Druin Mailbag: JuJu's Future, Tag-Team Matches, HOF Debates and More

"Here's the mail, it never fails, It makes me want to wag my tail, when it comes I wanna wail, MAIL!!!"- Steve, from Blues Clues.

It's been roughly three months since my last mailbag, and boy have things changed. The world's been shut down due to a virus, free agency and the NFL Draft have already passed, and there's no sure thing as a sports season anymore. We talked things such as XFL and whatever Antonio Brown was up to... much simpler times.

However, we're back and (hopefully) better than ever with a slew of new questions for me to answer. Thank you to everybody who helped by submitting questions, and we hope everybody continues to stay safe during these trying times!

Without further delay...

QUESTION- Drafting Claypool does not mean the end for JuJu, but do you think drafting Highsmith could signal that for Bud?

Donnie- If we're comparing replacements, I would argue that the draft signaled JuJu's departure louder than Dupree's. The organization has continually stated that he goal for Dupree was to remain in Pittsburgh for the long haul, and while opportunities haven't quite approached Tomlin/Colbert publicly to address Smith-Schuster's situation, there hasn't been a lot of support from the organization in his corner for a second stint.

Highsmith's situation brings a bit more interest, however. The Steelers don't trust the development of Ola Adeniyi fully, and made that very apparent in taking a guy like Highsmith in the third-round. I believe he was brought in as a valued depth piece behind Watt/Dupree, and if development serves him right, Highsmith could potentially emerge into a potential starter... if needed.

To really answer your question though, I don't see Highsmith as a threat to Dupree's future in Pittsburgh. Highsmith is a hell of a pass-rusher, but he's got some learning to do before he's capable of starting opposite of Watt.

QUESTION- How do you like Roethlisberger MVP odds at 50-1?

Donnie- If you have a couple bucks, it probably wouldn't hurt to throw a few down in the chance that Roethlisberger comes back and lights up the league like we've never seen him do.

However, with talents such as Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson existing among a plethora of worldly talents, it will be very hard to award him the MVP trophy over other guys in those areas. He'd need to excel his 2014 or 2018 statistical seasons to even sniff being a finalist, and with his current age and injury history, that's probably not his or the team's focus as of now.

Comeback Player of the Year though? I like those chances much better.

QUESTION- Come the start of the season, what are your predictions on what the RB room looks like? Who's in, who's out?

Donnie- While I do think every running back on the roster brings something to the table, I think (barring something crazy) the roster spots/depth chart will be fairly easy to evaluate.

James Conner is undoubtedly the starter, and rightfully so. However, he's got quite the year ahead of him in terms of importance and expectations. When healthy, he's a stellar back. Pittsburgh will roll with him until they're forced elsewhere.

The Steelers really liked Benny Snell last season, but may not be confident in his ability to be a three down back, hence the drafting of Anthony McFarland. Snell is a tough, physical runner who can pick up that three yards and a cloud of dust when you need it.

Pittsburgh (like most teams) typically only keep three running backs on the active roster, and with two spots down, we're down to our final spot. While other guys like Trey Edmunds and Kerrith Whyte did contribute, this competition really belongs to Anthony McFarland and Jaylen Samuels.

From here, it's easy to read the writing on the wall. Samuels' 2019 could be classified as disappointing, and they brought in a guy who does pretty much everything he did. McFarland's tape shows he can be what the Steelers wanted Samuels to be: A fast, change of pace back that can catch passes out of the backfield. You don't draft a fourth-round player to not contribute.

McFarland is in the third slot, leaving Samuels as the odd man out.

QUESTION- Who is going to play the used to be important hybrid role that everyone forgot about?

Donnie- If you're referring to the good ol Mark Barron role of playing that linebacker/safety/box safety/anywhere position and want candidates outside of Terrell Edmunds (who is starting already), I can give you two:

The first would be one of the team's newest additions, Antoine Brooks Jr. Brooks played that exact role you're speaking about at Maryland, as the team really liked his versatility on the defensive side of the ball. He doesn't really fit well as a full-time safety or linebacker, so perhaps that role is best served until Pittsburgh figures out who he is as a football player.

