The Pittsburgh Steelers may not have the most dangerous group of skill-position players in the league, but they certainly seem to be happy with what they have, and in particular the potential of what they could be in the near future—like this season.
The question is whether or not they can get the most out of their wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs, whether it’s Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Pat Freiermuth, Najee Harris, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, or—well, I suppose you get the idea.
Second-year QB Kenny Pickett certainly does, which is why he’s put the work in this offseason to try to do his part to maximize what they have together. He talked about that yesterday on reporting day at Saint Vincent College, via the team’s website, to kick off training camp.
“It all starts with balance and getting those guys the ball in space”, he said via the team’s YouTube channel. “I’m really excited for Cal. We’ve got ‘Tae and George and the tight end room is really strong, top to bottom. All those guys do different things really well, so we’ve got to highlight their skill set and get them the football where they can succeed”.
One of the themes of the offseason has been that last bit, the idea that the Steelers have a lot of different weapons who offer a variety of different attributes. It’s important that Pickett recognizes the necessity of maximizing the skill sets of each and the effort it takes to achieve that, which he also explained.
“Spending time with each other, that’s the key”, he told reporters. “Throwing, knowing timing and how guys run routes and their body language in and out of breaks, it’s all things that comes with time, and I think we’ve been putting that time in”.
One player in particular he seemed to spend a fair amount of time with is veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson II, who was seen on multiple occasions working out with him and his private quarterback coach. Also seen in similar videos were Gunner Olszewski and Heyward, and virtually everybody else has been known to have participated in some other private work with the quarterback.
That’s a far cry from last season, when he was working with the third-team unit at this time of year. When he made his debut after halftime in Week Four, he admitted that it was the first time he had ever thrown to some of the players he was now working with.
Later on in the year, particularly as the tide began to turn and they were finding more success, he alluded to “stolen reps” he would take with his skill guys, even on the sidelines in the middle of games when the defense was on the field, just to get that time in working together.
Now he’s had a full offseason worth of that work, and a full training camp coming up as the unquestioned starter. Timing and chemistry should be of minimal concern this year, at least compared to last season, given the circumstances.
