Mike Tomlin excited about Steelers’ mindset: ‘We as a collective have some questions to answer’

With the 2024 NFL Draft officially in the rearview, the Steelers now have a prove-it season squarely in their sights.

Speaking to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager on Day 3 of this weekend's spectacle, head coach Mike Tomlin shared his encouragement with the team's overall outlook -- starting with his new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields on down the rest of the roster.

"It's going really well," Tomlin said about Smith and the QBs. "All three guys, to be really transparent, are somewhat scalded. They got something to prove professionally. But we as a collective feel the same way. We have something to prove, and I just think that is a good frame of mind to be in as individuals and as a collective as we prepare ourselves for the 2024 season. It's not fun to relocate or get fired or things of that nature. But as competitors, it always motivates us in the right way, and I'm excited about working with the men that you mentioned. And we as a collective have got some questions to answer, so I'm excited about that, as well."

The team hired Arthur Smith after his 21-30 record in three seasons as the Falcons' head coach saw him temporarily unemployed. His offenses averaged a 22nd-place ranking in points in Atlanta, but he guided the Tennessee Titans to a top-10 finish in both 2019 and 2020 as a coordinator.

Tomlin is looking for him to prove he's still the coach who accomplished those numbers, just as he's excited by Wilson and Fields looking to rewrite the castoff narrative that brought them to the Steel City.

Wilson, in pole position to be Pittsburgh's QB1, saw a downturn in two seasons with the Broncos while failing to live up to his high-profile trade from Seattle, while Fields just