Asked and Answered: June 14

RAYNE KNIGHT FROM SHERIDAN, WY: Does the NFL plan to bring the new helmets being used during training camp into the regular season?
ANSWER: The league just began taking some exploratory steps to implement the Guardian Cap helmet covers during the period from the start of minicamp through the second preseason game, and I would imagine there would need to be much more research done before the step of using them during regular season games would be mandated. For example, the caps don’t deflect off each other as easily as hard helmets that can result in a glancing blow, and it’s not yet known whether that might increase the likelihood of neck injuries during collisions. Bottom line, it’s still way, way, way too early in the process to go from using the Guardian Cap helmet covers in the controlled environment of minicamps and training camps to using them in regular season games where the on-field action can be much more chaotic.

JOHN ROEBUCK FROM ALTOONA, PA: After Joe Greene, where would you rate Cam Heyward as far as the best defensive linemen in franchise history?
ANSWER: In one measurement, Cam Heyward and Joe Greene stand alone among the franchise’s best interior defensive linemen, because they are the only two to be voted Associated Press first-team All-Pro more than once. I believe that before his career is over – and likely as some point during the 2022 regular season – Heyward will have more career sacks than any defensive lineman in franchise history, which would be another notch on his resume. I typically lean toward deferring career achievement ratings until careers are over, but I am comfortable in making the point that Heyward is on the way to establishing himself as the No. 2 defensive lineman in Steelers history.

CHRISTOPHER GALLOWAY FROM DALLAS, TX: I have been looking at videos and pictures of practice during minicamp and noticed that the only one of Minkah Fitzpatrick is of him standing by himself. Is he doing what T.J. Watt did last year?
ANSWER:…