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Updates from Week 4
Quarterbacks
The arrow continues to point up for second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. He enters his second season stronger and more confident in the pocket. Pickett has been virtually flawless in preseason play. In total, he played five drives across three preseason games and led the team to a touchdown on every single one of them. He punctuated his impressive offseason by going 4-for-4 for 86 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons in the preseason finale. In the three preseason games, he completed 13-of-15 passes for 199 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a perfect passer rating of 158.3. While dominating against other team’s backup defenders is not worthy of overreaction, it is much better than the alternative and should instill confidence.
Running Backs
The good news for the Steelers is that the run game should be better than last season based upon the improved play of the offensive line, Najee Harris is healthy, and Jaylen Warren’s emergence is inevitable. Harris remains the lead back. He led the position group with 16 first-team snaps during the preseason, but there has to be some concern because Warren also took 12 snaps with the starters and looked great. The sample size is extremely small, but the roughly 57-to-43 percent split we saw in preseason would make it tough for Harris to put up live up to his average draft position. The actual division of labor once we get to real games is still very much in question, however. “The chains are off now,” Harris said after the final preseason game. The implication was that he is ready to get to the games that matter and increase his workload. While it is possible that Harris does indeed step into a true workhorse role once the regular season arrives, the more likely outcome is something like a 60-40 split.
Wide Receivers
The Steelers were dreadful at creating explosive plays last season. The preseason hints at major improvement in that area. On the opening drive against the Falcons, Pickett completed a 33-yard pass to Diontae Johnson and then a 35-yard pass to George Pickens. Both Johnson and Pickens should put up better numbers than last season. “Just seeing those guys one-on-one, I’m going to always give them a chance,” Pickett said. “They’re both great players and really talented guys. I want to make sure I do my part and put the ball out there for them, and they do the rest.” Behind the top two, Allen Robinson is clearly entrenched as the third option and saw the same number of targets with the starters as Pickens and just one less than Johnson. Robinson ran a route on all but one of Pickett’s preseason attempts. Calvin Austin continued his strong August with an outstanding performance against Atlanta as a returner, showing off explosive speed and elite acceleration. He may need an injury to one of the top three to earn significant snaps on offense, but Austin has at least cemented his spot on the roster.
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth should have the best season of his young career. He has been a mainstay with the starters on the five preseason drives, running a route on 87% of Pickett’s dropbacks. Freiermuth out-targeted George Pickens in all but one of his healthy games with Pickett last season, so it may be worth considering the tight end as the No. 2 overall target in Matt Canada’s system. The Steelers are likely to keep Zach Gentry, Connor Heyward, and Darnell Washington as backups.
Defense
It was a bit of a surprise to see the starting defense on the field in the preseason finale, but the unit got a series and dominated. Edge rusher T.J. Watt had a sack and looks primed for a monster season. The front seven looks excellent. The Steelers are deep and talented on the defensive line and at outside linebacker. The revamped inside linebacker group of Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, Mark Robinson, and Kwon Alexander lacks star power but brings plenty of experience and versatility. The only real question for the unit is at cornerback. There is little quality depth behind the top three of Patrick Peterson, Joey Porter Jr Jr., and Levi Wallace. Peterson is 33 years old, and Porter is a rookie so the pressure is on.
Returners
The Steelers lost trust in return specialist Gunner Olszewski last season, and he could not earn it back. Instead, Pittsburgh appears to prefer Calvin Austin and Anthony McFarland Jr to return punts and kickoffs, respectively.
