First Call: Mike Tomlin addresses Arthur Smith's hiring, Mason Rudolph's departure, Cole Holcomb's health

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin shared some background on Arthur Smith’s hiring, Mason Rudolph’s departure and Cole Holcomb’s recovery.

A Steelers rival gives opinions on the franchise’s quarterback situation. And a Robert Morris men’s hockey goalie has a pro contract.

All that in Monday’s “First Call.”

Tomlin talks about his new OC

While at the NFL meetings in Orlando, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke for the first time about his decision to hire Arthur Smith as the team’s offensive coordinator.

And, to the surprise of no one, it sounds as if Tomlin is attracted to Smith’s run-first mentality.

“I respect his approach to ball,” Tomlin said. “His values are very evident in looking at his tape and they are aligned with things that we value, controlling the game through our bigs and building from there.”

It also appears that Tomlin was influenced by some feedback from former offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who worked with Smith in Tennessee.

“I’ve got close relationships with some people that were really significant in his development and helped him establish some things that he strongly believes in,” Tomlin added. “Guys that I’ve had an opportunity to work with, like Munch, for example. It was really a great deal of comfort. And, beyond comfort, it was a great deal of excitement in terms of bringing him on board.”

For as much as Tomlin may be intrigued by Smith’s dedication to the run, how he can get the most out of Russell Wilson (or Justin Fields) as the team’s quarterback may be the biggest X-factor in terms of the offense’s success or failure this year.

Wondering about Rudolph

Tomlin also briefly discussed the departure of quarterback Mason Rudolph. He signed in the first week of free agency with the Tennessee Titans after leading the Steelers to the playoffs with three straight wins at the end of the 2023 regular season.

“He was a member of the free-agent market that we had personal knowledge of and a positive experience,” Tomlin said. “So, certainly, we were interested and open to doing business with him. But we evaluated the entire market and made decisions that we thought were best for us.”

That’s an understandable enough response related to signing Wilson as competition for Kenny Pickett. But remember the timeline.

It became known that Wilson was going to sign with the Steelers late on a Sunday night (March 10). Rudolph signed in Nashville on Wednesday afternoon (March 13). Pickett was traded on Friday (March 15). And Fields was acquired via trade Saturday (March 16).

So the question still remains whether the Steelers would’ve given serious consideration to keeping Rudolph as Wilson’s backup if they knew Pickett was going to ask for a trade two days later or whether they still would’ve let Rudolph walk regardless of Pickett’s status because they preferred Fields and felt that they could land him anyway.

In other words, when exactly did Pickett give word that he wanted out, and did that matter at all in the team’s willingness to let Rudolph walk?

My guess is that they would’ve let Rudolph leave regardless. But, as we have discussed previously, if the Steelers ever finally say anything about that hypothetical somewhere down the line, just believe the opposite of what they say on the record.

Status quo on Cole

Tomlin had very little to offer on the Cole Holcomb front. But what he did advance was positive.

The inside linebacker suffered a significant leg injury in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans and was lost for the rest of the season. Both Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan seemed a bit dubious about Holcomb’s availability to start 2024 when discussing his injury this offseason.

On Sunday, though, Tomlin seemed slightly more optimistic.

“He just had a checkup a few weeks back,” Tomlin said. “It was a favorable one. But I don’t have any details from a calendar perspective of levels of availability.

“I still think we’re a decent ways out. I’d be speculating.”

Holcomb recently posted a workout video, suggesting he’s trying to make a comeback soon. The Steelers certainly buffered themselves at inside linebacker by signing Patrick Queen at the start of free agency.

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Questions from Cleveland

Deshaun Watson is wondering aloud about the quarterback moves made in Pittsburgh. While speaking on his podcast with Quincy Avery and teammate David Njoku, the Cleveland Browns quarterback suggested Justin Fields may not be in the best spot if the Steelers are really committed to starting Russell Wilson.

“I think they should have a competition. Best man wins, at the end of the day. But to each his own,” Watson said to Avery via SteelersDepot. “That’s their own organization. They said Russell’s the guy. I think if he’s the guy, I think Justin could have went to a better situation so he can play.”

Maybe. But it was the Steelers who traded for him, so Fields is just going to have to deal with it if Wilson is the preordained starter.

Also, if Wilson does perform well, who is to say the Steelers keep him if he commands a large salary? Many seem to think that Fields was acquired with an eye toward that potential outcome.

However, to Watson’s first point, yes, there should be a competition. And if Fields is genuinely better than Wilson, Fields should get the job. I mean, it’s not like Wilson is costing much of anything against the salary cap.

But perhaps more germane to the conversation is that if Wilson is truly washed up, the Steelers need to be prepared to make a move and bench Wilson and give Fields a chance under center if needed and not be stubborn to prove they were right about acquiring Wilson in the first place.

Colonial now a Komet

Former Robert Morris men’s hockey goalie Chad Veltri has signed an ECHL contract with the Fort Wayne Komets.

Congrats to @NoBarDwn28 on signing with the @FWKomets‼️ Tonight he’ll be the backup at Wheeling! #BobbyMo #ColonialsInThePros pic.twitter.com/YCDRJYfFt1

— RMU Men’s Hockey (@RMUMHockey) March 23, 2024

The Fox Chapel product dressed as the backup during Ft. Wayne’s 3-1 loss in Wheeling on Saturday. The team doesn’t play again until Friday in Indianapolis against the Indy Fuel.

Veltri transferred to RMU this fall for a graduate year after four seasons with Niagara. Backstopping a first-year rebooted program, his 1,054 saves were the most in college hockey through the first two rounds of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs, prior to the Colonials’ eventual elimination by RIT.

The Tigers went on to win the conference and will play Boston University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.