Latest steelers mailbag i is santonio holmes a candidate to return

Scott BrownFeb 9, 2015, 09:00 AM ET

Another round of great questions, and I got enough of them that the second part of the mailbag will run Tuesday morning. If you have a question, please send to @ScottBrown_ESPN with #mail.

And away we go...

@ScottBrown_ESPN some whispers of Santonio making a comeback to the steel city. Would we ever release Lance and bring Holmes back? #Mail
— Kevin Adams (@KevinAdams26) February 6, 2015

@ScottBrown_ESPN: I see half of the equation happening. Lance Moore wants out of Pittsburgh and I think the Steelers will grant the veteran wide receiver his wish since he never really fit into the offense. I don't think Santonio Holmes will be brought back to provide depth at wide receiver considering he turns 31 in March and caught just eight passes in nine games last season before the Chicago Bears released him. Moore was clearly frustrated with his role last season but did not complain about it. Holmes, who has never been known as a team-first player, might not be so quiet about if the Steelers brought him back to play limited snaps. I understand that this time of year generates nostalgia for Holmes because his game-winning touchdown catch in Super Bowl XLIII is replayed over and over. But it's time for Steelers fans to move past Holmes. I think the organization did that a long time ago.

@ScottBrown_ESPN Is Troy coming back next season? #Mail
— Michael Furlong (@8Mick) February 6, 2015

@ScottBrown_ESPN: I have my doubts. Troy Polamalu said after the playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens that it was fair to question whether he had played his last game for the Steelers. And that was before the Steelers parted ways with Dick LeBeau, the only defensive coordinator Polamalu has played for since becoming a starter in 2004. Ultimately I think Polamalu, who turns 34 in April, might decide to call it a career because he simply can't run well enough to do the things that once made him one of the most dynamic players in the NFL. And Polamalu always struck me as the kind of player who would move on rather than try to hang on after his skills had eroded to a certain point. If Polamalu is not there yet and wants to come back in 2015, he will likely have to take a pay cut to do so. Polamalu's base salary is $6 million next season with a salary-cap hit of $8.25 million. That is too expensive for an aging safety who did not record a sack or interception in a season for the first time since 2007.

@ScottBrown_ESPN Would you select DB or OLB in the Draft #mail or simply go BPA.
— Bill Pintsak (@SteelerBill13) February 6, 2015

@ScottBrown_ESPN: All of that depends on who is available at No. 22, if the Steelers stay where they are in the first round. I don't take a cornerback or outside linebacker with the first pick just to fill a need, but I don't necessarily take the best players available, either. I know the Steelers have to find a running back to provide quality depth behind Le'Veon Bell. But it would be silly to take one with their first-round pick even if a player such as Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon is at the top of the Steelers' draft board when it is their turn to pick. The Steelers have too many other needs to indulge in such a luxury, which is why their first-round pick will be a player whom the Steelers really like and one who also addresses a need. It seems to happen that way every year.

@ScottBrown_ESPN would you bring back both Brett and James as backups who could start if needed especially with lack of depth at both spots?
— Eugene Mannarino (@steelmann58) February 6, 2015

@ScottBrown_ESPN: I would bring back Keisel and try to re-sign Harrison for one more season because of what each can provide both on the field and in the locker room. Keisel accepted a part-time role last season, and if you are choosing between him and Cam Thomas as far as bringing one of those players back to provide depth at defensive end, what is the decision? Keisel is clearly the better player and it's not like Thomas has any upside or long-term future in Pittsburgh. The Steelers might need edge pass rushers in the worst way, depending on what happens in free agency, and Harrison showed last season that he can still get after the quarterback. My hunch is that the Steelers will commit to going all the way to getting younger on defense with a new coordinator in Keith Butler. And even if they want Harrison back, I think he signs with the Tennessee Titans if LeBeau asks Harrison to join him there.

From @meeladzamani10 on Twitter: How likely is it that Bell will face a two-game suspension for his pot arrest?

@ScottBrown_ESPN: The Steelers are bracing for a suspension and my guess is that it will be for one game at the beginning of next season. Bell's arrest is his first violation of the personal conduct policy, and I think that, plus his model behavior following his arrest last August, bodes well for Bell avoiding a two-game suspension. Remember that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell initially suspended former Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games last July for punching out his then fiancee before public outrage eventually led to harsher punishment. Bell's arrest, while not something that should be taken lightly, does not rise to the level of domestic abuse.

@ScottBrown_ESPN The lack of a good pass rush has been a negative in the past few years. Who's more to blame, the OLB's or DLINE? #mail
— Grant Boehler (@Grant7leb) February 6, 2015

@ScottBrown_ESPN: That falls more on the outside linebackers, especially in a 3-4 defense. The Steelers have not had an outside linebacker reach double-digits in sacks in a season since 2010, when both Harrison (10 1/2) and LaMarr Woodley (10) each accomplished the feat. The Steelers, not coincidentally, led the NFL with 48 sacks that season. Woodley was having a monster season in 2011 when he tore his hamstring at the end of October. He played just two games the rest of the season and was never the same player as a series of soft-tissue injuries limited his playing time and production -- and led to the Steelers releasing Woodley last March. There is no telling how good of a player Woodley would been with the Steelers had he stayed healthy - and perhaps more motivated after signing a six-year, $61.5 million contract in 2011. But the pass rush hasn't been nearly what it was when both Harrison and Woodley were in their prime. That is why the Steelers desperately need Jarvis Jones to emerge in his third NFL season and play like the first-round draft pick that he was in 2013.

NFL Nation

Steelers Mailbag I: Is Santonio Holmes a candidate to return?