It was the bounce-back performance the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense needed. Just in the way Pittsburgh seems to do its best work in primetime, the Steelers offense shined bright under the Friday Night Lights at Latrobe Memorial Stadium, the first practice there since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 seasons were wiped out by COVID while 2022 was wiped out by rain, a hellish storm where players never even made the bus ride to the stadium, stuck at Saint Vincent College before the team pulled the plug.
Last night, it was Kenny Pickett and Calvin Austin III who led the charge. They weren’t the only ones. Wide receivers Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson II were also solid, but Pickett and Austin had their best days of camp. A pair of second-year players with different paths of getting to Friday night. Pickett the first rounder who started most of his first season, Austin the fourth rounder whose yet to play inside an NFL stadium.
But they were the best of the best of a Steelers offense that needed some good press after struggling Wednesday and Thursday. For Pickett, the offense won seven shots, 4-3, though their success felt larger than that margin. In fairness, two of Pickett’s touchdowns were to open receivers, first hitting Robinson before connecting with Johnson, and his throw to Pickens was evidently ruled incomplete, though it was still a fine throw.
To start off the second team session from the middle of the field, Pickett drilled Johnson over the middle for a gain of 19. In the third team session, Pickett connected with Robinson for 10 before hitting Anthony McFarland Jr. in stride right side for 11. But his best throw of the day came later in practice, a great touch throw overtop of the underneath defenders to perfectly hit Johnson along the right sideline for a 15-yard pickup. It combined touch and accuracy.
Pickett’s overall stats for Friday? 11/12, 108 yards, 2 TDs, 0 interceptions, a QB rating of 143.8. The only incompletion was the seven shots play to Pickens, which was caught with the ref ruling Pickens had stepped out of bounds prior to the reception. Obviously, that’s not Pickett’s responsibility. Even some of his non-throws were quality reps. Stepping up into the pocket, scanning before running, and he scrambled twice and technically scored in seven shots on a rush. Overall, a solid day.
Austin didn’t catch passes from Pickett but made plays nonetheless. What he best did was making the contested grab. Beating a defensive back with speed? Important but a known trait in his game. His issue had been combat catches and making plays thrown outside his frame, not dropped in the bucket. That’ll happen far more than just outrunning an NFL cornerback. Austin’s 45-yard grab deep down the left sideline, working back for a Mitch Trubisky throw against safety Trenton Thompson, was a big-time play. It wasn’t his only one. He caught a contested slant in seven shots, a play he couldn’t finish earlier in the week. And he got loose downfield for a 27-yard pickup along the left sideline, though there was a flag that would’ve negated it.
According to my charting, Austin caught all four of his targets during the team period. I don’t have yardage for one play but of the three I do, he caught three passes for 74 yards and a score.
It’s just one day. There will be more good and more bad. You take it for what it is and move onto the next. For both men, what happens inside stadiums will matter more. But Friday was a strong practice. Now, the goal is to stack good days in today’s practice that kicks off in a few hours.
