Whether you want to see Russell Wilson take his first snaps as a Pittsburgh Steeler, check out how Justin Fields looks in his new uniform, or get eyes on the camp sleeper you hear us talking about, it’ll be easy for Steeler Nation to watch Pittsburgh during the preseason.
All three of the team’s exhibition games will be shown nationally on NFL Network, the channel announced Tuesday morning.
Pittsburgh will kick off the new year against the Houston Texans in Week 1. They’ll stay at home the following week against the Buffalo Bills before travelling for their only road preseason game in Week 3 versus the Detroit Lions.
With a new-look offense, the team is likely to play some of its starters ahead of the regular season though specific playing time is circumstantial. Of course, preseason performance can be deceiving. Last year, Kenny Pickett and the Steelers’ first-string offense found the end zone on every one of their drives, setting high expectations for the regular season. Instead, the team fell flat, and the offense continued to struggle throughout the season.
The preseason will be a great chance to check out the team’s new rookie class, a group likely to be counted on in similar ways to the 2023 draft picks. OT Troy Fautanu and C Zach Frazier have good odds of being immediate starters while WR Roman Wilson and LB Payton Wilson should have rotational roles out of the gate.
It’s also a time for camp battles to take place. There’s a cluster of names fighting for the No. 2 wide receiver job or at the least, securing a spot on the 53-man roster. Pittsburgh is likely to only roster two of Calvin Austin III, Quez Watkins, Scotty Miller, and Van Jefferson. Austin and Jefferson may have the early edge right now, but much can and will change over the next 10 weeks.
Defensively, there will be another battle for roster spots along the defensive line. Isaiahh Loudermilk, DeMarvin Leal, and Logan Lee will compete to make the team while backup corner spots are up for grabs. Cory Trice Jr., Darius Rush, and Beanie Bishop are among some of the names trying to secure their spots.
