The Pittsburgh Steelers’ passing game wasn’t anything prolific last season, ranking dead last in the league in touchdowns while near the bottom of the league in total YAC. While the running game emerged down the stretch and Pittsburgh wants to embrace a power running game in 2023, QB Kenny Pickett as well as members of the coaching staff have said that they desire to be more balanced as an offense, being able to win through the air as well as on the ground.
The passing game has looked promising thus far in training camp with the likes of Pickett and WR George Pickens showing strides of improvement in their second seasons. WR Diontae Johnson spoke about the accountability in the wide receiver room and when asked about how Pickett is factoring into that, he said Pickett is showing leadership by holding all the receivers accountable.
“Kenny harps on us about details,” Johnson said to the media Thursday via video from 93.7 The Fan’s Jeff Hathhorn’s Twitter page. “That’s what we focus on. Details. We out there communicating with each other, receivers whether we know the play or not. We are talking just so we don’t have those mental errors or mental mistakes and whatnot. So, on paper we jot down every little thing we do so we’re trying to stay off that paper.”
WR Calvin Austin III spoke to Pickett’s leadership and accountability earlier this offseason, stating that Pickett makes sure that you are on your A-game and that you can match his level of preparation, or you can get left behind. Pickett has been known for being a hard worker dating back to his time at Pitt, taking himself from your average college quarterback to Heisman Trophy finalist and the 20th overall pick by the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
We saw instances last season where Pickett and the rest of the receiving corps were out of sync, being unable to get on the same page consistently. Part of that is having a rookie quarterback getting thrown in the fire Week Four as well as the receivers adjusting to a new quarterback after having Ben Roethlisberger throwing passes during their entire tenure with the team. Pickett is now in his second season and the excuses are few for this passing game to struggle again in 2023. They have a plethora of weapons to beat you a multitude of ways through the air, using speed with Austin and Pickens or nuanced route running with Johnson and WR Allen Robinson II.
It’s great to hear that the receivers are being so diligent with their approach this season, taking notes and hold each other accountable as a group. Hopefully the process leads to a better passing game and more points being scored by Pittsburgh on Sundays.
