In a performance that can only be described as sloppy, the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped the preseason opener Friday night to the Houston Texans, 20-12, in the first look at their rebuilt roster.
At times, there were flashes of promise offensively under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. But too often there were mistakes, such as snap miscues and missed blocks that led to drives stalling for the Steelers.
Justin Fields had some nice throws in his Steelers debut, but the snap issues were killer, putting a damper on his first time in the Black and Gold.
Defensively, the Steelers made some plays, limiting the explosive plays overall for Houston, but C.J. Stroud led one scoring drive for the Texans and Houston took advantage of an awful muffed punt from Quez Watkins to set up a second TD. In the blink of an eye, that was all she wrote.
Head coach Mike Tomlin was not happy after the loss to Houston, nor should he have been. It was ugly, sloppy football, even with some promising moments mixed in. It’s back to work at Saint Vincent College for the next few days.
For now, it’s time to check out some positional grades coming out of the preseason opener.
Let’s get to it.
QB — C-
In his Steelers debut, Justin Fields showed some flashes as the starting quarterback. He completed 5-of-6 passes for 67 yards, hitting George Pickens and Najee Harris for gains of 16 yards and then hitting Van Jefferson for a gain of 20 yards off a play-action fake. He also changed arm angles at times to connect on throws.
He showed off his wheels too, turning a second and long into a third and short, but he held onto the football too long in the pocket at times, leading to one sack and generally didn’t deal with pressure all that well. Plus, he had issues taking a pair of snaps under center from Nate Herbig, leading to some messy moments.
Kyle Allen came in and started fast with a 34-yard strike to Dez Fitzpatrick over the middle on a play-action pass, but after that he fell apart. He missed a layup throw to Calvin Austin III for a touchdown in the back of the end zone on 4th and goal, and then was really rough after that, putting a throw out of bounds for Scotty Miller on a deep shot, stalling a drive.
Allen bounced back in the second half, hooking up with Austin for a couple of big plays through the air. He later found Connor Heyward for a touchdown out in the right flat, getting the Steelers back into the game. He hooked up with Miller on a big play in the third quarter, too, setting up another touchdown.
Allen’s night ended with a whimper as he threw a game-ending interception, capping an up-and-down night that saw him finish 17-of-23 for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
RB — B-
Najee Harris looked solid overall in his preseason debut. He had a great catch and run on the first play of the game, taking a swing route from Fields for 16 yards, breaking a tackle in the process. I’d like to see him utilized more in the passing game under Arthur Smith compared to recent seasons under Matt Canada.
In the run game Harris had some success, too, ripping off a nice run behind rookie Troy Fautanu off right tackle.
Jaylen Warren had a quiet night, though he showed great burst on one run, flying through the hole to get to the second level and move the chains.
Veteran Jonathan Ward came on in relief of Harris and Warren and really impressed. He opened with an explosive run of 20 yards off of left end, building off a strong start to training camp.
Rookie UDFA Daijun Edwards flashed in the fourth quarter, ripping off a 24-yard run to set up a 1-yard touchdown, making a case for more carries moving forward as a guy who can handle a special teams role while still bringing some juice to the backfield.
La’Mical Perine was rather quiet. He had just four carries for 10 yards and really didn’t do anything noteworthy while Aaron Shampklin looked good on two carries, ripping off a 9-yard run on one carry.
WR — C+
As the clear-cut WR1, George Pickens had a nice start to the preseason. He hauled in two passes for 25 yards and made a defender miss on both receptions by blowing up angles.
Van Jefferson had a nice play in his Steelers debut, hauling in a 20-yard pass from Fields near the Steelers’ sideline. He also had what looked like a nice toe-tapping catch along the Texans’ sideline, but the Steelers did not challenge the call of incomplete pass.
Behind Pickens and Jefferson, the Steelers made some plays in the passing game. Though Calvin Austin III couldn’t corral a fourth-down throw in the back left corner of the end zone from Allen, he bounced back with two catches for 49 yards, creating some explosive plays down the field.
So, too, did Scotty Miller. Miller finished with three receptions for 47 yards, including a big 38-yard hookup with Allen to set up a touchdown. Dez Fitzpatrick made a nice play on a crossing route, hauling in a 34-yard pass from Allen to get the Steelers deep into Houston territory.
Even Jaray Jenkins made some plays, finishing with two catches for 22 yards, making a nice play in the second half to turn upfield along the sideline for a nice gain of 16.
There were some moments from the receivers overall, but this group sure could use another solid player.
TE — C-
Connor Heyward. Football player.
Another year, same story with Heyward. He had just two catches for four yards, but he did have a 6-yard touchdown mixed in there and did a nice job shaking off a would-be tackle just enough to get to the pylon.
It was a mostly quiet night for the tight ends outside of that. That was a bit of a disappointment considering the hype for the position leading into the game due to Arthur Smith’s history.
Pat Freiermuth had just one catch for six yards, which came on a 3rd and 14 checkdown from Fields, where two defenders were waiting for Freiermuth.
Hopefully there is more to come for the TE position in the second preseason game next Saturday against Buffalo.
OL — D+
The first two offensive line units looked good in the run game, creating plenty of holes in the run game for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. But center Nate Herbig and Fields had issues with a pair of snaps while rookie Troy Fautanu and second-year guard Spencer Anderson struggled in pass protection, allowing two drive-killing sacks on Fields.
