The Pittsburgh Steelers offense improved dramatically as the 2022 season went on. Once then rookie Kenny Pickett took over for journeyman quarterback Mitch Trubisky, things began to turn the corner. While they could not do enough to make the playoffs, it was enough to leave fans with earnest hope for 2023.
Keith Srakocic / Associated Press
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky (left) and Kenny Pickett (right).
Not only did the Steelers improve in 2022, they had an excellent offseason. New General Manager Omar Khan had fans singing his praises. Not only did he obtain solid veterans like Patrick Peterson and Isaac Seumalo, but he also masterminded, with the help of Andy Weidl, a draft class that appears to be an A+.
This has folks pondering who will excel when the season starts. Which players will outperform what we expect? Which rookies or new players will get returning Steelers a run for their money? Former Pittsburgh linebacker and popular podcast host, Arthur Moats, and his co-host Deke, discussed on his show The Arthur Moats Experience, who he thinks will be a breakout star.
Which Pittsburgh Steelers Player Will Have A Breakout Year?
Moats said that the first thing is you have to decide how you are defining "breakout." Do you mean just who has the highest stats in 2023, or are you referring to someone who does more than what is expected?
"Who's gonna have the biggest stats jump? If I'm going off numbers exclusively, I'm saying George [Pickens]. I think he's gonna blow everything out of the water. Somebody that I don't expect to ball out to really come on the scene and play a major role? I'm gonna go Jaylen Warren. That would mean that there is something with Najee [Harris] or just that Jaylen has played so well, they can't keep him off the field."
Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) during a regular season game against the Cleveland Browns on Thurs., Sept. 22 at Cleveland, OH.
Jaylen Warren made the roster last year as an undrafted free agent. He showed significant skill during training camp and preseason and that continued on into the regular season. This allowed the offense to take some pressure off former first-round pick Najee Harris who had been recovering from a foot injury. A "running back by committee" situation also helps to prolong the life of an NFL running back, who typically gets worn out rather quickly.
Deke mentions that if you mean breakout in the sense of someone coming on out of the blue, then he thinks there is a good chance it could be Calvin Austin. Austin, who was a rookie in 2022, will get another shot at making the team this season. He also suffered a foot injury which was prepared surgically.
Both Moats and Deke feel that the key to success this coming season lies with how well Pickett performs. As the quarterback of the team, even considering the skill he showed last year, what he does this season might make him the ultimate breakout player. Moats notes that it is easy to place all the blame on beleaguered offensive coordinator Matt Canada, it won't matter how well he draws up plays if Pickett is unable to execute.
"I feel like Pickett is going to spread it out, we got a lot of weapons," says Deke. "I think we're gonna run it. I don't know if we're gonna have an offense where one guy gets like the 'AB treatment' [referring to Antonio Brown]."
Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers OC, Matt Canada had Pittsburgh in a vicious cycle.
Moats says that he sees it as a great formula to win games. They will have opportunities to run the ball with Harris and Warren and be able to air it out with Pickens, Austin, and Diontae Johnson. Moats says that on teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, with their potent offense being led by quarterback Joe Burrow, you would expect that one facet of the game would suffer, but that's not the case. He is hopeful that this is the type of offense the Steelers will be able to develop.
"We talk about a lot of weapons [on the Bengals], a lot of mouths to feed, them dudes still eating. The way that offense is centered around the quarterback, for us it will be the same kind of format. But the question is, is he going to develop into what is or in that ballpark? Then we can do what we want and still run the ball."
Who do you think will be the Steelers' breakout player in 2023? Click to comment below!
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