Updates from Week 3
Quarterbacks
Kenny Pickett had another excellent performance on Saturday against the Bills. He has been on the field for three drives this preseason and led the team to touchdowns on each. In total, he is 9-for-11 for 103 yards and two touchdowns. His big play on Saturday was a gorgeous 25-yard touchdown to Pat Freiermuth, threaded between multiple defenders. The offense looks completely different from last season when big plays were few and far between. Pickett is noticeably more aggressive in throwing down the field. There’s even talk the team could become more pass-happy this season, but is a philosophy change really likely? “When you come out and have that kind of success, what can you do?” Center Mason Cole said. “Maybe the rhythm isn’t there right now with the running game. We will have our chance once we get in season. There will be trials and tribulations. The point of emphasis all offseason has been scoring points, and we are doing it. I know it’s the preseason, but we are doing it.” Mark Kaboly of The Athletic named Pickett the training camp winner and wrote, “Pickett answered every question you could’ve had about him over three weeks, physically and mentally.” Mitch Trubisky played well, too, completing 10-of-13 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Running Backs
There was a roughly 70-30 split in favor of Najee Harris over Jaylen Warren in terms of snaps and touches last season. While Harris seems safe as the starter, it is fair to wonder whether the usage gap between the two closes in 2023 because Warren is more explosive than Harris. Warren’s acceleration on a 62-yard touchdown against the Bills was eye-opening and is an element missing from Harris’s game. Harris has never even had a 30-yard run in his NFL career. Long speed and explosiveness are not the only things that matter for a running back, but Warren’s big-play ability stands out against Harris’ more plodding nature. Harris has averaged less than four yards per carry in each of his two NFL seasons, while Warren averaged 4.9 yards last season. There are some parallels to the situation in Dallas the past few years when Ezekiel Elliott was less efficient than Tony Pollard but kept getting the lion’s share of snaps. That eventually resolved itself, as talent usually wins out. Don’t be surprised if the same occurs in Pittsburgh.
Wide Receivers
George Pickens has been a notable bright spot in camp. Kaboly noted that the “proverbial next step by a second-year receiver appears to be in progress.” Pickens is “no longer just a deep-ball or highlight-catch guy like we saw last camp and last season. He has transformed into a more polished receiver with an expanded route tree.” Pickens put up 801 receiving yards as a one-dimensional rookie in a poor passing offense. If both he and Pickett have improved as much as camp reports indicate, Pickens has breakout potential. Diontae Johnson remains entrenched as the starter across from Pickens. He was not targeted in limited snaps against the Bills but had a fantastic block to help spring Warren on his 62-yard touchdown. Allen Robinson remains the favorite to be the third receiver, working primarily from the slot. He caught one of two targets for 10 yards. Robinson will be pushed by Calvin Austin III, whose play is among the encouraging surprises of the offseason. However, he caught just one of three targets for 12 yards against Buffalo. Gunner Olszewski should make the team primarily for his special teams value. He led the Steelers with five catches for 41 yards in Week 2 while playing a whopping 51 snaps.
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth is the go-to option. He caught a 25-yard touchdown deep down the seam, making a nice adjustment on a ball slow slightly behind him. It was a solid overall outing for Freiermuth, who earned the second-highest grade amongst all Steelers offensive players. Freiermuth has run a route on each of the first-team offense’s passing plays. Darnell Washington drew two pass-interference penalties on fade routes. He should be a factor in the red zone and has shown well as a blocker, but he is buried behind Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, and Connor Heyward to start his NFL career.
Defense
Rookie outside linebacker Nick Herbig has flashed enticing potential as a pass rusher and could quickly emerge as the top backup behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. He had a strip-sack early in the third quarter, where he showed off an incredible bend around the edge and stayed on his feet through contact. Herbig has been the most impressive rookie in camp. Cornerback Elijah Riley has been a standout and is making a push for slot snaps. He had an interception against Buffalo. The lone negative for the Steelers in their domination of the Bills was the play of the veteran defensive backs. Patrick Peterson had a rough go of things against Stefon Diggs, and Levi Wallace could have been better on the other side. Rookie Joey Porter Jr Jr. notched his first career interception and will push Wallace for a starting role early.
Offensive Line
Left tackle Dan Moore Jr reported to camp heavier this year, weighing in at 317 pounds, and his dominant performant supports the decision. The team drafted Broderick Jones to replace Moore, but Moore's simply not having it. Jones will instead serve as the swing tackle. Left guard Isaac Seumalo (has been a mauler, and right guard James Daniels is a plus. Although we currently rank the line 25th, there’s potential to shoot up the rankings if the unit carries what we’ve seen into the regular season.
