The Pittsburgh Steelers "new era" has officially started with some incredibly talented pieces on offense flashing potential during training camp in Latrobe and the first two preseason games of the year. However, it looks as if an old worry may bleed into the 2022 season for the Steelers. The Steelers offensive line play from a season ago was less than sub-par and that's referring to it lightly. If the Steelers are going to have any success on the offensive side of the ball this season; the offensive line just cannot have that type of performance repeated this season.
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The offensive line as a whole just wasn't getting the job done. The battle for left guard between Kevin Dotson and Kendrick Green seems like it will come down to whoever loses the job; instead of naming a winner of the position battle. Both Steelers guards rotated in and out of Saturday night's preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with neither really showcasing varsity-like play. Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin didn't seem happy with the performance of the big guys up front for the team as he spoke to the media after the game:
"I told the guys, they [Jacksonville] controlled the football game, but we won the game," stated Coach Tomlin via Steelers.com. "We got to take responsibility for that positively and negatively. Down in and down out, we didn't perform well enough. We didn't perform at a high enough level to control the game."
"I thought their defensive front, in the environment in particular, controlled the game. I thought we had some blown assignments on defense that cost us from a field positioning standpoint. But when you look at it, the weighty downs, oftentimes we talk about downs aren't weighted the same, and that's where we were able to win the football game. We won enough possession downs on defense, particularly when the field got short. We made them settle for three a couple of times."
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Jacksonville's defensive front did in fact control the game, especially in the early parts when it should have been more "varsity-like action" with the Steelers' first-team offensive line on the field. QB Mitch Trubisky was running for his life on just about every passing opportunity that he had. Not to mention, the night came to a close with WR Steven Sims leading the team with 11 rushing yards.
It doesn't matter if it's "just a preseason game" or not, the Steelers offensive line play was atrocious Saturday night in both the passing game and the rushing attack. Even the savvy veteran free agent guard, James Daniels, who was supposed to fix some of these offensive line woes from a season ago, hasn't played up to the standard.
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Daniels seems to not be as powerful as he was when he was with the Chicago Bears in his first few NFL seasons. Maybe the answer for the Steelers' continued issues on the offensive line still lies in the NFL free agency pool. I'm not saying that this guard would fix all of the Steelers issues up front, but what's one more veteran offensive lineman added to the mix going to harm right now? Offensive guard, Ereck Flowers is still waiting to sign for the 2022 NFL season.
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Flowers, 28, played most recently for the Washington Commanders and started 16 games a season ago. There's a couple of scenarios in which Flowers would be beneficial to bring into the Steelers' locker room before Week 1. He could be another body added to the mix in the battle for left guard, or he could be a quick replacement for Daniels; if his regression becomes more and more evident throughout the season. Flowers' best skill set is his pass-blocking ability. I know after Saturday's performance, Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, and Mason Rudolph would be appreciative of Flowers' arrival if it were to happen.
The team's offensive line will be back to the drawing board on Monday, but the team should think seriously about bringing in another veteran offensive lineman like Flowers as the situation up front seems to be more dire with every snap taken.
What are yinz thoughts on the Steelers' atrocious offensive line play thus far in preseason action? Should the Steelers bring in a veteran guy like Ereck Flowers? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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