The Texans generated quite a bit of pressure against the Steelers, especially early, putting Fields under quite a bit of duress. They got after Kyle Allen, too, forcing him to scramble around at times and try to make plays on the move.
The Steelers allowed three sacks on the night. It’s hard to truly assess offensive line play right after a game, but at first glance things weren’t all that great from the rebuilt offensive line. They weren’t as physical as I was expecting, and they had issues with the Texans’ pressure.
DL — B-
Though the main force in Cameron Heyward didn’t play, the defensive line had some moments on Friday night.
Montravius Adams just continues to make plays. He had a nice sack and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. He was all over the place. Really good sign for the veteran, who will be a key rotational piece for the Steelers in the trenches.
Keeanu Benton left the game early with an eye injury , which is a bit concerning, while Larry Ogunjobi played a few snaps and pushed back the Texans a few times, controlling the line of scrimmage.
DeMarvin Leal flashed quite a bit in the first half with a sack of Houston quarterback Davis Mills. He’s had a strong summer after a very good spring. The sack is the latest example of that. He was consistent throughout the night in limited snaps, finishing with three tackles.
Isaiahh Loudermilk quietly had a strong night, too. He finished with two tackles and a pass breakup, getting his preseason off to a good start as he competes for a potential roster spot.
Willington Previlon had a nice night, too, finishing with two tackles. He’s opened some eyes at training camp and is pushing for a practice squad spot. Friday night’s performance against the Texans was another step in the right direction.
Rookie Logan Lee was very quiet, finishing with just one tackle. He seemed to hold up fine against the run at times but wasn’t very noticeable outside of that.
LB — B
Rookie Payton Wilson was everywhere. Seriously.
The third-round pick made plays left and right, flying all over the field to show off his speed and athleticism. He really looked like he was playing at a different speed at times, which was impressive. He played a game-high 44 snaps and finished with seven tackles and a tackle for loss.
He did miss at least two tackles on first watch, but it was a very good start to his career.
Outside, Nick Herbig looked in midseason former with a nice pressure in the first quarter, forcing C.J. Stroud to throw it away and avoid the sack.
Kyron Johnson made some very nice plays late against the run, recording a tackle for loss in the process and had a nice pressure as well. He’s very clearly a bubble guy, but he’s battling hard and a had a nice night.
So did Jeremiah Moon, who is back in the driver’s seat for OLB4 following the retirement of Markus Golden Friday. Moon had a big sack in the loss and finished with six tackles, just behind Wilson for the team lead. He had a few other pressures on the night, too and looked good overall.
Quietly, Jacoby Windmon and Mark Robinson racked up four tackles each on the inside. Windmon brought some physicality to the table, while Robinson fired downhill against the run but struggled in space. He was left in the dust by Houston’s Cam Akers on a reception out of the backfield.
DB — C+
I was really impressed with rookie safety Ryan Watts on the night. He has fully transitioned to a safety role and handled himself well. He played in the box and made some plays, including a nice downhill run stop with physicality after getting off a block. He finished with four tackles and really looked comfortable.
Second-year pro Cory Trice Jr., making his NFL debut, had a great play in the second half, firing downhill on a quick screen to make a tackle for loss on a great form tackle. He wasn’t really tested in coverage outside of that. Darius Rush gave up some receptions but was in great position on a third-down throw from Case Keenum.
Kalon Barnes flashed at times, closing quickly on a post route to Steven Sims to break up the throw and save a touchdown. He finished with three tackles and looked comfortable on special teams, too, recording a tackle on a kickoff. Anthony Averett made some plays, too, but was a bit slow to react on the C.J. Stroud touchdown pass to Tank Dell to open the scoring. Same for safety Damontae Kazee on the play. It was ugly overall from the two veterans on a 3rd and 8.
DeShon Elliott had a nice pass breakup on tight end Dalton Schultz down the field on the first possession of the game, avoiding a flag despite plenty of contact. Joey Porter Jr. wasn’t as lucky on the next drive, drawing a flag in coverage on Robert Woods.
Rookie UDFA Beanie Bishop Jr. showed up quite a bit, finishing with four tackles, creating some pressure on blitzes out of the slot and continuing to solidify his roster spot at this time.
Special Teams — F
Not great in the kicking game, that’s for sure.
Matthew Wright missed a point after attempt, but that was largely due to the high snap from Christian Kuntz that new punter Cameron Johnston did his best to try and get it down in time.
Johnston punted the football well overall, averaging 43.6 yards on five punts. He downed one inside the 20-yard line and had one go for a touchback with a long of 50 yards on the night. He did have two punts not hang up long enough, putting his coverage unit in a tough position, leading to 18- and 22-yard returns from Sims.
The Steelers simply have to be better there.
On the new kickoff returns, the Steelers covered pretty well, but really struggled to block it up. Darius Rush blew up the first kickoff of the game, running into John Rhys Plumlee to stop the Steelers cold.
In the return game, Plumlee had a 23-yard return, while running backs Ward and Edwards had the most success. Edwards had a 27-yard return while Ward had a 25-yard return. We’ll see if Cordarrelle Patterson plays next week against Buffalo.
In the punt return game, Quez Watkins was dreadful. That’s putting it nicely. He made a fair catch with 15 yards of space on the first punt of the game and then muffed one later in the game, setting up a Houston touchdown.
