Asked and Answered: Aug. 12

The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.

JAMES MAC PHERSON FROM BEACHWOOD, NJ: Read your after-the-game comments. I see that Skylar Thompson gets Player of the Week. Yes, he did good and you commented on that also. So is 8-for-9 for 84 yds a TD pass plus complete control of the game in one series against Jacksonville’s first-string defense not enough for Mason Rudolph to get any credit? Or is he going to be overlooked again?
ANSWER: Putting aside for a minute that I am flabbergasted by getting push-back on picking a Player of the Week in the preseason opener, my reasoning behind going with Skylar Thompson was because he played much longer than Mason Rudolph. As I wrote, “Thompson quarterbacked the offense in 6 of its 9 possession over the course of the game, and in those he completed 20-of-28 (71.4 percent) for 233 yards, with 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a rating of 132.0. In those 6 possessions, the Steelers scored 3 touchdowns and a field goal and converted 6-of-9 on third downs in what ended up being a 31-25 victory.” That was why I chose Thompson, but the first sentence of the very next paragraph read: “Also considered (was) Mason Rudolph, who started at quarterback and completed 9-of-10 (90 percent) for 84 yards, with 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, and a rating of 135.0.”

RANDALL TOLSON FROM CLIFTON HEIGHTS, PA: Will Dylan Cook make the team, maybe start?
ANSWER: Dylan Cook (6-feet-6, 305 pounds) was signed by the Steelers in May 2023 after being waived by Tampa Bay, and he has been with the team since then. Currently, Cook is listed as the backup at RT behind starter Troy Fautanu, and in the preseason opener in Jacksonville, Cook played 32 offensive snaps, which was the most of any Steelers offensive tackle in that game. As of this writing, I believe Cook will be one of the offensive linemen kept on the initial 53-man roster, but with the starting tackles being a pair of recent…