PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting to return from the bye week, but the break left them plenty of time to bask in the glory of being 6-2, and for general manager Omar Khan to really evaluate where this team should go at the trade deadline.

There are plenty of questions out there about the Steelers, right now, and it's a good time to dive into them.

Shout out to everyone who chimed in either through X, Facebook, Discord or YouTube.

Let's dive into it.

Mailbag 🚨 Send me your Steelers questions for a little Bye Week/Trade Deadline Q&A! pic.twitter.com/sfrKT2boed

— Noah Strackbein (@NoahStrackbein) November 5, 2026

@MrEd315: Be honest now. How surprised are you with the Steelers record and success so far?

I'm not surprised by the record; I'm surprised at how real the team feels at the bye week. The Steelers going 6-2 with the front half of the schedule seemed very possible, but there wasn't the thought that we'd be talking about them as contenders. Not actual ones.

The back half of the season was always going to be the more difficult half. It still will be, but the belief they could come out even stronger in the second half of the year is real, and it wasn't when I did my initial record prediction.

@Why_Cliff: We know Steelers need a WR and possibly a CB. Do you think they could swing and get both Josh Downs and Ward from the Colts? Kill 2 birds with 1 stone?

It's certainly possible. I don't know how likely it is. The Steelers are looking for wide receivers first, cornerbacks and defensive back help second. I think their chances of landing a wideout are significantly higher than a cornerback, but if Tuesday rolls around and guys are cheap, Omar Khan will at least make some phone calls.

@MarklovesAI550: Big thanks to you Noah because I’m a Pittsburgh kid who lives in Arizona and you keep me in touch with my favorite team… Question, it seems like PG was true to his word by moving TJ around more and working in Jack and Nick into different positions?

First off, thank you! Hope it's cooling down out there. Patrick Graham has made a lot of changes within this defense, and those changes faded for a moment, but they seem to be back. After a successful first two games, Pittsburgh's defense kind of fell into a slump where they looked too bland. Graham took the Cleveland Browns loss to heart and stood up in front of the group and made it known that they all need to trust each other and trust the plan to succeed.

Whatever that exactly means, it's working.

@InvestInOnG: Are we getting Downs or just rolling with whatever got? Do they trust Wilson enough to believe he can come back and be the separation guy they desperately need?

I do think they believe Roman Wilson will be an impact player once he returns from a finger injury, and there's a chance he's back after the Cincinnati Bengals game, even if it's with a rep count. There's still a pretty good chance they try to add at the deadline, though. Josh Downs isn't the only name, and you can expect them to call for just about everyone who's available and impactful.

@Felix_Charr: What's going on with Rodgers' downfield accuracy? 

I have a hard time believing the most accurate QB of all time suddenly lost his accuracy.

And does it change the type of WR you would target at the deadline?

Aaron Rodgers is 42 years old. He still has one of the greatest arms I've ever seen, but there are obvious signs of decline in his passing ability. It doesn't mean he's washed; it just means he's not going to be as perfect as he has always been. For every bad deep ball to DK Metcalf, there seems to be a good one.

It shouldn't change the type of receiver they're targeting at the deadline.

@Adamv204: Percentage chance steelers trade for btj or downs?

Either of the two? I'd go 50% chance right now. Boring answer, I know, but Brian Thomas Jr. is still an up-in-the-air trade candidate and if he doesn't get moved, Downs could be the top option for other teams like Kansas City and San Francisco.

Dominick Trevino: Do you think if we made the change on the right side of the OL earlier in the season, we would have beat the pats?

I think it would've been a much closer game. The right side needed some time to gel, but we're seeing the results of cohesion within the group. Who knows if it would've been strong enough to actually have a successful offense that week, but it definitely would've helped.

@JacobA: What is the most realistic outcome for the steelers this year and then after this year how do you see the draft going are we going to shoot for a qb first round or someone else just trying to see actual realistic things rather than hope or riding the highs we are on at the moment lol

I don't think anything is off the table for the Steelers this season. They're 6-2 at the bye week. Anyone sitting around saying they're out of a wide-open AFC is just speaking from emotion. It's anyone's game in the conference, and the Steelers are in the mix.

As for quarterback, the expectations should be as follows: Drew Allar, Will Howard, rookie quarterback or Mason Rudolph. Those are the four names that I can envision being their starter in 2028. Aaron Rodgers can be added to that mix if they make it to the AFC Championship Game or something close to it and look like they're "right there." Who knows what a Super Bowl opportunity can do to someone who says they're done but clearly wants to win.

@Maddie: Besides adding another pass catcher, what is clicking for this team? We would go on these little runs with Tomlin, but nothing felt like this.
Looking at our back half, what do you think the record will be when it comes to the playoffs?

A lot seems to be clicking. Jaylen Warren is an MVP candidate (or at least should be), the tight ends and offensive line are starting to emerge, and the defense is elite. Maybe top five in the NFL. Add Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy doing enough to make the offense move efficiently most of the time and you've got a pretty good-looking team, especially when there's no true standout powerhouse in the AFC.

I've got a 6-3 record in the back half for Pittsburgh. They finish the year 12-5 and in first place in the AFC North.

@rattzz.: Does DK have a rebound if we get another receiver to take off double teams or number one corners on him

I think adding another wide receiver helps DK Metcalf in a few ways. For one, it removes the pressure of having to have a "number one" option at wide receiver. If the Steelers stop force-feeding Metcalf the ball, defenses will probably pay a little less attention to him. That's easier if Rodgers is completing passes to other options more frequently.

I also think, depending on the player, you could add someone who forces defenses to pay just as much attention to them as Metcalf. Downs, Thomas Jr., if they're on the field, teams are going to pay attention to them. Even in a small capacity, that'll remove some of the pressure for Metcalf.

@SamA: Do you see the Steelers continuing the trend of running big packages with Spencer Anderson and try to be more reliant in the run game?

100%. Spencer Anderson was the secret weapon Mike McCarthy needed to discover. With Warren and Rico Dowdle playing as well as they are, Anderson is going to be utilized as if he's a starting offensive lineman. Heck, he's being announced as one during pre-game introductions.

@Poke_Salad: With our D playing so well, if it sticks and we end the year in the top 3-5, do you think people call for PG to get a HC job somewhere?

It's hard to imagine Patrick Graham's name not being floated around as a head coaching candidate after the season. How high on the board he'll be isn't something we can know just yet, but he'll be among those being talked about, for sure.

@Scott(KGKonYT): If the Steelers win at least 1 playoff game, do we trade up for a QB or do we go a different route in round 1?

They'll still consider moving up for a quarterback. A lot of moving parts in that equation still, but if the board works in their favor and they believe they could go land "their guy," there's nothing holding them back. They're done with the veteran quarterback route unless it's Allar, Howard or Rudolph.

@JimPeters: Is there any chance Gennings Dunker plays any snaps this year or is he shut down for the season?

Dunker could return this season but it's not likely he does unless the Steelers really need him. Right now, Dunker is working on the sideline at times with the trainers, doing some conditioning and rehabbing his knee. The Steelers only get a certain number of activations off of IR, so they won't use one on Dunker unless they find themselves short at guard later in the year.