Mike Tomlin says changes are coming. What those could be, no one outside that building knows. But NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes you’ll have to squint to see the differences between the Week Five Pittsburgh Steelers compared to the Week Four bunch that got its butts kicked by the Houston Texans Sunday afternoon.
Appearing on NFL+’s Insiders, Rapoport said he doesn’t think big moves are coming.
“[Mike Tomlin] is very loyal,” Rapoport told the show. “He is very principled. We will see what changes they make. I would be surprised if there were any rash decisions.”
While no reporter has commented on Matt Canada’s future, it doesn’t sound like there are imminent plans for the team to fire him. If that was going to occur, the news likely would’ve been announced this morning in order to give the interim selection as much time as possible to get ready for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. If a change occurs this season, the most likely time would come during the team’s Week Six bye.
What other changes that could occur are unclear. Injuries could force the team’s hand at a different-looking lineup. Rookie Broderick Jones may earn his first career start if Dan Moore Jr. is held out by a knee injury suffered early in yesterday’s game. TE Pat Freiermuth is in danger of missing Week Five after suffering a hamstring injury that looks at least semi-serious. And, of course, QB Mitch Trubisky could start this weekend should Kenny Pickett miss after suffering a left knee injury Sunday.
Defensively, Pittsburgh could shuffle more pieces. They could change-up their inside linebacker rotation, playing Kwon Alexander and Mark Robinson more often, they could dress NT Breiden Fehoko to help stuff the run, and they could consider playing rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. beyond just dime packages. Playing him in nickel packages and kicking Patrick Peterson inside to the slot seems like one obvious move.
Loyal and principled as Tomlin may be, the Steelers are a team that’s stuck. Though they’re record is 2-2, they feel like a team that has to figure things out quickly. A loss to Baltimore puts the Ravens in clear control of the AFC North, more than they already are, and will have the Steelers playing catchup the rest of the season.
