As the NFL calendar moves further into the month of October, key rookies for the Pittsburgh Steelers have some in-game, in-helmet experience — as head coach Mike Tomlin likes to say — to build off of.
But that doesn’t mean they are ready for starting roles, at least according to Tomlin.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday in his post-bye press conference while previewing the Week Seven road trip to take on the Los Angeles Rams, Tomlin stated that the rookies such as left tackle Broderick Jones, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton are all getting better based on their quality of play. However, he added that there are a number of variables when it comes to playing time.
The question arose after veteran left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and veteran cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace remained listed as the starters at left tackle and cornerback ahead of the Week Seven matchup with the Rams despite the strong showing from Porter and Jones against the Baltimore Ravens in Week Five.
“I think with each week they all are [getting better], so there’s several variables at play. It’s what it is that they do and the quality in which they do it, but it’s also the opportunity, and such is always the case in team play,” Tomlin said regarding playing time for the rookies, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “Things and decisions don’t happen in a vacuum. You can be somewhat pleased with the progress of a player, in terms of the direction that they’re moving, but the opportunity has to be there. And so, we challenge all of these guys to not be patient. This is not a patient person’s business. It doesn’t behoove them to be patient.
“We ask them to work while they wait for their opportunity and then put their readiness on display. And to this point, some of the guys that you’re asking about, Broderick Jones, Joey Porter, Jr., have done a really good job of that. And so we’ll wait for continued opportunities and increase the opportunities for them and check their progress as we move forward.”
It’s understandable that Tomlin is leaning on the opportunity part of things when it comes to the rookies.
It’s still early in the season, and he doesn’t like to take a veteran’s starting job away due to injury, especially if it is an injury that didn’t cause the player to miss much time.
That’s the case with Moore, at least for right now, as the third-year man has returned to practice after leaving the Week Four loss to Houston early with a knee injury and then missing the Week Five win over Baltimore. As Tomlin stated Tuesday, if Moore is healthy, he’ll have a chance to start. But he added that’s a big “if.”
Those comments are rather frustrating to hear from Tomlin, especially after seeing how well Jones played in his first NFL start, allowing just one pressure in the 17-10 win. But the Steelers have a way of doing things, and they are slow playing the rookies while waiting for the opportunity to present itself.
Same with Porter, though the opportunity seemed to present itself in the fourth quarter in Week Five against the Ravens. Porter was inserted into the lineup in base defense ahead of Peterson as the Steelers essentially benched the veteran cornerback in base defense, turning to the rookie. He rewarded them with a key interception late and was the NFL’s highest-graded cornerback in Week Five by Pro Football Focus.
Yet, Tomlin and the Steelers aren’t seeing the opportunity to start just yet, so it seems.
The rookies will keep working and putting their talents on display in an effort to create the opportunity, that much is certain. But the coaching staff shouldn’t have that difficult of a decision to make regardless of an opportunity or not.
