The Pittsburgh Steelers are just hours away from kicking off their second preseason game, and lone preseason home contest, tonight against the Buffalo Bills. After this, they’ll have just one more exhibition game before preparing for the regular season opener on September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Steelers’ 2023 rookie class got their feet wet last weekend. Now, more will be asked and expected of them in their second outing. Here’s what each rookie needs to show tonight.
OT Broderick Jones
Jones played more offensive snaps against Tampa Bay than any other Steeler and it wasn’t even close, his 49 pacing the field. Overall, Jones held up well and didn’t fatigue throughout the game. He set the edge as a pass protector and consistently steered defenders upfield while he was assignment sound and did a nice job of recognizing and picking up stunts and blitzes.
His issue was hand placement and punch, struggling to get his hands inside and forced to re-fit. That’s been an issue at came and one reason why Dan Moore Jr. remains the frontrunner to be the Steelers’ starting left tackle. He’ll need to clean it up against the Bills’ pass rush tonight, though they’ll be without a top end player like Von Miller, still recovering from injury. I’d like to see him throw his weight around as a run blocker a bit more and hopefully Pittsburgh runs a running back/tight end screen to showcase Jones’ athleticism out in space. He was also flagged for holding late in the opener. Playing penalty-free tonight would be ideal.
CB Joey Porter Jr.
It’s a little different for Porter, who will be making his NFL debut after missing Friday’s game with a minor injury. With Pittsburgh playing more of their starters in this one, including Patrick Peterson, we’ll have to see how many snaps Porter gets. It’s reasonable to expect him to log around 20 in this game, not putting too much on his plate for his first time out.
We’ll see what kind of coverages and alignments they use with him. Press-man is his specialty but he’ll have to show he’s comfortable playing off-man and the deep-third in zone coverage. It hasn’t looked like a serious issue in training camp but inside stadiums are always different, especially if you’re facing the Bills’ potent offense. Porter must also be a consistent tackler which means playing with improved technique. He had a tendency to drop his head in camp, leading to a few misses.
He must also walk the line between using his rare size and length (34 inch arms) while playing clean and not drawing penalties. He can’t have early contact on slants and can’t get too handsy on downfield throws.
NT Keeanu Benton
First, it’s a question of whether or not Benton will play in this game. He suffered a minor ankle injury in the Buccaneers’ game and did not practice fully with the team over their final four practices, going through individual work the last three days. Tomlin did not rule him out of the game and considering fellow rookie Nick Herbig played last week under similar circumstances, and Benton has the benefit of playing in an NFL game already, I’m optimistic Benton will suit up. He flashed last week, showing active hands, a strong punch, and plus athleticism. Hopefully all those things are on display and the time missed doesn’t hinder him.
If there is something new to look for, it’s his anchor against the run. That remains a question. Taking double-teams isn’t easy and won’t look pretty but he does need to be stronger at the point of attack in order to play the run. Benton will have a defensive role this year but it’s still unclear if he’ll enter Week One as the team’s starting nose tackle. Veteran Montravius Adams has had a good camp.
TE Darnell Washington
Washington had a solid NFL debut, though it wasn’t a spectacular showing. Which is fine – they’re not all going to “wow.” Still, he showed his size and strength on down/angle blocks, which will be his bread and butter in the run game. He’s just large and in charge enough to wash guys down and create running lanes off his hip. Washington needs to show more squared up as a base blocker, playing with good posture and sustaining blocks, and hopefully he can be a bit more involved in the passing game, just one catch for nine yards versus Tampa Bay.
He should be rotated in with the other tight ends throughout this game and play a healthy number of snaps. He logged 25 of them in his debut and should see a similar, though perhaps slightly lower, number tonight.
OLB Nick Herbig
A flash in the pan versus the Buccaneers, it was a mild surprise to see him play. Prior to the opener, Herbig had been dealing with a hip flexor injury that limited his reps. But you wouldn’t know it by the way he played, racking up 1.5 sacks and putting on good tape. Granted, it was limited action, just 13 snaps, but he still made an impact.
Though the starters will play more snaps in this one, T.J. Watt will make his 2023 debut tonight, it’d be interesting to see Herbig play more, even if it comes in the second half. Thirteen snaps aren’t a lot. You barely get winded that way. I want to see Herbig log 30 snaps tonight, feel a little tired, and have to push through. Most guys look good when they’re fresh. Can you maintain technique and produce when you’re battling fatigue? Herbig has had a really good camp, no question, but that’s on my checklist for him.
CB Cory Trice Jr.
Unfortunately, Trice suffered a “significant” knee injury during the first day in pads of camp. He was placed on IR and is out for the season. He’ll look to make it back for 2024.
OL Spencer Anderson
Though the team’s final pick of the draft, Anderson carries plenty of intrigue. He’s logged time at all five positions in camp, the only Steeler who can say that, and got center work during the week. With Nate Herbig out, the door is open for Anderson to see work in the middle tonight, but the fact he didn’t take any center reps on Thursday (the team’s walkthrough/scout-team session) suggests he may not get action there in this game.
Still, Anderson should bounce around between guard and tackle. Hopefully he plays some left tackle after not seeing action there against the Bucs. With Moore expected to play more and Jones behind, that could be tough to swing. If Anderson can look competent at multiple spots, he’ll increase his value and boost his odds of making the 53. More specifically, I’d like to see more out of him as a run blocker. He’s athletic but can he get a push up front?
Undrafted Free Agents
It’s a small bunch of names. Can any of the outside linebackers stick out? David Perales or Toby Nduwke. Perales saw 50 relatively uneventful snaps last week and will lose time with Herbig fully ready. Nduwke is coachable and had his moments, good and bad. Tanner Morgan might get mop-up duty tonight and will look to take care of the football better than he did in the opener (botched exchange, interception, fumble). That’s a trifecta you don’t want to achieve.
Defensive lineman James Nyamwaya will have a hard time seeing snaps along Pittsburgh’s deep line while K B.T. Potter may see limited action after getting a ton of burn in the opener. To his credit, he had a solid day.
Arguably the most interesting name is RB Xazavian Valladay, recently signed after being waived by the Houston Texans. With size and athleticism, he should see a handful of carries tonight as he competes for a practice squad spot. There’s certainly an opening for him.