Updates from Week 2
Quarterbacks
“We saw what we needed to see,” head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters of pulling the starters after just one series in the preseason opener against the Buccaneers. What Tomlin saw was an extremely impressive and efficient drive from starting quarterback Kenny Pickett, who completed 6-of-7 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 147.9. All but five of Pickett’s 70 yards came on completions to top targets Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to Pickens that was threaded into a tight window. There have been hints throughout camp that Pickett is poised to take a leap forward, and he was flawless in his preseason debut. He has added upper-body strength and is generating more velocity on his throws. He passes the eye test. Pittsburgh needs to generate more explosive plays downfield, and we have seen signs of Pickett being more aggressive. The Steelers brought back both backup Mitch Trubisky and third-stringer Mason Rudolph to form one of the deeper quarterback rooms in the league. Trubisky struggled in limited action against the Buccaneers but still has a firm grasp on the backup role.
Running Backs
Najee Harris has had a relatively quiet training camp thus far, but at least he is healthy. According to unofficial stats from the first ten practices, Harris has averaged just 2.7 yards per carry compared to 4.3 yards per carry for top backup Jaylen Warren. We’re dealing with a relatively small sample size, but there’s cause for concern, given that Harris has averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and 6.1 yards per reception in his career.
He has been an impact fantasy player due to sheer volume (579 carries and 147 targets through two seasons). However, if the efficiency doesn’t improve, Harris could start to lose opportunities to Warren. Harris lost a yard on his only touch while splitting the first series with Warren. Alfonzo Graham suffered a season-ending shoulder injury which helps Anthony McFarland’s roster chances.
Wide Receivers
The top two spots are locked in, with Diontae Johnson and George Pickens leading the way. At 27 years old, Johnson is a consistent high-volume target in the short-to-intermediate range, occasionally plagued by spotty hands. He regularly sees 8-to-10 targets per game and showcased his improved catching ability by securing all three of his targets on the opening drive against Tampa Bay. The 22-year-old Pickens is more of a wild card. The offense could take a big step forward if Pickens emerges as an alpha receiver with added polish and diversity to his route tree. His route running is improving, and he has always been capable of spectacular contested catches in tight coverage. His upside is enticing, considering that he racked up 800 yards as a rookie despite not being targeted more than six times in any game over the final three months. Calvin Austin is pushing veteran Allen Robinson for the third spot on the depth chart, which could result in a situational split between the two. In the preseason tilt against Tampa Bay, Austin caught a 67-yard touchdown, easily getting behind the cornerback on a go route down the left sideline. While it was against backups, it still demonstrated Austin’s explosiveness; the Steelers only had two 20-plus-yard touchdowns in 2022. Austin has six 20-plus yard receptions through two weeks of camp, and three of those grabs went for 40-plus yards.
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth has had another strong camp and is locked into the lead role. Connor Heyward, who is a fullback-tight end hybrid, should be able to carve out a role as a receiver. Zach Gentry and Darnell Washington will continue to battle for snaps as blocking specialists.
Kickers
Undrafted rookie B.T. Potter probably isn’t challenging Chris Boswell, who sat this week for the starting job. However, Potter's flawless 5-for-5 performance in the win over Tampa Bay, including two field goals from 30 and 43 yards, could attract the attention of other teams. At the very least, if Boswell struggles, the Steelers should have Potter on speed dial.
Defense
Rookie nose tackle Keanu Benton flashed as a run defender against the Buccaneers and could quickly eclipse Montravius Adams as the starter. After years of focusing on dynamic athletes at inside linebacker, the Steelers have changed their approach and turned their attention to physical, experienced veterans instead. While there may not be a star in the group, the depth is much improved with Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Kwon Alexander, and Tanner Muse. Rookie cornerback Cory Trice was one of the early standouts in camp but suffered a “significant knee injury” that will end his season.
Returners
Gunner Olszewski was an All-Pro returner in New England but lost his way in Pittsburgh last season. He is competing to regain the coaches' trust, but Calvin Austin has the edge on the job after missing his rookie season with an injury.
