“Bully ball” is a phrase the Pittsburgh Steelers have used all offseason. It’s what their slate of moves revolves around. So it’s no surprise to hear TE Zach Gentry, one of the largest players on the roster, go all-in on the idea of playing that brand of football this season.
Speaking to 102.5 DVE’s Mike Prisuta in an interview posted Monday, Gentry said he’s open to the idea of having as many tight ends on the field as possible.
“We wanna play a little bully ball,” Gentry said.
He was asked about the idea of playing in 12 or 13 personnel, two or three tight ends on the field. Pittsburgh should see a lot of heavy packages this year after drafting TE Darnell Washington in round three, far lower than he was projected to go, and the offense’s general commitment to improving the run game. The team signed guards Nate Herbig and Isaac Seumalo in free agency while drafting tackle Broderick Jones in the first round, trading up three spots to get him.
According to our Steelers Depot charting done by Tom Mead, the Steelers deployed two or three tight ends on 26.5% of their snaps last season. But the pre- and post-bye numbers offer a stark contrast. Here are the splits.
Multiple Tight End Groupings
Pre-Bye: 18.5%
Post-Bye: 37.0%
Of course, the Steelers played with the lead far more often after the bye week, allowing them to play their big people in the second half so the connection here isn’t ironclad. Still, because Pittsburgh could run the ball more effectively with multiple tight ends, it was able to shorten the game, control the clock, and stay on schedule.
Numbers will ebb and flow throughout 2023 but it’s reasonable to expect the Steelers to run 12 or 12 personnel a total of about one-third of the time this year. For Gentry’s sake, he’ll have to hope that’s the plan. His roster spot is on shakier ground after signing a cheap one-year deal this offseason while seeing Washington get drafted on Day Two. Gentry still could make the team if the Steelers keep four total fullbacks/tight ends, as they did last year, with Heyward essentially swapping out for Derek Watt’s spot while Gentry serves as the #3 tight end.
Even if he makes the roster, his snap count and role in the offense will diminish, he may even be inactive some games, but a prescription of bully ball is his best chance to stick to the roster. Of course, Gentry will have to show he can thrive in that role and be the blocker he was in 2021. In 2022, his play regressed.
