Tim Benz: Important questions for Steelers assistants with a rare chance to ask at minicamp

As Steelers minicamp starts Tuesday, it’s a chance for the media to ask the assistant coaches about all the issues facing the team before training camp begins next month.

Here are a few that should be on the agenda.

Why can’t Dan Moore play right tackle?: I’m not even going to bother asking offensive coordinator Arthur Smith why the team keeps starting Moore at left tackle anymore. They just seem hellbent on doing it.

But I do want to know from Smith and offensive line coach Pat Meyer why Moore isn’t capable of playing the right side. What is the wizardry of that position switch that he isn’t getting, that Broderick Jones is picking up, and that they are forcing Troy Fautanu to learn?

After all, Moore is the more experienced player and the player with less pedigree. Yet the club seems perfectly comfortable moving its two first-round picks to accommodate Moore’s inability to switch. Fautanu is learning the right side. So is Jones. And it appears that Jones will be the player that has to move from the right side to left side depending on injury or performance, not Moore.

I’m also curious as to why Moore — who isn’t under contract for next year — seems so content in letting the NFL know publicly that he is far more fond of playing the left side and borderline incapable of playing the right side when free agency is approaching.

That strikes me as counterproductive on his end.

What’s the plan at receiver if they don’t add anyone?: Smith’s offense allegedly isn’t too reliant on wide receivers. That’s good because, as of now, they don’t have any of repute beyond George Pickens.

At some point a pecking order has to be established. That’s not going to happen this week. It’ll have to happen at training camp. But it sure would be nice to know what direction Smith and new wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni are leaning.

More importantly, do they have any insight as to what the front office may be thinking in terms of adding someone?

If that doesn’t happen, I’m sure Steelers fans would love to know if there is a leading candidate to start alongside Pickens from the veteran group of Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Quez Watkins, Scotty Miller and Denzel Mims. If there isn’t, is Roman Wilson really capable of making the leap from third-round rookie to starter?

Because there’s a difference between “not receiver reliant” and simply not getting any production from the position at all.

How is the new look secondary going to shake out?: Specifically, I want to know what the coaches saw in Carolina’s Donte Jackson at cornerback that made the team willing to trade Dionate Johnson for him. Also, what’s the plan for him now that Cameron Sutton is back in town?

We know Joey Porter Jr. is going to follow the other team’s best receiver. We know Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee are back to play safety.

DaShon Elliot has been added to play safety and to help in the slot. We don’t know to what extent he is going to be leveraged as opposed to (or with) Kazee. We also don’t know if Cory Trice and Darius Rush are game-ready in terms of their recovery from injury. And we really don’t know what the likes of Grayland Arnold, Anthony Averett and Josiah Scott have to offer.

Rookies Ryan Watts and Beanie Bishop could be consideration for playing time as well.

Hopefully, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Grady Brown do and are willing to share at least some answers.

Can you spare a dime?: Another thing to ask of Austin and Jackson is how much nickel versus dime the defense plans to be in throughout the season.

Inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry may be the most important guy to speak with on this topic, as rookie Payton Wilson’s development is a key factor.

If Wilson proves capable of covering in passing situations, he and Patrick Queen can patrol the middle of the field while being able to also provide more of a run-stopping presence than having six DBs out there as often. They’ll also complement each other in the blitz game. Elandon Roberts proved more capable in three-down situations than expected last year, too. Plus, some within the organization are still holding out hope that Cole Holcomb will be back to good form from his knee injury at some point this year.

Should those linebackers stay on the field with good health and effectiveness more often than we saw last year, then perhaps those questions about the secondary become more about depth than a heavy snap load with less dime being played.

So how is this going to work?: I’ve heard that there is so much confusion over how this new kickoff rule is going to work that officials are informally reaching out to coaches they know across the league to see how they are interpreting some of the rules.

Expect chaos early on.

I’m very interested to hear how candid special teams coordinator Danny Smith is when it comes to revealing what they’ve figured out about the potential loopholes in the rules themselves, and how teams may try to exploit them.

Kick return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson made his arrival at OTAs last week and claims he is healthy. Now that he is in Pittsburgh, live prep on the return side can really take place this week, but the coverage element is going to be every bit as important to figure out at Saint Vincent College in July and August.