The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Which starter has the highest chance of being benched or demoted during the bye week?
Every team, no matter how good or bad, seeks to capitalize on the opportunities a week off provides. For the Steelers, that week is now, and it’s the most likely time that we might see more substantial changes from the norm, particularly in terms of personnel.
Now five weeks into the season, we have a reasonably good idea about what we’re working with. And with what’s not working. And I think the overwhelming top answer is going to be Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle, so let’s just get that out of the way.
A starter for the first two-and-a-quarter seasons of his career, Moore may have started his last game for a while. Rookie first-round pick Broderick Jones got the start this Sunday and played pretty well in Moore’s spot with the latter dealing with a knee injury. It’s unclear if Moore will even be healthy enough to return on the other side of the bye.
But he is not the only veteran who could be at risk of being benched, or at least demoted. One of Patrick Peterson or Levi Wallace could see his role reduced as a result of increased playing time for rookie CB Joey Porter Jr.
Another option is Chandon Sullivan, who sees about a third of the defensive snaps this year, including on Sunday. On the other side of the bye, he could see his role reduced either by an expansion of Porter’s role or the promotion of Desmond King II.
Both Montravius Adams and DeMarvin Leal, or one more than the other, could continue to lose snaps to rookie Keeanu Benton. Once Cameron Heyward gets back, Adams will likely be moved to second-string nose tackle on a full-time basis.
So far, WR Allen Robinson II hasn’t exactly had a huge impact. He has 137 receiving yards on 17 receptions with the second-lowest success rate on his receptions of his entire career. With Diontae Johnson returning, could Calvin Austin III take more of the third receiver snaps?
