Steelers Rumors: Will Jaylen Warren Have a Breakout Season In 2025? + Would Justin Simmons Be A Fit?

Steelers Rumors: Will Jaylen Warren Have a Breakout Season In 2025? + Would Justin Simmons Be A Fit?

[Music] Welcome in to the Steelers Talk mailbag. I’m your host, Jack Sperry. I am filming this pretty much right after TJ Watt got his massive three-year contract extension. So, this week’s mailbag will probably have a lot of TJ Watt related questions on it, just so you guys know. Uh, but here at Steelers Talk, we try to give you guys the most interactive fan community for Steelers fans anywhere on planet Earth. We have over 87,000 Steelers fans already subscribed to the channel. Uh we give you guys daily interactive uh community posts on this channel, daily and free Steelers videos for you guys to enjoy every day. We have live watch parties for every single Steelers game. And we also have uh twice weekly Steelers Talk live show. So if you guys want uh to get a question on a future live show, if you guys want to uh join a community of people that bleed black and gold, click that subscribe button right now. I guarantee you won’t regret it. All right, so we’ll start here with Smooth Three, a $20 super chat says, “I’ve been waiting on this update forever, lol. My suggestion is to get a number two wide receiver. I love Calvin and hope he has a breakout year, but I’ll be more comfortable with an established player.” I would be more comfortable with an established player, too, like a Jawan Jennings, if they’re able to uh find a find a deal for him. He’s a great route runner, really good run blocker, and he’s got phenomenal hands. Had a really good season with the San Francisco 49ers last year. Um, and if the 49ers don’t want to pay him a new contract extension and they’re willing to trade him to the Steelers, I’m absolutely in on him. Uh, but I do think the Steelers really do believe in Calvin Austin the third and they’re going to see how he opens up camp as this team’s number two receiver um heading into camp this year because he reminds me a lot of Darnell Mooney. He’s undersized like Mooney is, but he can threaten to all three levels of the field. He’s got great field vision and speed as a yak threat for underneath stuff. He’s a really good route runner with great quickness and shiftiness uh to win in the intermediate and against man coverage. And then of course he’s got that long speed and ball tracking ability to be a really legitimate deep threat as well. So I think that uh he was kind of forgotten in this offense last year because George Pickkins more often than not was the primary read. Uh Justin Fields and Russell Wilson weren’t too good at getting to their secondary reads. And if you’ve been watching my film analysis on the Steelers from last off from last season, you guys know how often Calvin Austin the third was wide ass open and wasn’t getting the football. So, I’m excited about Calvin this year with a guy like Aaron Rogers, one of the best mental processors in the league uh as this team’s quarterback this year. So, shout out your guy down there in the comments section. Name a wide receiver that the Steelers should sign or trade for uh before the start of the season. This will be the pinned comment on today’s show. YouTube’s going to throw you an ad break here in just a couple of seconds. And when that happens, take advantage of that time. You’re letting me know a receiver that you would like to add to the Steelers roster. Then we got $2 here from Michael Beard. Says, “Enough cap uh for anyone else left. Still need safety.” So maybe the contract details come out by the time this video comes out. Maybe not. Um, but I actually think that if the Steelers do want to, they can’t even add cap space with this deal because TJ Watts caps uh hit before the deal was over $30 million per season. So, if the Steelers want to backload this contract um and put a lot of money and cap hit money towards the end of the deal, they can do that and they can actually save money against the cap for 2025. But because they got about 25 a little bit over $25 million in cap space after the Jaylen Ramsay deal um if they want to frontload this contract or they increase TJ Watts cap hit for this season, they could also do that. So whatever they want to do there in terms of adding a safety, Mark Kabolia of the Pat McAfee Show had this to say about what the Steelers may be thinking. I think that safety is number one on the Steelers’s list. I’m not saying I’m not a Juan Thornhill believer, but they based their whole organization on having competition. And where’s the competition at for a guy that nobody wanted last year who had a bad season for the Cleveland Browns? Now, Pittsburgh does seem to like Juan Thornhill quite a bit. They um you know, obviously they let go of Minka Fitzpatrick, so they have to feel like the person replacing him is at least starter worthy. Uh, it’s also worth mentioning that Thornhill was the starting free safety for the Kansas City Chiefs just two years ago on a Super Bowl winning team. And even though, you know, Juan Thornnehill is probably the weakest link on the Steelers defense right now, uh, he is somebody that’s a solid tackler, he’s pretty darn good, uh, as a as a as a as a center fielder, a free safety, and as a deep safety. Uh, so and with the pass rush in the secondary and and especially the quarterback room being as good as I think it’s going to be here in Pittsburgh this year, I don’t think safety is going to be a hugely consequential position in the Steelers defense this year. So, if you’re going to pick one position to kind of have be your quote unquote weakest link, I’d be perfectly fine with Juan Thornnehill filling that role. $2 from Uriah Broes, my man says, “Hope TJ works out.” Kind of worried though. And there, Listen, man. Uriah brings up a point here that I think is perfectly valid. All right, TJ Watt, you know, he’s gonna be on the other side of 30 heading into this new contract. Um, and obviously injury risk goes up the older you get. And he’s somebody that’s a speed rusher that really relies on first step uh athleticism and explosiveness and bend around the edge uh to be able to set up some of his inside counters and all that different stuff. And if he loses that first step explosiveness, uh he might not be the same player and put up the same kinds of numbers that he has uh in his late 20s when he still has that athleticism. Also, he has an injury history of his own right. The last three years, he’s had some sort of ma of injury. Had that torn pectoral muscle in week one versus the Bengals in 2022. Had that MCL sprain in the final game of the regular season against the Ravens in 2023. Missed that playoff game versus Buffalo. And then the ankle sprain last year where after that injury where he couldn’t, you know, round that corner and he couldn’t have that first step explosiveness. The same way that we’re kind of worried about with the age regression there. um you know uh he got zero sacks for the rest of the season. So I will say TJ looks like he has put on some weight this off seasonason especially in the upper body. So I think that power is going to be implemented into his game a little bit more than maybe in years past which is a great sign that he’s going to be able to be worth this contract. But man, $108 million fully guaranteed over the next uh four seasons is when he’s under contract here in Pittsburgh. Uh for a guy that’s now going to be on the other side of 30. There is some concerns, but there’s also reason uh to definitely be excited about TJ Watt heading into this next contract. Now, before we get into the rest of this week’s uh questions here, if you guys want an Aaron Rogers jersey in your closet today, if you want to get a Rogers jersey before the start of the season, uh we have a link down in the description of