while Kaleb Johnson had a rookie season from hell, the third-round capital the Steelers invested in him can’t be ignored. While the team should carry the better player, regardless of draft pedigree, the truth is the Steelers have more incentive to invest in Johnson’s development unless Heidenreich forces their hand. There is also a path where Wetjen doesn’t impress as a returner, and the Steelers find space for Heidenreich that way, but once again, he’d be faced with an uphill battle against someone the Steelers invested a much higher pick in. Heidenreich is a prime taxi squad candidate.

From NHSteelersFan: Which player from the 2025 draft class (Harmon, Johnson, Sawyer, Black, Howard, Bruener, or Kent) will make the biggest second-year leap? Not who will be the best player, but rather the player whose performance will grow exponentially compared to their rookie year.

RB: This is a fun question as I can think of arguments to make for just about every member of that draft class. In the literal, mathematical sense, Kaleb Johnson and Will Howard might be the best candidates to exponentially grow given how little they contributed as rookies (Johnson had that play against the Seahawks and struggled to see the field again; Howard never played). You could throw Donte Kent in there too, but his roster chances are rough given the team’s recent investments at cornerback and returner.

But given that I see the ceiling for these players as backup-who-makes-a-cool-play-or-two in 2026, that feels like too tongue-in-cheek of an answer.

Where I’m expecting the most meaningful leaps are from the pair of defensive tackles, Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black. While I think Harmon certainly has the potential to be the best, in the spirit of the question I’ll highlight Black, who will probably take the bigger step forward from his rookie year.

Truthfully, Black got pushed around on defense quite a bit in 2026 despite being such a stout run defender in college. But the fact that he played 36% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps as a fifth-round rookie shows that he’s gained experience and the team thought somewhat highly of him, and with unreal size and length (336 pounds, 35-inch arms), he’s still oozing with potential.

In 2026, Black enters the offseason with a better feel for the NFL game, and a new coach in Domata Peko, who noted in May that Black could be “one of the best (nose tackles) in the game.” Peko, of course, was a longtime starting nose tackle in the NFL who will definitely have some insight for Black to work on his leverage.

Plus, the Steelers defensive line room looks deeper in 2026 with Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Year 2 Harmon, and free agent signing Sebastian Joseph-Day, allowing Black to potentially specialize more in situational football. I’m not expecting a Pro Bowl or anything, but I do think Black can evolve into a rock-solid rotational piece in the trenches, and likely outdo his zero sacks from 2025.

RP: I’m going to cheat and cover two players by saying it’ll be one of the linebackers: Jack Sawyer or Carson Bruener. Both of these players were featured in our recent Read & React Unsung Heroes column, and based on the phrasing of your question, I believe both to be the most fitting answer to your question.

When looking at the other members of the 2025 class, the path to “growing exponentially” is hard to project. Harmon played well as a rookie, but would need to add a ton of sacks from a position that doesn’t necessarily prioritize that type of production, or he’d need to be getting Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods. That’s a tough ask. Johnson will likely be buried behind Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle on the depth chart. Black is likely the fifth defensive lineman on a team that runs a ton of three-down lineman fronts and has a bevy of edges needing reps on the line. Howard shouldn’t play and is more than likely battling Mason Rudolph for a spot on the roster. Kent didn’t play last year and is the biggest long shot of this group to stick on the roster.

That leaves Sawyer and Bruener. Sawyer has the easiest path. He produced just one sack and 16 pressures as a rookie. If one of the edge rushers ahead of him on the depth chart misses extended time, his role will grow. I’m also optimistic that McCarthy and new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will do a better job than the previous regime at rotating the EDGE players and keeping them fresh. Any path to more playing time and thus more opportunities will increase Sawyer’s chances at reaching your parameters.

Bruener’s path is more difficult but still reasonably attainable. Last year, he made 15 tackles and assisted on eight more while playing special teams. He also played a grand total of two defensive snaps. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are the starters, but they haven’t inspired a ton of confidence or shown much consistency. The group behind them consists of Bruener, Malik Harrison, the oft-injured Cole Holecomb, and recent signee Jamin Davis.

Should either of the starters miss time or see a reduced role based on performance, Bruener should be in the mix for more snaps. I wouldn’t expect him to set the league on fire, but if he receives any opportunity and provides anything close to league-average play on defense, and continues to cement himself as a special teams dynamo, that might be enough of a second-year leap to satisfy your question.

Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia, or email us at steelersreadnreact@gmail.com.