A handful of key Pittsburgh Steelers pieces, particularly on the offensive side of the football, didn’t play a snap in the preseason. But that didn’t stop the Black and Gold from having a productive preseason.
The Steelers went 2-1 in the three preseason games, losing the one on a last-second field goal. Some players really stood out and might have forced their way onto the roster, while some others didn’t do much of anything and might have played their way out of Pittsburgh.
Not getting the chance to see quarterback Aaron Rodgers or wide receiver DK Metcalf suit up for a preseason game was frustrating, but somewhat understandable.
Despite those two not playing, CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan gave the Steelers a B- for their preseason.
“I sort of wanted to give Pittsburgh an incomplete because we didn’t get to see Aaron Rodgers or DK Metcalf at all this preseason,” Sullivan writes. “Unlike Buffalo or Philadelphia, which also held out their starting quarterbacks, it may have behooved Rodgers — who signed with the Steelers this offseason — to get some in-game reps with his new squad to better build up a rapport and be as dialed in as possible for what may be his final season in the NFL.”
Though the 41-year-old Rodgers has been around the block a time or two in the NFL, it still would have been nice to see him for a series or two in the preseason. There’s nothing like getting in-stadium work against an opponent in a game-like setting. Sure, Rodgers played in the joint practice against the Buccaneers, but that was his only real work of the preseason.
That has to be a bit concerning, at least on the outside looking in. But for head coach Mike Tomlin, there’s no concern there due to the work he’s seen from Rodgers and Metcalf in practice. So, we’ll see if the Steelers’ decision to keep those guys out of action was the right one early in the season.
As for the guys who played, rookies Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black impressed along the defensive line, while it was great to see a guy like second-year receiver Roman Wilson take a significant step forward, too.
“The Steelers did seem to dodge a bullet with first-round defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, who is week-to-week after being carted off of Thursday’s preseason finale with a knee injury. They also may have found a diamond in the rough with fifth-round rookie Yahya Black, who registered two sacks,” Sullivan writes. “While it was brief, Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay did put together a passable showing in the finale as well.
“The biggest question surrounding the Steelers entering the preseason, however. How does the receiver depth chart shake out after Metcalf? Calvin Austin III has missed time due to injury, and Roman Wilson is still a bit of an unknown.”
Wide receiver will remain the biggest question for the Steelers. It’s why they are continuing to “scour” the wide receiver market, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. But Wilson looked pretty good in the preseason, making plays down the field in the passing game, giving the Steelers some hope at the receiver position.
Hopefully Austin can recover fully from his oblique injury and get back up to speed quickly, and Wilson can carry over his strong preseason into the regular season.
As for Harmon and Black, they were as advertised, dominating for stretches in the preseason, creating some excitement for their prospects moving forward.
We’ll see if what the Steelers showed in the preseason can carry over into the regular season. It’s a whole different ball game in the regular season, but the Steelers showed some positive signs in the summer.
