The Steelers are now in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College for the 2023 installment of training camp. They are coming off of a 9-8 season during which they broke in their new quarterback, Kenny Pickett, finishing the year strong by winning seven of their last nine but coming up short of the postseason.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year.
From the first day of training camp to the last, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered, including several battles for starting roles. Which veterans might be vulnerable to release? Who are the sleepers who will emerge in camp and make a run at ta roster spot? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Can the Steelers’ offense deliver on the promise of its opening drive?
While it wasn’t quite flawless, it came more than close enough. The Pittsburgh Steelers got their 2023 preseason schedule underway with a bang, with QB Kenny Pickett orchestrating just one drive—a 10-play, 83-yard touchdown drive that culminated in an explosive-play touchdown.
With only four unsuccessful plays on the drive, two of them being runs, it was a showcase for the passing game in particular and the Steelers’ top wideouts. Diontae Johnson did his thing finding the open spaces and making sideline catches, going three-for-three on his targets for 32 yards.
And George Pickens did him one better on yardage with one single grab, a catch-and-run score from the 33-yard line on a slant route. It was the first in-stadium manifestation of the second-year wide receiver’s expanding route tree.
And the drive was also key in putting on display the growth in Pickett’s relationship with Johnson, which had been an issue last season. The question is, do these one-drive results reflect what we can expect to see over the course of the year?
Now, they’re not going to score on every drive and Pickett isn’t going to go six-for-seven for 70 yards and a touchdown. But, even taking into consideration a vanilla defense filled with backups who hadn’t played in an NFL game in a long time, if ever, the passing game really looked the part.
The drive even featured a nice converting grab by TE Pat Freiermuth, who like the rest of the starters had just a brief cameo in the game before checking out following the 10-play scoring drive. It almost felt like one of those Ben Roethlisberger preseason drives where you lead the offense down the field and you know you’re where you need to be. There’s no reason for more.
Of course, the starting offense should see more time in the final two preseason games. They still have to figure out the left tackle situation, for one thing, so Broderick Jones is going to need some reps there unless they decide to call it early and stick with Dan Moore Jr. And especially after last night, I’m sure they want to see WR Calvin Austin III get some work in with the first-string offense.