The second would be Ulysees Gilbert, the second-year inside linebacker who didn't play in 2019 due to injury. The Steelers showed a vote of faith in Gilbert (the only other inside linebacker on the team outside of Vince Williams and Devin Bush) by not drafting another inside linebacker. Gilbert appears to be athletic enough to fit this mold, but Brooks Jr. may be better fitted.

Sadly there's no clear-cut answer, but we should know more as training camps and preseason games are played.

QUESTION- Ditka and Belichick vs Tomlin and Cowher in a tag team battle. Do you see this as likely in the post-covid apocalyptic world, and if so, where do you set the odds?

Donnie- First of all, best question ever.

To answer your question, this will likely never happen unless Rob Gronkowski negotiated the deal of a lifetime with the WWE before h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶c̶e̶i̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶b̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶e̶a̶r̶l̶y̶ joined the Buccaneers.

But I don't get paid to not talk about hypothetical questions.

I would have to side with Tomlin/Cowher simply due to age and health. Cowher keeps in great shape, and Tomlin is the youngest out of the four coaches. Pair "more" youth and health against age and less than ideal physical attributes (face it, we don't know what's under Belichick's hood), and I think we can establish Tomlin/Cowher as the early favorites.

I'll initially set the odds for Tomlin/Cowher at -325, and Ditka/Belichick at +400. A win seems very unlikely for Ditka/Belichick, but in the world of tag-team battles anything is possible.

QUESTION- Do you think Pittsburgh is good enough offensively to keep up with the Chiefs?

Donnie- In short, no.

I don't think the Chiefs would necessarily win by 50, but I also don't think that shootout would go down to the wire. Pittsburgh's arsenal of weapons (JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, Diontae Johnson, Eric Ebron and potentially Chase Claypool) are absolutely formidable, but when matched up against guys such as Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Travis Kelce, Damien Williams and potentially Clyde Edwards-Helaire, I would take the Chiefs.

What the match-up boils down to for me, however, is a prime Patrick Mahomes is paired with some of the league's best offensive minds in Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy. It's tough to beat that with any team, let alone an aging Ben Roethlisberger (regardless of how great he'll look in his return) paired with Randy Fichtner.

Sorry, Steelers fans. The Chiefs have possibly the best offense in the league.

QUESTION- With Colbert taking it year by year, who are you pegging as the next GM? Is it someone who loves to collect draft capital or the type of guy that loves big name free agents? Or are you expecting the same as we’ve had with KC?

Donnie- People in Pittsburgh seem to believe Vice President of Football and Business Administration Omar Khan is next in line once Colbert is retired. Khan, who has been with the team for nearly 20 years, has learned under Colbert's wing and holds a big responsibility in building the team on a yearly basis.

Case in point, the Steelers essentially have a general manager outside of the official role.

I'm not quite sure what Khan's mind is at in terms of signing free agents, although he's been the guy to work the salary cap for the Steelers in recent years. I'm very sure both guys are different, but in a perfect world, Khan would take the best of Colbert's teachings and incorporate them in his own ways of building a team.

QUESTION- What does life after Ben look like? Who’s the long term starter at QB?

Donnie- I'm going to be very honest with both of us and try to tell you what I believe the organization is doing.

Steelers fans got a taste of what life after Ben looks like, and it didn't look pretty. It's extremely hard to follow in the footsteps of a Hall of Fame quarterback.

What the plan (again, in my humble opinion) is for Pittsburgh: Mason Rudolph is the guy... for now.

No matter how hard we wanted to push a quarterback to Pittsburgh, it just didn't happen. There's a reason for that. Colbert (and Tomlin) have both repeatedly stated their confidence in Rudolph following 2019, and that showed despite free agents and potential draft picks being turned down.

