One padded practice into training camp and George Pickens is a HOF’er. It’s been one week, guys; turn the X-Files off, turn the lights back on, try and enjoy your summer. Below are the five biggest questions Mike Tomlin needs to answer in the coming month while you drink peach schnapps out of a pineapple in a pool. Spoiler alert: Diontae Johnson isn’t on this list.
Through the first week Trubisky and Rudolph are 1A and 1B with Pickett the clear third. Many fans think the addition of Mitch makes Mason expendable but I wouldn’t accept less than a 4th in a trade for Rudolph. It would be foolish to accelerate Kenny’s development if [god forbid] Mitch gets hurt; remember 2019? I realize that’s how Ben began his HOF career, but I need to see strides from this offensive line before I’m comfortable throwing the future of my franchise out there behind them.
RB2
Contenders: Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, Jaylen Warren, Mataeo Durant, Jeremy McNichols
Alec Baldwin in the RB room: “The good news is you’re fired. The bad news is you’ve got – ALL you got – just one [camp] to regain your jobs, starting tonight.” Benny, Anthony, Jeremy, Mataeo, Jaylen… “Third prize is you’re fired.” Push-come-shove Danny Smith will pound the table for Benny to make the team. Durant was pure lightning and a Special Teams staple at Duke. Warren reminds me of Najee, Lite; he’s a prime practice squad candidate.
Stop fawning over scrap-heap RB’s; Matteo Durant is THAT DUDE. Worried about his 9 fumbles last year? Here’s why you shouldn’t be! #steelers#HereWeGohttps://t.co/H5mxzyKAMS
Kendrick Green recently admitted in an interview he was not ready for and did not enjoy playing Center his rookie season. He’s now back at the spot he primarily played in college, competing against KD who is a natural RG. Dotson also regressed somewhat last year so the job is winnable, but Green is fighting an uphill battle to prove he can start on an NFL roster.
EDGE3
Contenders: Gerard Avery, Derek Tuszka, Delontae Scott
TJ played hurt like half of 2021 and still tied the all-time sack record. If you can keep him healthy, he will SHATTER it this year. Paradoxically, to keep him ON the field you have to periodically get him OFF the field. Barring any late camp additions, two of these three will make the 53-man roster. UDFA Tyree Johnson was cut on Monday.
FS2
Contenders: Damontae Kazee, Tre Norwood
Minkah missed the first week of camp with a sore wrist (fell off a bike); in his absence Kazee was working the deep middle. Norwood – I’m sure you remember – was a third-down ace last year as a rookie. They likely want to keep him in that dime package, pass-coverage specialist role.
Sue Robinson – the retired judge appointed by The NFL to arbitrate Deshaun Watson punishment for allegations of sexual assault – recommended Monday morning a suspension of 6 games for the star quarterback.
The ultimate decision is in the hands of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who claimed to be seeking an indefinite suspension for his employee who was accused of making inappropriate sexual contact with 25 women (one recanted).
Given this is the inaugural player conduct concern that has been arbitrated by Sue Robinson, it’s unlikely Goodell will cast doubt on the new process. After all, the whole point was for the Commissioner to insulate himself from unpopular decisions.
The NFLPA issued a statement Sunday that they would not appeal the impending decision; presumably they knew Watson was looking at a slap on the wrist.
I can think of a handful of team owners who might not want the NFL’s history on handling sex abuse allegations examined in federal court. Goodell will be under heavy pressure from those unnamed persons to accept the arbiter’s arbitrary decision and move on.
Watson will be permitted to participate in training camp and preseason games before serving his suspension.
The draft is in the books, the lion’s share of free agent money is spoken for and the Stephon Tuitt question has now been answered. Now that we have a good idea of the shape of the Steelers’ roster heading into 2022 let’s go down the depth chart and grade each of the position groups; along the way I’ll call out the camp battles we’ll likely have our eyes on.
The rotation shown reflects the order they’ve been repping in OTA’s. Pickett won’t be rushed along if Trubisky struggles (Mason should be praying for this scenario) but I think Mitch will surprise a lot of people.
This unit is not good, but I think they can easily be good enough with the surrounding cast. DJ’s ability after the catch, the dynamism of Calvin Austin, Freiermuth’s clamps and Najee as a safety valve – to say nothing of a stifling defense – will elevate an average (at best) unit. I expect this grade to tick up as we start to see the offense take shape.
As I’m sure you’ve seen, Najee is now about a quarter pounder short of 245. He’s going to be that old-school churner who can always get you a yard when you need one. Derek Watt is a good lead blocker but he hangs his hat on special teams.
Durant has legit homerun speed and could bring an enticing new dimension to the ground game. Warren is Najee Lite and could shoulder most of the workload if (god forbid) the worst happens.
The landscape of the battle here will probably be Snell vs. Warren, and McFarland vs. Durant. Neither Snell nor McFarland adequately filled the back-up/change-of-pace role last year so I wouldn’t consider either of the incumbents “safe.”
GRADE: A-
TE – Starter: Freiermuth. Depth: Gentry, Rader, Heyward.
Pat Freiermuth has a monster sophomore season incoming, especially if the Steelers’ primary QB ends up being “Mit-Checkdown” Trubisky. We were all excited about the steps Zach Gentry took last year, and Rader – a sneaky-good blocker – is still in the mix.
