The Pittsburgh Steelers’ running game may have shown improvement in Week Two’s loss against the Seattle Seahawks. But a running theme of the week is “better isn’t good enough.” Averaging just 3.0 YPC as a team with a 44-percent success rate, the ground game must get in gear. Doing so means changing on multiple fronts: the scheme and the individual. One tweak isn’t the cure, but for a team struggling to run the ball, getting the team’s best run-blocking tight end, Darnell Washington, on the field more is a good place for Arthur Smith to start.
Per the charting provided by our Tom Mead, the Steelers have called 39 running plays this season. Of the 39, here’s the distribution of tight end snaps.
| Player | 12 Personnel Snaps |
|---|---|
| Jonnu Smith | 21 |
| Darnell Washington | 20 |
| Pat Freiermuth | 14 |
Washington is second on the list, only behind Smith. There’s an intent to get him on the offense. But are half the snaps enough? For how good a run blocker as he is and how average-to-below Smith and Freiermuth are, it’s too low. Especially when you consider the success rate. Of each tight end’s snaps, here is the run game success rate with each on the field.
| Player | Run Success Rate |
|---|---|
| Darnell Washington | 60% |
| Pat Freiermuth | 50% |
| Jonnu Smith | 42.9% |
In fairness and context, it’s still a limited sample size, and one player isn’t responsible for all of the success. There isn’t always a direct correlation. Still, it’s no surprise to see Washington stick out with the top mark.
Perhaps the most interesting stat is how little the team has used 13 personnel, three tight end sets, despite that position being viewed as a strength with great depth. Per our charting, Pittsburgh’s used 13 personnel on just four snaps this season. That’s just 3.5-percent of the total. It’s worth noting 14 personnel has been used twice this year but even accounting for that adds up to only 5.2-percent. Last year, those groupings amounted to more than 16-percent.
That number won’t stay at 5-percent all season, and if Pittsburgh plays more often with a lead, run-heavy personnel becomes more inviting.
Is Pittsburgh being reckless with Washington’s snap counts? No. On the surface, these numbers aren’t unreasonable. Especially two weeks in, as the Steelers get a feel for their offense, their needs, and how to handle three capable tight ends. This is about priorities. What matters most to the offense. The run or pass game? It’s the run game – of course it is. It’s the oxygen to this team. If you don’t have enough oxygen, nothing else matters except getting more air. Everything else can be sorted out later.
All these numbers add up. Play Washington more in 12 personnel (and even 11 personnel, though his usage there seems fair). Use more 13 personnel. It doesn’t require the formation packing things in tight. Freiermuth, Smith, or both can be split out with Washington in-line, removing defenders from the box while keeping a top-notch run blocker like Washington on the field.
Execution is paramount. Without that, the personnel or scheme don’t matter. But this isn’t either/or. Pittsburgh can and needs to make adjustments in both.
