The Pittsburgh Steelers are shifting from a bye-week mindset to preparing to face the Los Angeles Rams in Week Seven. Thankfully, the struggling offense will be getting some reinforcements in the form of players getting healthy. The headliner is obviously WR Diontae Johnson who was put on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury during the Week One loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Also likely returning are TE Pat Freiermuth, who missed the Steelers’ Week Five win over the Baltimore Ravens due to a hamstring injury, and RB Anthony McFarland Jr.
When players met with the media on Monday afternoon, LT Dan Moore Jr. was asked about the impact of getting players back, especially Johnson and McFarland, and Steelers.com was there to capture his response.
“They possess speed and explosiveness that some guys on our roster don’t,” Moore said via the team site. “So when you talk about that aspect, and obviously not only that but the confidence that we have as an offense with them in our huddle, the ability to open up our playbook, it’s huge for us.”
The root cause (or causes) of the offense’s struggles has been endlessly debated since Week One. Whether you’re firmly in the ‘Fire Canada’ camp targeting offensive coordinator Matt Canada, you believe the players are the issue, or perhaps you’re a person who thinks that there’s plenty of blame to be spread around, getting more talent on the field can only be a positive. So getting players at offensive skill positions back healthy is good.
When one of those players is Johnson, one of the best route-runners in the league, that’s not just a normal boost from getting a player healthy. Yes, we’ve watched WR George Pickens continue his development and ascension despite the overall futility of the offense. Yet Pickens alone an offense does not make. Getting Johnson back will only help Pickens, if nothing else in the form of another quality target to cover.
McFarland may not get a lot of snaps on offense, but he did help convert a fourth-down play during the 49ers game through the air. He also can help the offense thanks to his ability to return kicks, as he averaged just over 30 yards a return in that phase of the game. That can help set the offense up in a slightly better field position.
One of the most intriguing comments that Moore made was about the playbook. Now, we can’t overlook the fact that one of the worst offensive performances occurred against San Francisco, a game in which Johnson played more than a half of football. However, it was also Week One against one of the best defenses in the league. If Moore is correct, losing Johnson has hampered Canada’s ability or willingness to utilize the full extent of his playbook.
We can’t be certain that these portions of the playbook are the key to unlocking even an average NFL offense, but that still won’t take away from the fact that getting good players back on the field is good. Now, we need to see if the efforts during the bye week both in terms of health and work on the offense will make an impact against the Rams in Week Seven.