today’s video, it’s in the second paragraph of our video today. Uh so, if you want to go down there in the description and find that link, uh you guys can find this jersey from our friends at Fanatics right now. They got great prices. Um, and it’s going to be the best prices you guys can find pretty much anywhere else. If you guys want uh to get a great deal on an Aaron Rogers jersey before the start of the season, the link is in the comments and description. The second paragraph of the description of today’s show. Then we got one from No Clout Kai. Hope I’m saying that right. Says, “Do you think Jaylen Warren will break out this year at RB1?” I think so. Um, you you know, maybe is he going to be like the best running back in the league? probably not, but he’s been one of the more efficient running backs in the league uh since he entered the league, guys. Like yards after contact. He’s got fantastic contact balance, uh really good vision, uh really good shiftiness. This jump cut is one of the best in the league. Um you know, he’s somebody that I’m really excited to see what he’s going to be able to do in this offense as an RB1 because obviously he had to play kind of second fiddle to Naji Harris his first few seasons here in Pittsburgh and now at least to start the season, it seems like he’s going to get number one running back reps. Now, I think the plan eventually is to go to Caleb Johnson as kind of like the bigger big play threat, uh, kind of that quote unquote Derk Henry role in this Arthur Smith offense with Jaylen Warren going back to being one of the best third down backs in the National Football League. And if Caleb Johnson is a year one stud this year, guys, Caleb and Jaylen might have a chance to be a top five running back duo in the entire National Football League. Uh, and that’s definitely a combination I’m very excited to see. But Warren, very good player, fantastic pass protector. He’s a good receiver out of the back field, too. And I’m glad he’s getting this opportunity at the start of 2025. Taco man with a 10. He’s in on our raffle today for the TJ Watt jersey. Says, “If you had to trade one player from the defense to get a legit wide receiver to, who would you pick and for whom?” I’m not trading anybody on this defense, Taco Man. I’m trading a pick to go get. Uh, actually, here’s what I’ll say. I’m not trading anyone on the defense. All right? I think the defense is probably the way that they want it. The player I’m probably trading in return for, let’s say, Jawan Jennings, okay? Because that’s the player the Steelers are pursuing via trade right now. If they can get Jennings, that means that San Francisco probably wants a receiver in return. So, I would probably offer them Brace for Impact, Roman Wilson. All right, secondyear player, hasn’t really uh uh obviously hasn’t established himself in this league yet. If you bring in Jawan Jennings, he’s really a specialist from the slot. Calvin Austin the third can also play in the slot as well, but Roman Wilson I think is pretty much a slot specialist whereas Jennings and Calvin can play inside or out. They’re a little bit more versatile. Um, so I would offer probably a fourth round pick in Roman Wilson for Jawan Jennings if the 49ers would be willing to take that, but I probably wouldn’t trade anyone on this defense to get that deal done. We got one from 10. We got a 10 from Chris Riggs here. Says, “Watt Watt is worth every penny. Feel like they are locked in this year. I love this off seasonason. I love this offseason, too, man. Now, if they wanted to embrace a full rebuild, if they wanted to fire Tomlin, if they wanted to draft a rookie quarterback, if they wanted to trade their expensive veteran pieces like Watt, Hayward, Minka for draft capital, I would have gotten on board with that plan, but they decided not to do that. They had decided that they still want to try and win. And I think with the moves that they made this offseason, I think they pretty much maximized what they could have done, right? They got DK Metaf, Aaron Rogers. I think out of the realistic quarterback options gives you the best chance to win this year. I really like the addition of Caleb Johnson. I like the moves they made on defense, too. Uh even though I will miss Minka, but I think Jaylen will be a bigger impact. Like I like this off season a lot from GM Omar Khan. He’s made a lot of big moves and he has not been afraid to make big changes to this roster in pursuit of a championship. And uh I think at the end of the day, even if they don’t hoist a Lombardi trophy in the next two years before Cam Hayward retires, I will have a hell of a lot of respect for the way that the Steelers are are at least trying to get that done for Cam uh before he ends up retiring. So do it now. Go down there in the comments section, show some love for TJ Watt. Uh spam those 90s down there if you’re excited. 90 is going to be here for the next four years. All right, we got one from Mark. Says, “Any word from Justin Simmons camp that he is visiting with any teams?” uh you would have to think he would want to sign before training camp. Haven’t heard anything from Justin Simmons in terms of uh in terms of uh visiting anywhere or anything like that. Uh he signed really late in the offseason last year. I think it was after training camp began, really close to the start of the season with the Atlanta Falcons. So, he’s no stranger to this and I think that he is more than comfortable waiting for the right team. I think if the Steelers really wanted him, they probably would have uh uh reached out to him by now. It’s either that or they they reached out and he’s not interested in the Steelers. He doesn’t think Aaron Rogers has it anymore. So, I would say the chances of Justin Simmons coming here relatively low. I wouldn’t say they’re zero. And I would like the signing if they brought him in. Don’t get me wrong. Still a ball hawk, but uh um I would say at this point, you know, if he wanted to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, I think he probably would be. Uh Eric Brown says we win this year and go to the Super Bowl. Um you know, I I I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility. Now, a lot of stuff needs to go right, right? Like there’s a lot of stuff that uh a lot of question marks surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers, right? The running like Caleb Johnson’s going to have to break out this year. The offensive line is going to have to take a major step forward. Aaron Rodgers is going to have a going to have to have a bounceback season and stay healthy. Um, you know, one of these receivers on the team, Calvin Austin or Roman Wilson’s going to have to step up into a legit number two receiver role. um you know the defensively Jaylen Ramsay is going to have to show that he was worth uh the investment they made in him. Uh you know TJ Watt is going to have to continue his dominance along the defensive line. Like a lot of things need to go right for the Steelers to be legit Super Bowl contenders because they don’t have an elite quarterback. Um I think Rogers has what it takes to be top 10 and good enough to win a Super Bowl if the right help is around him. Um, but right now there’s certainly some question marks and some things that the Steelers are going to have to uh, you know, really make sure they do this year if they’re going to put themselves in contention to hoist a seventh Lombardi trophy. I think they got a lot of potential this year and I’m excited to see it happen and we’re going to be covering it every step of the way the 2025 season for your Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want free daily premium Steelers coverage every single day on this channel, that’s what we provide for you guys here on Steelers Talk. So click that subscribe button to never miss a video. [Music]