Connor Heyward (Cam’s little brother) enters the chat but at 6′ he’s a full 2 inches shorter than any TE who logged qualifying snaps in the NFL last year. He figures more as a FB/H-back at this level but his exceptional ball skills might take some of those coverage LB’s by surprise.
GRADE: B+
WR – Starters: Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, Calvin Austin. Depth: George Pickens, Miles Boykin, Gunner Olszewski, Anthony Miller, Cody White, Steven Sims, Tyler Sneed, Tyler Vaughns
Diontae is a #1 WR in the NFL, full stop. His transcendent abilities to separate before the catch, make contested catches, and find lanes with the ball in his hands are so exceptional that no other NFL receiver is afforded less cushion pre-snap (per NextGen Stats). We all know he led the league in drops in 2020; if you’re still talking about that in 2022 you either didn’t watch football in 2021, or don’t know how to watch football.
Claypool seems to be expecting a bounce-back 2022, if his social media is any indication. Boykin – Claypool’s college teammate – is almost a body-clone of Mapletron, whereas Pickens has the prototype to step into the X-role if need be. The receiver room is (seemingly) more insulated from injury than it has been in recent memory.
Austin is your slot receiver, although I expect to see the Steelers’ young/new QBs running a lot of 12- and 21-personnel to maximize protection/the ground game instead of going out there West Coast-style and daring defenses to Mike Hilton you off the blind-side. Gunner is your return specialist and the rest of them are fighting it out for the practice squad jobs.
GRADE: B
OL – Starters: Moore, Dotson, Cole, Daniels, Okorafor. Depth: K. Green, LeGlue, Haeg, Hassenauer, Chris Owens, Gilliam, Scott, Dixon, Tucker, C. Green.
The most notable free agent acquisition (Daniels) is young and has the length to support these stubby centers; he’s a legitimate upgrade over Trai Turner. Cole was the starting C for the Cardinals but was relegated to a backup role last year for the Vikings. Trent Scott is a journeyman backup who has logged snaps at 4 OL positions.
As for the UDFA’s: Jordan Tucker is a mountain of a man you may recognize if you watched a significant amount of Sam Howell tape. Chris Owens bounced between RT and C on the Alabama line but he’s listed as a C on the Steelers official roster. Jake Dixon was a LT/T-eligible at Duquesne, though he recorded 0 catches in 1 career target.
This was a D- unit a year ago, bolstered with quantity rather than quality. “I chose a half-measure when I should have gone all the way. I’ll never make that mistake again.No more half-measures, Walter.“
GRADE: D+
DL – Starters: Heyward, Alualu, Wormley. Depth: Loudermilk, Leal, Adams, Mondeaux, Archibong, C. Davis, K. Davis, Jeter.
Fevered pipe dreams of trading for Aaron Donald or landing a high-quality free agent at this stage in the offseason will quickly evaporate in this unseasonable heat. Even if they do add it’s unlikely whatever low-end option they find at this point will be able to beat out Chris Wormley for Tuitt’s vacated spot.
Best of 2021 – Chris Wormley (via Steely Cam on YouTube)
Even without 91, I’m cautiously optimistic about this unit. Heyward is in his prime, Tyson Alualu is back in the middle, Adams (and Leal, if he can get up to NFL weight/strength) offers uncanny pass rush juice up the middle, Loudermilk could take exciting steps as a two-gapper… This could quietly incubate into a fairly complete unit.
GRADE: B-
LB – Starters: Highsmith, Jack, Bush, Watt. Depth: Skipper, Avery, Spillane, Robinson, B. Johnson, T. Johnson, Gilbert
Meril Hoge’s opinons notwithstanding, Devin Bush and Myles Jack are your starters inside. Spillane is a good thumper if you ask him to come down hill and fill one particular gap; ask him to jump just a single gap to either side and his effectiveness quickly wanes. Mark Robinson was a late-round draft pick, Gilbert is primarily a special teamer, and Buddy Johnson has yet to show he’s an NFL-caliber player.
The outside tandem – Watt and Highsmith – are as good as any duo in the NFL. The depth here is another “quantity over quality” situation. Tuzar Skipper, Genard Avery and Tyree Johnson were all brought in to fill that Melvin Ingram role; I figure two of those three guys will make the team.
There’s talent in this room, but the quality of the depth on the outside and the quality of the talent on the inside bring down the curve for the class.
This is how I see this shaking out: Sutton and Witherspoon will start on the outside in base. Sutton will then kick inside to the slot and Wallace will play on the outside in nickel situations.
Pierre is good depth on the outside but the Justin Layne experiment may be coming to an end. Maulet is a good special teamer and will give you a couple highlight plays in run D. Right now I see this unit as above-average, with “good” potential.
Edmunds is a solid complement to the best center fielder in the NFL: Minkah Fitzpatrick. Tre Norwood is an exciting young prospect who always seemed to show up on third downs.
Miles Killebrew blocked not one but two punts last year. Kazee is also solid depth. You may remember Stiner’s name from the interception in last year’s Hall of Fame game.
GRADE: A-
Specialists – Boswell, Harvin, Kuntz
The Wizard of Boz remains the (second) best place kicker in the AFC. Presley Harvin III has significant work to do after an inconsistent rookie season, but the ceiling there is still sky-high.
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