In three preseason games, the offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers was rather impressive, especially the starters.
The first-team offense for the Steelers played just 28 snaps but went 5-for-5 on the drives, scoring touchdowns on each one. Pittsburgh had explosive plays in the process, too, which is something the Steelers were severely lacking throughout the 2022 season under Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada.
Now though, entering the 2023 season after the performances in the preseason, excitement and anticipation regarding the Steelers’ offense is high.
The Steelers’ offense also has two key “stock up” players coming out of the preseason, according to Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson.
Those two players? Quarterback Kenny Pickett and backup running back Jaylen Warren.
“It was only preseason, and he featured in less of it than most players, but Kenny Pickett was almost flawless. His 94.7 PFF grade was the best of any quarterback, thanks to his completing 13 of 15 attempts for 199 yards and two touchdowns,” Monson writes regarding Pickett for PFF.com.” Pickett has looked phenomenal at the helm of the first-team Steelers offense and that only adds to the glowing reports from training camp. His entire draft class was much maligned at the quarterback position, but Pickett is heading into his second season with a lot of momentum.”
Pickett will be the first person to downplay the success in the preseason citing that it is only the preseason. However, his performance in the 28 snaps he played and the 15 passes he attempted was rather remarkable.
The second-year quarterback had outstanding accuracy, looked very comfortable and confident in the pocket, and trusted his teammates to make plays for him in big situations down the field. Pickett also attacked the middle of the field more often during the preseason and really appears poised for a significant leap overall in 2023.
As for Warren, he’s an arrow-up guy for the Black and Gold as well, especially after his 62-yard touchdown run against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium.
“Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Najee Harris to fix their running game, he has been slowly falling out of favor. And now Jaylen Warren has been flashing the kind of breakaway speed that Harris lacks,” Monson writes regarding Warren for PFF.com. “Warren carried the ball only six times this preseason, but those carries went for 89 yards and two touchdowns, the highlight of which was a 62-yard scamper. Warren could eat into Harris’ workload with the Steelers’ offense this season.”
There is absolutely zero evidence of Najee Harris falling out of favor in Pittsburgh, so that’s a misinformed hot take from Monson, which isn’t surprising.
That said, Warren is certainly going to see more touches in 2023. He’s an explosive playmaker. One that has that elite game-breaking speed to rip off the home runs, which is something Harris can’t quite do. That’s not a knock on Harris either. That’s just not the type of running back he is.
Warren saw a lot of work as a third-down and change-of-pace back as an undrafted free agent in 2022, going from the bottom of the roster in training camp into a key player for the Steelers down the stretch. With another year under his belt, Warren’s role should only increase, which will be a great thing for the Steelers’ offense.
A good 1-2 punch with Harris could prove quite successful for the Steelers in 2023.