Pittsburgh Steelers rumors discussed on this week’s Steelers Talk mailbag with host and Chat Sports NFL Analyst Jack Sperry:
– Will Calvin Austin III break out as Pittsburgh’s bonafide WR2 this year?
– Will the Steelers trade for Jauan Jennings?
– Could the Steelers sign a wide receiver, a safety, or both before the start of the season?
– Can Juan Thornhill be a suitable starting free safety for the Steelers this season?
– Concerns surrounding paying T.J. Watt the money the Steelers did
– Will Jaylen Warren have a breakout season this year?
– What would Jack trade in exchange for a legit WR2?
– Why hasn’t Justin Simmons signed with anyone yet?
– Could the Steelers realistically win the Super Bowl this year? What needs to go right in order for the Steelers to be able to win a title this year?

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– Steelers News: TJ Watt’s Extension Just Got BETTER + Insider Says PIT May SIGN A Safety Before Camp – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19AQnjLnFJI
– BREAKING: T.J. Watt Signs MASSIVE Extension With Pittsburgh Steelers | Full Details & Reaction https://youtu.be/pZG0fKbQrLQ
– REPORT: Steelers Pursuing A Trade For Jauan Jennings + How PIT SAVED Money With The Ramsey Trade https://youtu.be/ZusLJld3_qM

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