The Pittsburgh Steelers put the wraps on their 2017 preseason Thursday night on the road against the Carolina Panthers and it resulted in their third win. The unofficial snap counts from that contest are now in and below are a few things that stick out. It should be noted that the snaps of linebacker Matt Galambos and defensive lineman Lavon Hooks were not tabulated for some reason. In short, these snap counts could be off and we won’t have the official numbers for a few days when our game charting has been completed.
O-line – The starting offensive line didn’t play a single snap against the Panthers and that’s not overly surprising. It is worth noting, however, that Matt Feiler played every offensive snap against the Panthers. Will the Steelers keep him as a ninth offensive lineman? If they dont, will they be able to trade him prior to cutting him? We’ll see soon.
Running Back – Terrell Watson got the start at running back Thursday night and played well. He was also used quite a bit on special teams as you’ll see below. He was eventually relieved by Knile Davis. Rookie James Conner was used exclusively on special teams Thursday night. Fitzgerald Toussaint did not play due to an injury.
Wide Receiver – Justin Hunter only played just 14 offensive snaps but made the most of his opportunities in the game. He didn’t, however, play any on special teams and that’s not a huge surprise. Sammie Coates played 23 offensive snaps but did not record a reception in the game. Demarcus Ayers made his 2017 debut against the Panthers and played 21 offensive snaps and returned two punts.
Tight end – Newcomer Vance McDonald suited up Thursday night and played 14 offensive snaps.
Cornerback – Ross Cockrell (9, 0) and Coty Sensabaugh (13) both didn’t play much Thursday night.
Other draft picks – Besides Conner (0, 19), T.J. Watt (10, 0), Cameron Sutton (11, 7), Joshua Dobbs (53, 0), Brian Allen (44, 10), JuJu Smith Schuster (7, 10) and Colin Holba (5) were the other members of this year’s draft class to see action in the team’s preseason finale. It should be noted that Sutton left the game with a hamstring injury in the second half.
Core special teamers – Keith Kelsey (23), Jacob Hagen (23), Terrell Watson (20), James Conner (19), Dashaun Phillips (16), Farrington Huguenin (14), Jake McGee (12), and Brian Allen (10).
Notable 2017 debuts – Demarcus Ayers (21, 2), Dashaun Phillips (24, 16)
Notable did not play – Steven Johnson, Mike Mitchell, and Senquez Golson.
| PLAYER | POS | OFFENSIVE SNAPS | DEFENSIVE SNAPS | SPECIAL TEAM SNAPS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M.Feiler | G | 62 | 100% | 3 | 12% | ||
| J.Dobbs | QB | 53 | 85% | ||||
| J.Hawkins | T | 42 | 68% | 3 | 12% | ||
| K.Milton | G | 42 | 68% | ||||
| T.Watson | RB | 36 | 58% | 20 | 77% | ||
| B.Mihalik | T | 34 | 55% | 3 | 12% | ||
| C.Hamilton | WR | 33 | 53% | ||||
| C.Hubbard | T | 32 | 52% | ||||
| J.McGee | TE | 30 | 48% | 12 | 46% | ||
| M.Tucker | WR | 30 | 48% | 9 | 35% | ||
| K.Friend | C | 30 | 48% | ||||
| X.Grimble | TE | 26 | 42% | 3 | 12% | ||
| K.Davis | RB | 26 | 42% | 3 | 12% | ||
| S.Coates | WR | 23 | 37% | ||||
| D.Johnson | TE | 23 | 37% | ||||
| B.Finney | C | 21 | 34% | 3 | 12% | ||
| D.Ayers | WR | 21 | 34% | 2 | 8% | ||
| J.Rodgers | T | 20 | 32% | 3 | 12% | ||
| J.Hunter | WR | 14 | 23% | ||||
| V.McDonald | TE | 14 | 23% | ||||
| E.Cooper | G | 13 | 21% | ||||
| D.Heyward-Bey | WR | 9 | 15% | ||||
| J.James | TE | 9 | 15% | ||||
| L.Jones | QB | 9 | 15% | ||||
| E.Rogers | WR | 8 | 13% | ||||
| J.Smith-Schuster | WR | 7 | 11% | 10 | 38% | ||
| J.Thomas | WR | 1 | 2% | ||||
| J.Hagen | S | 50 | 72% | 23 | 88% | ||
| T.Matakevich | ILB | 45 | 65% | ||||
| B.Allen | CB | 44 | 64% | 10 | 38% | ||
| M.Hilton | CB | 39 | 57% | ||||
| F.Huguenin | OLB | 38 | 55% | 14 | 54% | ||
| L.Fort | ILB | 37 | 54% | 3 | 12% | ||
| D.McCullers | DT | 26 | 38% | 6 | 23% | ||
| J.Hargrave | DT | 26 | 38% | ||||
| D.Phillips | CB | 24 | 35% | 16 | 62% | ||
| A.Chickillo | OLB | 21 | 30% | ||||
| J.Harrison | OLB | 21 | 30% | ||||
| A.Moats | OLB | 20 | 29% | ||||
| J.Maxey | DE | 20 | 29% | ||||
| K.Kelsey | ILB | 18 | 26% | 23 | 88% | ||
| S.Davis | S | 16 | 23% | ||||
| R.Golden | S | 14 | 20% | ||||
| C.Sensabaugh | CB | 13 | 19% | ||||
| T.Alualu | DE | 13 | 19% | ||||
| L.Walton | DE | 12 | 17% | ||||
| C.Sutton | CB | 11 | 16% | 7 | 27% | ||
| V.Williams | ILB | 11 | 16% | ||||
| B.Dupree | OLB | 10 | 14% | ||||
| T.Watt | OLB | 10 | 14% | ||||
| A.Burns | CB | 10 | 14% | ||||
| F.Kallon | DE | 9 | 13% | 3 | 12% | ||
| R.Cockrell | CB | 9 | 13% | ||||
| J.Dangerfield | S | 7 | 10% | ||||
| W.Gay | CB | 1 | 1% | ||||
| J.Conner | RB | 19 | 73% | ||||
| J.Berry | P | 10 | 38% | ||||
| C.Boswell | K | 7 | 27% | ||||
| C.Holba | LS | 5 | 19% | ||||
| K.Canaday | LS | 5 | 19% | ||||
| T.Williams | RB | 2 | 8% | ||||