The key is officially in the "win now" car, and that involves focusing all efforts on getting another Super Bowl before Roethlisberger retires. At least through Roethlisberger's reign, the team is comfortable in Rudolph's ability to step in if needed.

However, that may go out the door once Roethlisberger is gone.

When we cross that bridge, the Steelers will have to ask themselves a question: Has Rudolph shown us enough to be a starting quarterback going forward?

If yes, the Steelers already have their guy. If not, the Steelers will look to the draft to regroup.

Is the long-term starter currently on the team? That's unfortunately a question that can't be answered right now. The potential long-term starter and current short-term number two quarterback is here, however. His name is Mason Rudolph.

QUESTION- I was a bit of a fan with the Steelers not drafting an offensive tackle in a higher round. Some think that wasn't a good move. How will this line look moving forward with age and contracts? Second question is how about the defensive line... Any chance there is someone on the roster who has a shot at actually stepping in and contributing if there's an injury?

Donnie- Trench talk, I'm here for it! I'll address both parts of your question separated by offense/defense.

I also agreed with not drafting an offensive tackle. Villanueva and Feiler did just fine as tackles last season, and the Steelers seem to like Zach Banner and Chukwuma Okorafor behind them.

In 2020, I think this will be the starting line-up:

Villanueva-Wisniewski-Pouncey-DeCastro-Feiler

Drafting guard Kevin Dotson looks like a better pick with each passing day, as draft analysts have raved about his abilities to potentially become a fluid starter in the league. For now, I think Wisniewski starts the season as the left guard, but Dotson may be closer than we think.

As far as contracts go: Villanueva and Feiler are both set to be free agents after this year, while Pouncey and DeCastro are set to become free agents after 2021. There's a lot of potential turnover that could take place in the trenches within the next few years, but that goes along with the theme of simply focusing on Roethlisberger's remaining years.

As for the defensive line, I actually think the depth at defensive end has never been better. Outside of Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt, Tyson Alualu stepped up phenomenally last year in Tuitt's absence, while new addition Chris Wormley and second-year player Isaiah Buggs look to assist in that help as well.

It's where the lack of a true nose tackle concerns me.

Look, I get it, the Steelers don't play in their traditional 3-4 a lot and sub-packages are now the new norm. However, perhaps we're underestimating Javon Hargrave's impact. Colbert essentially stated before the NFL Draft that nose tackles were becoming less normal, and the team followed up on that belief by drafting Carlos Davis. I think Davis and Buggs both have the athleticism to potentially step in Hargrave's role.

I'm more confident in Buggs stepping up for Alualu ahead of Wormley and Davis, should that scenario present itself.

QUESTION- With Big Ben coming back from major injury and approaching 38, Eli joining Peyton in retirement, Rivers moving on from San Diego, Brees back for one last hurrah, Brady trying to win without Belichick in Tompa Bay, and A-Rod possibly looking to split with J-Lo and Green Bay, a golden generation of quarterbacks is slowly fading away from the NFL. Who from this group makes the Hall of Fame?

Donnie- Before I rile the masses up, I'd like to say that all of these quarterbacks were great during their time. I think this group can be separated by two categories: Absolute HOF players and... the other group.

The absolute guys? Roethlisberger, Brees, Brady and Rodgers. Those guys have both championships, numbers and overall legacy to carry them into the Hall of Fame easily. That's a really hard debate for any of these guys to not make it in Canton.

Then, you have... the debatables.

People obviously have strong feelings on either Rivers/Manning having their own gold bust, and both quarterbacks have two different arguments. Rivers has the gaudy numbers and now hardware, whereas Manning lacks on the stat sheet but has produced in the postseason on multiple occasions.

If these guys get in, it won't be first-ballot. I think both Rivers/Manning have similar chances to make it. I think Manning has a better argument than Rivers simply due to "legacy", but I wouldn't be surprised either way. However, if you're making me choose to vote either in, it would largely depend on the class. However, with the great players coming through each year, I believe it would be a no from me more times than not for both Rivers/Manning.