As they said they would, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterbacks – Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky – have invited several of their teammates to Florida to train during the offseason. At the least, WRs Diontae Johnson and Calvin Austin III are there, the two along with Pickett recently sharing these Instagram stories.
It’s especially nice to see Austin down there, catching up on time missed after nearly his entire rookie year was wiped out by a foot injury. It also might be a sign of how healthy he’s gotten if he’s able to train and work out with the rest of the group.
In a video shared by Diontae Johnson, you can see WRs Steven Sims and George Pickens with them. Presumably, they’re all training together for a couple of days. Trubisky has a house in Florida and it’s possible several if not all his teammates are staying with him. It also appears that TE Connor Heyward has joined the group. Based on other clips, WRs Cody White and Gunner Olszewski also have appeared to make the trip. Pending free agent, Miles Boykin may also be with the group.
Some more videos from their training session.
The Steelers’ starting offense is expected to remain intact for 2023. Though Trubisky’s future remains an option question, Pickett and the receiving core are all likely to return. Steven Sims is a restricted free agent but it’s likely he’s brought back in some capacity.
And despite losing his starting job, Trubisky doesn’t seem to hold a grudge against Pickett or any teammates. For now, he’s a Steeler and he’s helping to lead the group.
2023 will be a big year for Pittsburgh’s offense. For the last two seasons, they’ve finished in the 20’s in scoring offense and it took until this year’s regular season finale for the team to average more points per game in 2022 than they did in 2019, an objectively miserable season for the offense after losing QB Ben Roethlisberger six quarters in.
Having great continuity on offense will be a boost to the Steelers’ odds of seeing their offensive production increase. First-year players like Pickett and Pickens are expected to make a second-year jump. Now, they’re able to get together and train even earlier in the offseason compared to a year ago when they were training and getting ready for the NFL Draft, uncertain of where they’d land.
There will probably be even more photos and videos about the team’s trip, which we’ll be sure to pass along. What the Steelers are doing isn’t unique around the NFL but it’s definitely important for the group to learn and grow.
