Earlier today, Willie Colon had plenty of thoughts on Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson. Now, he’s sharing his views on the Pittsburgh Steelers, saying neither side of the ball has lived up to the hype.
Appearing on The Zach Gelb show today, Colon was asked to evaluate the Steelers’ start, 3-2 through the first five weeks but a bumpy ride along the way.
“From an offenses’ side, Kenny Pickett isn’t as advertised,” Colon said. “We thought the preseason he was going to be one those guys you say, ‘oh wow, here he comes.’ That hasn’t happened.”
The preseason hype was high on Pickett and the Steelers. It was hard to ignore the great summer they had. The first-team offense found the end zone on all five of their possessions with big plays in the pass and run game. WRs George Pickens and Calvin Austin III made long house calls while RB Jaylen Warren ripped off a long touchdown run against the Buffalo Bills.
Pickett looked sharp and decisive and poised for a second-year jump, one similar to Trevor Lawrence from his first to second year. Once the regular season began, the Steelers’ offense went into a shell. Pickett has regressed with more turnovers and mistakes while his completion percentage is one of the league’s worst despite his receivers not dropping many passes.
Yet again, the offense has gotten off to miserable starts and been unable to put points on the board. As a unit, they’re averaging less than 13 points per game and relied on defensive and special teams splash to win them games. In five games this season, they have just five offensive touchdowns and have yet to run the ball into the end zone, a franchise first.
Pickett and this offense must play much better after the bye or else there will be questions about everyone, Pickett included, in the offseason.
Defensively, the Steelers have sizzle but they’re not stout. Colon made the obvious point the team has missed DL Cam Heyward, out since Week One after undergoing groin surgery.
“I’m seeing a ballclub that lacks identity. Obviously, their defense is always going to be top-tier because of T.J. Watt and some of the pass rushers they have. But the loss of Cam Heyward has hurt them.”
Heyward is their anchor up front and the team isn’t used to playing without him. These are the first games he’s missed for injury reasons since 2016. The team has rotated a cast of characters to fill his absence and rookie DL Keeanu Benton looks impressive, starting at RDE in Sunday’s win over Baltimore, but their run defense remains one of the worst in football. Heyward is expected to return later this season but it’s not clear when. The initial timetable put things around Thanksgiving.
Colon says the Steelers need to get back to “their brand” of football. A strong run game, a physical defense. The problem is, they’ve been trying to do that, especially the former, for years. And yet, they’ve found little movement in that direction. Perhaps that’s the most concerning part of it all.
