The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of young pieces expected to play big roles on both sides of the ball in 2023, but CBS Sports analyst and former Steelers CB Bryant McFadden doesn’t see that being a problem. On the All Things Covered podcast that he co-hosts with his cousin Patrick Peterson, McFadden said he believes a lot of Pittsburgh’s young guys are going to play like veterans.
“Our starting quarterback is a Year-Two guy. One of the top receivers is a Year-Two guy. Calvin Austin is a Year Two, but kind of like his rookie campaign, he didn’t play,” McFadden said. “ [Keeanu] Benton, you talk about Nick [Herbig], we still gonna get a chance to see Joey Porter Jr. There’s a lot of youth on this team that I believe they’re going to be playing like vets.”
It’s easier to foresee guys like Kenny Pickett and George Pickens taking a leap and looking more like veterans given that they played a significant amount of football last year. While I have no doubt that Benton, Porter and Herbig are going to be talented football players, there might still be a few rookie mistakes mixed in just because they aren’t fully used to what it takes to play in the NFL.
But the Steelers’ young core is a talented one, and their 2023 draft haul could be one of the more impressive ones they’ve had in awhile. Broderick Jones may not play immediately, but he can be a really talented left tackle in this league.
Porter has looked good in camp. Benton was one of the standouts in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener, as was Herbig with 1.5 sacks. TE Darnell Washington could emerge as one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, and adding that group to guys like Pickett and Pickens and Austin III in their second seasons forms the nucleus of a group that has ideas to compete for years to come.
This year is the start to see just what this group could become. The training wheels are off for Pickett under center, and with an expanded offense and a pass-catching group among the league’s best, it could be time for the Steelers offense to take that next step. If it’s a group that’s truly going to be a threat, Pickett and Pickens and even Austin will have to play like guys who have been in the league longer than just one season. The preseason opener was a nice start, with Pickett throwing for 70 yards on the team’s opening drive, including a 33-yard strike to Pickens for a touchdown. Austin also showed off his speed, catching a 67-yard touchdown from QB Mason Rudolph.
If those guys are able to play like veterans consistently, the Steelers will be a playoff team in 2023. We’ll see if it can happen when the season kicks off on September 10 at Acrisure Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers.
