The first play of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first practice during team session at training camp was a shot downfield by QB Kenny Pickett to WR George Pickens. While the pass was broken up by CB Patrick Peterson, it sent a message: Pittsburgh is going to look to be more explosive this season. During a media session before practice today, Pickens confirmed that the play wasn’t a fluke.
“I just feel like that’s more of an explosive hint. We gonna probably take more shots this year, try to mix it up a little bit,” he said via Chris Adamski of TribLive on Twitter.
That’s a great sign for Pittsburgh’s offense. The last few years it’s been a lot of dink and dunk and not enough splash, and it’s hurt them. They haven’t truly been able to flip fields, and it’s led to their offense settling for a lot of field goals or empty drives without scores.
The 2023 season is a do-or-die one for offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and it’s likely he sees the need to expand the downfield passing offense and be more explosive. Pickens was Pittsburgh’s best downfield threat last year, but it was largely on 50-50 balls to the sidelines that he did a remarkable job coming down with. The offense has to expand this year, and for Pickett to show that he’s a true franchise quarterback, he has to prove he can consistently push the ball down the field.
By opening up practice with a shot play, the Steelers are being intentional that they want Pickett to show they want to expand the playbook and look downfield more. While they can still lean on their run game, the modern NFL is built on a passing offense and the Steelers have to show they can take shots and make plays down the field.
With guys like Pickens and Diontae Johnson, they have the pieces in place to throw deep. Even TE Pat Freiermuth has had success making plays up the seam, so there’s really no excuse this year for the offense not to look downfield more.
I’m glad it’s happening early, and I would expect to see a lot more looks downfield as training camp progresses. It’s something the Steelers need to work on, and it’s something they have to be at proficient at when the season kicks off. Canada being willing to open up the field and allow routes deeper down the field is going to help Pittsburgh’s offense, and Pickett has to show he’s willing to let it rip every now and then.
If the Steelers can get their downfield passing working this year, they could be a dangerous team.
