How Pittsburgh can use him — now and later

The “intel” factor (and its limits)

What it means in Foxborough

Health, timeline, and realistic expectations

The bigger picture for Pittsburgh

If Bentley sticks, the Steelers add a veteran who elevates the floor of a room. Not every acquisition must be a splash; some are insulation against the attrition that always arrives around Halloween. A team with playoff aspirations will play a bunch of one-score games where two or three tackles at or behind the sticks flip the script. Bentley is built for those margins — the third-and-one stop, the screen snuffed on second-and-seven, the goal-line thud that forces a field goal. Stack enough of those, and you buy your offense extra possessions and better field position without needing headline plays.

Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

All of which funnels toward a tidy reality: kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Gillette Stadium. Whether Bentley is elevated or remains a practice-squad add for the week, the subplot is already doing its job — adding juice to a matchup that rarely needs help. For New England, it’s about protecting home turf and tightening the screws in a new era. For Pittsburgh, it’s about stealing one on the road and onboarding a veteran voice who might help them win a different game down the line.

Either way, Ja’Whaun Bentley has reentered the conversation. The next chapter is his to write — one meeting, one practice, one snap at a time.