It’s obvious that the Pittsburgh Steelers offense needs to show great improvement in several areas in 2023 and the onus on accomplishing that will fall mostly on offensive coordinator Matt Canada and quarterback Kenny Pickett. One specific area where the Steelers offense will need to show great improvement in when it comes to the 2023 season is slot production as that area was pretty abysmal in 2022 for the unit.
In total, and according to Sports Info Solutions, the Steelers’ offense registered just 116 receptions for 1,277 yards when it came to players who lined up in the slot in 2022. Only three other NFL teams registered fewer slot receptions than the Steelers did in 2022 and only one other team, the Chicago Bears, registered fewer slot reception yards. Not surprisingly, the seven slot reception touchdowns that the Steelers registered in 2022 resulted in a next-to-last NFL ranking.
So, where did the Steelers’ slot receptions come from in 2022? Well, 32 of the 166 were registered by tight end Pat Freiermuth. That’s not bad overall when it comes to tight ends around the NFL as Freiermuth finished 2022 in sixth place in slot receptions. Behind Freiermuth in 2022 slot receptions for the Steelers were wide receivers Diontae Johnson (27) and Chase Claypool (24). Wide receiver George Pickens was a distant fourth with just 10 slot receptions for the Steelers in 2022.
It’s probably also worth noting that Claypool and wide receiver Steven Sims combined to register 32 slot receptions for the Steelers in 2022 and now both are no longer on the team. Also worth noting is the fact that fellow Steelers wide receivers Gunner Olszewski and Cody White combined for six slot receptions in 2022 and there’s a good chance that neither will be on the 2023 roster, barring injuries.
The Steelers have addressed the slot wide receiver position this offseason as not only did they trade for veteran Allen Robinson II a few months ago, but they also signed former NFLer and current XFL star Hakeem Butler. Additionally, the Steelers essentially will have another new slot receiver option in 2023 in the form of Calvin Austin III, who missed his entire 2022 rookie season due to a foot injury that ultimately required surgery. While Butler might not ultimately make the Steelers’ 53-man roster this summer, Robinson and Austin both should.
Robinson has extensive slot experience in the NFL and while he only played 10 games in 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams due to injury, he still managed to register 20 receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns out of the slot on the season. As for Austin, who has yet to play an NFL down, he registered 46 receptions for 778 yards and 10 touchdowns out of the slot during his four years at Memphis. Butler, on the other hand, registered 37 receptions for 532 yards and seven touchdowns out of the slot this past season with the St. Louis Battlehawks.
As for Pickett delivering passes to players lined up in the slot in 2022, he completed 73 of the total 116. 23 of those 73 went to Freiermuth, however, with 44 others going to wide receivers. Only four of those 73 slot completions last season resulted in touchdowns, however, with all four coming from Week 11 and on. Pickens, by the way, was on the receiving end of three of those four slot touchdown passes from Pickett.
To close this post out with a little bit of perspective, the Super Bowl-winning team last season, the Kansas City Chiefs, registered 190 slot receptions during the regular season and those were good for 2,361 yards and 16 touchdowns. The team that lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last season, the Philadelphia Eagles, registered 130 slot receptions during the regular season good for 1,708 yards and 12 touchdowns. In summation, the 2023 Steelers probably need to show a lot of improvement when it comes to their slot production if they want to be a team that competes to make the playoffs.
