The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their 2023 preseason opener on Friday night at Raymond James Stadium, and that contest will kickstart their annual exhibition slate. While there will understandably be a lot of eyes on the Steelers 2023 draft picks and other rookies that should play Friday night against the Buccaneers, I wanted to highlight eight non-rookie players I feel need to be watched very closely in the team’s first preseason contest as well.
OFFENSE:
C Kendrick Green – You knew that Green would be on this list, right? After entering training camp looking as if he had very little chance of making the 53-man roster this year, Green has been reborn because of his position flexibility. Specifically, Green has been steadily used at fullback/h-back since the team’s Friday Night Lights practice and that should result in him getting snaps at that position Friday night.
Additionally, Green should play quite a bit at center Friday night and that’s the position he really needs to show rebirth at. Can he contribute on at least one special teams unit as well? We’ll see, but you can count on us tracking him closely Friday night.
WR Calvin Austin III – The 2022 season didn’t go as expected for Austin as the team’s fourth-round draft pick out of Memphis a year ago missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury. Now that he’s fully healthy., the undersized Austin seems to have had a strong training camp up until this point. He should finally make his debut Friday night and play early and often in the team’s first preseason game. Austin was an explosive play demon in college and the Steelers certainly could use more of those on offense in 2023.
In addition to him playing Friday night at wide receiver, Austin should get to show what he has to offer as a returner in Tampa Bay as well. He enters Friday night listed as the team’s top kickoff and punt returner on the depth chart. There will be quite a bit to look forward to with Austin on Friday night.
RB Anthony McFarland Jr. – The annual McFarland training camp hype is in full gear again in 2023 as the former fourth-round draft pick out of Maryland is once again having a strong training camp. We should see a lot of McFarland Friday night and based on the running back depth chart right now behind him, he’s easily in the driver’s seat to be the team’s third-stringer in 2023 if he can show anything on special teams.
Yes, watch McFarland closely on offense Friday night but on top of that, pay attention to see if he can get in on special teams in some capacity. Maybe they will let him try to return a kickoff or two in addition to trying his hand again as a gunner. Not having any special teams ability could result in him not making the 53-man roster like last year.
G Nate Herbig – The Steelers signed Herbig to a two-year, $8 million contract early in free agency and Friday night should be the first time that all of us get to see his position flexibility on the interior of the offensive line. In addition to seeing Herbig possibly playing both guard positions Friday night, we should also see him play some at center, something he hasn’t done a lot of throughout his football career.
Herbig appears to be in line to be the Steelers backup center behind starter Mason Cole in 2023 and if indeed that’s the case, it will be interesting to watch his snaps at that position Friday night. The Steelers didn’t have a great interior swing backup player in 2022 and Friday night Herbig will look to show that he can handle that role in 2023.
DEFENSE:
S Kenny Robinson – Very few fans of the Steelers really knew who Robinson was prior to training camp starting. However, due to short lines at the safety position so far during camp practices, all fans of the team should know who the West Virginia product is by now. The Steelers signed Robinson to a Reserve/Future contract back in January. He was originally selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and while he hasn’t had a huge amount of game experience the last three seasons, he has played in 19 regular-season games. He even started once in 2021 with the Panthers and has logged just 188 total defensive snaps to date with 167 more on special teams.
Robinson should play quite a bit Friday night at free safety and especially with second-year safety Tre Norwood expected to miss the preseason game due to an injury. A nice showing Friday night both on defense and special teams, could result in Robinson being well on his way to securing a spot on the 53-man roster.
CB Elijah Riley – On the surface, Riley, who ended the 2022 season on the team’s 53-man roster, has a legitimate shot of making the roster this year as a slot cornerback. Because of that, we should see quite a bit of the position versatile Army product Friday night against the Buccaneers with some of that playing time coming on special teams as well.
In total, Riley saw action in four regular-season games with the Steelers in 2022 on his way to recording five total tackles. He logged 20 total defensive snaps in those four games and 25 more on special teams. Two of his five tackles in those four games came on special teams. Riley appears to be in competition with cornerback Chandon Sullivan for one roster spot this summer. His experience in the Steelers’ defense and overall physicality could give him the upper hand in that battle.
ILB Mark Robinson – Last year during the preseason, Robinson, a 2022 seventh-round draft pick out of Mississippi, was the talk of the Steelers’ fanbase after making his presence known in a few of those exhibition contests. Even so, Robinson wound up dressing for just four games in total as a rookie with two of those contests coming at the very end of the regular season. All told, Robinson logged just 44 defensive snaps in 2022 and 16 more on special teams. He was credited with nine total tackles in 2022 with one of those coming on special teams.
On the heels of the Steelers rebuilding their inside linebacker depth chart this offseason, Robinson remains outside the top three options at that position on the depth chart. Because of that, he’ll need to have a great preseason on defense again starting Friday night. On top of that, Robinson will likely need to prove he can be a core special teams player these next three weeks to ensure he gets a 53-man roster spot once again.
DE DeMarvin Leal – It’s going to be an intriguing second season for Leal in 2023 and mainly because of how he was used during his rookie season. In 2022, Leal played at various different spots on defense, and that included him playing some as a standup outside linebacker later in the season. While the team’s 2022 third-round draft pick out of Texas A&M did ultimately play in 11 games as a rookie, he only logged 175 total snaps on defense and 39 more on special teams. He totaled 14 tackles, one for loss, and three passes defensed in his 2022 action.
The Steelers seem to consider Leal a versatile player, but with that, we still aren’t exactly sure what he can do on the defensive line with his hand on the ground. Hopefully, we get to see more of that starting Friday night against the Buccaneers. Leal needs all the preseason game action that he can get, and you can bet that we’ll be monitoring every defensive snap that he plays Friday night very closely. He’s a second-year player that the Steelers really need a nice jump from in 2023.
