Steelers Thoughts: Offense no-shows, rookies struggle in debut (2024)

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers came to Acrisure Stadium hoping to show off what they had learned while in Latrobe. But not everything clicked, and sloppiness defined the night for the most part.

With that being said, after the Steelers’ first preseason game, here are a few thoughts on the team immediately after the game:

Offense No-Shows

The Steelers’ offense came into this game hoping to show off what they could do, but instead, the first-team offense largely fell flat on their face. And to a degree, it was not really on Justin Fields, either.

Two fumble center-quarterback exchanges, some penalties, and a drop or two later, and the Steelers played some sloppy offensive football. One drive should have continued, too, but Mike Tomlin opted not to challenge.

Fields himself flashed the arm talent and looked fine when everything was absolutely perfect, but that has always been the issue for Fields. When things start to break down, so does Fields. Fields ran into one sack, though the other two I would charge to Troy Fautanu (more on that later).

The running game worked well for the most part. But even when the backups came in, Kyle Allen missed Calvin Austin III on a wide-open touchdown on a fourth-and-goal, and while catchable, Austin bobbled that, too.

The fundamental miscues just added up to bad execution. That really was the end of it.

Rookies Struggle

The Steelers rookies, in general, struggled for the most part. I thought Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick had some strong moments on live viewing. Frazier helped spring a Daijun Edwards outside zone run and McCormick had at least one pancake and looked steady in pass protection.

Meanwhile, Fautanu allowed two sacks. The first one, Danielle Hunter, smoked him around the edge. On the second one, Fautanu opened his chest with a high and late punch, and got hit with a bull rush, and the pass rusher beat him to the inside.

Payton Wilson flew around early in the game and played well. But as the game went on, the Texans started to go at him in coverage and some of his warts started to show. He plays fast and furious, but has inconsistent tackling technique and can get caught out of position. He is still adapting to full stack off-ball linebacker, so that is expected.

As for the rest of the class, Logan Lee. was silent, and Ryan Watts had some nice plays but was out of position more than he wanted to be. Watts has been yelled at by coaches before about that in practice, too, so this is not a new trend. Either way, a solid day at the office for two of the three offensive linemen, but the Steelers will want to see more out of Fautanu.

Arthur Smith Calls Solid Game

a lot of his play calls were largely vanilla, but Arthur Smith did a nice job in his first game as Steelers offensive coordinator. He set the Steelers up to win via the screen game by countering a lot of the Texans’ double A-gap looks. More than that, Smith’s run game popped.

The Steelers did not just use outside zone, though that was the most common run, but we saw plenty of gap concepts. Wham and crunch were two plays that stood out from the Steelers right away.

Then, there were the play-action deep shots. Smith put the Steelers in excellent positions to win via those play-action shots, and they hit at least four chunk gains to different receivers. For the most part, the issue with the Steelers came down to execution more than it did anything else. I would consider this a solid start to Smith’s offensive coordinator tenure.

Defensive Line is Legit

The Steelers’ defensive line proved they were plenty legit. DeMarvin Leal continued his strong summer and created consistent pressure throughout the game. He played both on the inside and at outside linebacker, solidifying his tweener status for the Steelers.

Yet, Leal was just one of many who stood out. Before leaving with an eye injury, Keeanu Benton wreaked havoc against the Texans’ front. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Montravius Adams seemed to cement themselves as legitimate options down the depth chart.

Kyron Johnson and Jeremiah Moon proved that the Steelers, even after Markus Golden’s surprise retirement, have plenty of intriguing and explosive depth at outside linebacker. So, yet again, the defensive line looks like a serious strength for the Steelers, to no one’s surprise.

The Steelers Need a Wide Receiver

So, do you think the Steelers need a wide receiver? With all the talk around Brandon Aiyuk, it feels like all anyone has talked about is the wide receiver, but the drastic need for the Steelers to add someone can not be understated.

Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III are having good camps and even stuck out against the Texans. But neither are legitimate WR2 options. The Steelers need to find someone else there. Behind them, Scotty Miller seems like the next guy in line and is fast, but the Steelers need another legitimate threat to pair with George Pickens. Pickens is wonderful, but they need another hoss.

Quick Thoughts

1. Though he was limited in his playing time, Cory Trice’s short time on the field was impactful. He walloped an opposing screen with ease. The Steelers did not go much into their dime packages, so a quality look for him on the outside was needed. He did well in his one drive.
2. Mark Robinson still plays with a lot of energy but has no real idea of what he is doing. It feels like that experiment might be nearing its end.
3. The new kickoff rules were weird, but the Steelers’ special teams, in general, were a mess. They had two penalties and a bad snap, leading to a missed extra point. That has to be better. Cameron Johnston was good, though.
4. Kyle Allen was topsy-turvy. The first few drives were an absolute mess, including that missed touchdown to Austin. However, it felt like he settled in after that, including showcasing his legs.
5. Wilington Previlon should not go understated in the defensive line conversation. It was against third-stringers, but he played well.
6. It was not a great day for Nate Herbig. Frazier looked like the better player, straight up. But Herbig faced first teamers and Frazier second and third teamers. I would like to see Frazier get a chance with the ones.
7. Jacoby Windmon felt he was everywhere. I was not sure if it was in a good or bad way until I watch the film, but he was around the ball a ton, playing on and off the ball.