The Pittsburgh Steelers will play their second preseason game of 2023 on Saturday night and this home contest will be against the Buffalo Bills. Ahead of this preseason game kicking off at Acrisure Stadium, I have built a list of nine main things that I believe fans of the Steelers should watch for.
Porterhouse Time – If things stay on plan, Steelers rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. will make his NFL preseason debut Saturday night against the Bills. Porter missed the team’s first preseason game last Friday presumably due to a hamstring injury. The Steelers second-round draft pick out of Penn State seems to have progressed well throughout training camp and now it’s time to see what he can do in a game-like setting. Porter has spent a lot of time on the JUGS machine throughout training camp and on top of that, veteran CB Patrick Peterson has spent a lot of time with the rookie. As things look right now, Porter seems to be on tap to get a lot of playing time at the start of the 2023 regular season. He now has two preseason games left to show that he’s worthy of that and more.
Pickett Up Where They Left Off – In the preseason opener, the Steelers’ starting offense played just one series and it was impressive overall as quarterback Kenny Pickett led the unit down the field for 10 play, 83-yard touchdown drive that was capped with a 33-yard catch and run by wide receiver George Pickens. That one drive included Pickett converting a thirds-and-10 and a third-and-8. It also included three receptions by wide receiver Diontae Johnson for 32 yards. After that strong series, Pickett and company can expect to play a little more on Saturday night against the Bills. A couple of scoring drives in that playing time would certainly be ideal and show that the offense might just be ready to take a huge step forward in 2023.
Himbig Encore – After a strong showing in the Steelers’ first preseason game last Friday, rookie OLB Nick Herbig will look to continue playing bigger than his size out on the edge on Saturday night against the Bills. Herbig overcame a minor injury last week to make his NFL preseason debut, which included him playing 13 total defensive snaps. Those snaps concluded with the Wisconsin product registering four total tackles, 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. Herbig also logged three special teams snaps in the preseason opener. Saturday night, Herbig figures to get more playing time on defense and special teams and perhaps earlier in the contest as well. It would be fun to see him go against stiffer competition as part of his night’s work.
Returning The Page – In the preseason opener, rookie undrafted free agent WR Jordan Byrd handled nearly all of the return duties. This week, however, and according to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, the return duties will go to WR Calvin Austin III and RB Anthony McFarland Jr. While both players have dabbled with returns during their football careers, it hasn’t been a ton. McFarland really could strengthen his roster cause by returning a few kickoffs for nice yardage Saturday night. He only had one kickoff return opportunity in the preseason opener and unfortunately that resulted in a touchback. As for Austin, he’s a lock to make the roster this year and him securing a returner role could make fellow WR Gunner Olszewski expendable a few weeks from now.
Safety Dance – After sitting out the preseason opener last Friday, the Steelers’ top three safeties, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, and Keanu Neal, are all expected to see action Friday night against the Bills. Neal is a newcomer so that adds another twist to this storyline. How those three are utilized in base and subpackage groupings will be fun to watch Friday night. Might we even see a three-safety grouping or two against the Bills? It’s certainly possible. The fact that the Bills are likely to play their offensive starters for more than just one series should also provide a nice dress rehearsal for the Steelers’ top three safeties.
Senior Night – The Steelers took it easy on their defensive veterans last Friday night as not only did Fitzpatrick, Kazee, and Neal not play in the team’s first preseason contest, but DT Cameron Heyward, OLB T.J. Watt, and CB Patrick Peterson were also held out of that game in Tampa Bay as well. According to what Tomlin said on Thursday, Heyward, Watt, and Peterson should play against the Bills on Saturday night. Those three probably don’t need a lot of playing time, but some certainly wouldn’t hurt with so many new pieces added to the defensive unit this offseason, with Peterson being one of them. Defensive communication is on Tomlin’s Saturday night agenda so that’s yet another reason to get Heyward, Watt, and Peterson some snaps in this preseason contest. It might be the only snaps they all play in the preseason.
A Very Special Evening – After not playing in the preseason opener so that their backups could have the center stage, the Steelers’ top three specialists, K Chris Boswell, P Pressley Harvin III, and LS Christian Kuntz, are all slated to handle their normal duties Saturday night against the Bills. While none of the three have been really challenged by their respective backups so far this summer, it still doesn’t mean that solid performances won’t be expected under the Saturday night lights of Acrisure Stadium. Harvin has really been under the microscope this offseason and mainly due to his lack of consistency. The same can probably be said to a lesser degree about Kuntz. As for Boswell, his 2022 season certainly wasn’t his best career showing but that said, he did deal with a groin injury. Let’s see just how special these specialists can be on Saturday night.
All-Purpose Anderson – The Steelers look like they might just have something in rookie offensive lineman Spencer Anderson, who was the team’s last draft selection this year. In the preseason opener, Anderson, a position versatile Maryland product, played right tackle, right guard, and left guard. This past week in training camp practices, Anderson took some snaps at left tackle and center. Might we see him play both of those positions Saturday night against the Bills? It’s quite possible. Should Anderson indeed represent himself well again on Saturday night at a few more positions on the offensive line, he might just secure himself a spot on the 53-man roster as an ultra-utility player. Keep a close eye on him against the Bills as he might just play three different positions again throughout this second preseason contest.
X Marks His Spot – The Steelers added another running back this past week in Arizona State product Xazavian Valladay. While Valladay is a longshot to make the 53-man roster due to his late arrival, it’s not like any other running backs have pushed McFarland for the No. 3 spot this summer. Valladay registered over 40 explosive play runs during his college career in addition to catching 88 passes for 873 yards. Can he pass protect? Can he play on special teams? We might find out answers to those two questions Saturday night. At worst, there’s plenty of time for Valladay to make a push for a practice squad spot starting Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium.