Updates from Week 1
Quarterbacks
The Steelers have consistently stated their goal of being a run-first power offense this offseason. However, the team knows it has to get more explosive and efficient in the passing game after Kenny Pickett finished 32nd last season in yards per completion (6.2). "We want to be explosive. We want to get yards in chunks," head coach Mike Tomlin said. "But we also want to possess the ball and control the flow of the game. We've got to do all things if we want to be a dominant group." There are two main areas where the Steelers are hoping to improve. First, taking more deep shots after Pickett ranked near the bottom of the league in the average target depth as a rookie. While Pickett does not have a strong arm, he has done a commendable job throughout camp of dropping the ball into the deep hole on the sideline between the cornerback and safety when the defense is in Cover 2. "We're going to probably take more shots this year, try to mix it up a little bit," wide receiver George Pickens said. "The same plays are the same plays. As far as where we're going with the ball, huge change." Second, the Steelers hope to improve on their league-worst yards-after-catch numbers. "I want to just hit him in stride and just let him go," Pickett said of Pickens, who averaged just 2.0 yards after the catch last season. "He has the wheels. I just want to give him a good ball and let him go do the rest. That's my job to put it where it needs to be and then let him go be him."
Running Backs
The team has invested heavily in the offensive line and blocking tight ends both in the draft and free agency, hoping to improve the running game. "You saw who we drafted, who we acquired," offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. "I don't think there is any question about what our identity is going to be. We want to run the football. We want to be physical." Najee Harris will once again lead the backfield, and the Steelers are clearly working to limit his touches in camp to keep him healthy. Behind Harris, second-year back Jaylen Warren continues to impress. "He's still extremely urgent and highly competitive," said Tomlin of Warren. "And that's probably the appropriate recipe. The minute he starts exhaling is when he and we are going to have major issues. I like the energy he's bringing; he's sustained it." Warren has had a nice camp and has likely earned more opportunities behind Harris after a strong rookie season. Anthony McFarland may have the leg up on the competition for the third spot given his ability as a receiver out of the backfield.
Wide Receivers
Pencil in George Pickens near the top of the list of young wide receivers poised for a breakout season. He has been making spectacular grabs on a nearly daily basis throughout camp. However, concerns for Pickens are twofold. First, he is forced to make spectacular catches so often because he has not yet shown a talent for creating separation. Second, he still tends to try to create separation by pushing off, resulting in offensive pass interference penalties called during camp and potential penalties if referees were on the field. "He's too talented to have so many plays negated," former Steeler Ramon Foster said of Pickens. "At some point, the referees will start calling it." On a positive note, Diontae Johnson has fewer of the drops that have sometimes plagued his career. Allen Robinson has been playing primarily as a big slot and appears to be a potentially impactful red zone weapon. Second-year speedster Calvin Austin has also emerged and is likely to rotate with Robinson in the slot depending upon matchups. However, Hakeem Butler's performance has been disappointing. He hasn't made many plays, if any, during camp. After a drop over the middle on Thursday, an irritated Tomlin said to Butler, "As a pro, you have to make the routine plays routinely."
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth is firmly established as the starter and shows great potential to elevate his game even further after two solid seasons to start his career. On the other hand, the early reviews of rookie Darnell Washington have been mixed at best, although he has shown improvement in more recent practices. “He is 6-7 and plays to it,” tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts said. “He is going to be fun to watch grow in this business. If he takes to some technique things and if he gets that, he is going to be tough to deal with in this league. He is getting it. I am tickled by how he accepts work.”
Defense
Edge rusher Alex Highsmith signed a 4-year, $68M extension and looks even better in camp this year than he did last year, prior to his 14.5-sack breakout season. He pairs with T.J. Watt to give the Steelers one of the best pass-rush duos in the NFL. Rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr Jr. has a good chance to earn the starting job over Levi Wallace. "He is a quick learner," Tomlin said of Porter. "He's very much in the growth process in terms of the nuances of the professional game. At the cornerback position, in particular, there is probably more of an adjustment from college to the pros than any other position in the game because of the differences in the rules with no contact beyond 5 yards. He's doing a really good job of being cognizant of that." While Porter has had a solid camp, he has found himself on the wrong end of some highlight-reel catches from George Pickens, and the two have had to be separated multiple times. "You know they're young guys, both trying to find a place for themselves in this thing and improve daily," Tomlin said of Pickens and Porter. "And it's a natural thing that they come together and compete against each other."
