The Pittsburgh Steelers as a whole had a very successful 2023 preseason, going undefeated and finishing with a spotless 3-0 record. They outscored their opponents by a score of 78 to 32, and there were many bright spots of the team from the starters down to the players fighting for a roster spot. Although the team looked good as a whole, there were clear winners and losers of the preseason for the team, with some of the losers possibly playing their way off of the 53-man roster.
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Steelers' Pat Freiermuth celebrates his touchdown catch against the Buffalo Bills during the 2023 preseason.
Steelers Who Won The 2023 Preseason
With the Steelers playing so well in the preseason, there were a few players who particularly stood out. Some were starters, and some were players fighting for a roster spot - including a rookie that might have surprised some people with his dazzling performance week in and week out. First up however, should come to no one's surprise.
Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett was a clear winner of the preseason, finishing with a spotless passer rating of 158.3 across all three games combined and being a major talking point for many NFL talk shows. He has shown that he is truly ready to take a leap in performance in his second year, and put himself in the conversation with the rest of the great quarterbacks in the AFC. In his first preseason outing of 2023, he played one drive which ended in a touchdown pass to George Pickens. He quarterbacked five total drives throughout the preseason, with all five ending in touchdowns for the offense.
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Kenny Pickett with his new helmet at the Steelers' minicamp in Pittsburgh, PA.
Nick Herbig
Nick Herbig was the Steelers fourth-round pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, and with his play so far, he has shown that he should not have lasted so long without being selected. He originally caught the eyes of fans during training camp and after his performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Herbig registered one and a half sacks in the game in just 13 snaps played. He also had a strip-sack against the Buffalo Bills in the Steelers second preseason game. After seeing the way the Steelers' defense performed following TJ Watt's injury in the 2022 season, it's good to know the Steelers added quality depth at the outside linebacker position.
Anthony McFarland Jr.
Anthony McFarland Jr. has been a part of the Steelers' organization since being drafted in the fourth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft, he hasn't made many contributions to the team so far in his career as he spent most of the 2021 and 2022 seasons either on injured reserve or on the practice squad. However, after a strong performance in training camp and in the preseason, McFarland looks like he has locked up the spot as the team's third running back behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
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Steelers veteran running back Anthony McFarland Jr. will have to prove himself once again in order to win the No. 3 RB job.
Losers Of The 2023 Preseason
Kendrick Green
Kendrick Green is entering his third season with the Steelers, and he is a player that had a lot of excitement surrounding him after he played a little bit of fullback for the Steelers during their practices at training camp. He didn't get any snaps at fullback in the team's preseason games, but he did play a lot of center and had many disastrous plays. He was constantly getting beat in pass protection, had a few errant snaps, and had a holding call. His performance has begun a conversation among Steelers fans of whether or not the team should look for outside help to bolster their depth at the center position.
Yahoo Sports
Steelers offensive lineman Kendrick Green has multiple mistakes in the first preseason game of 2023.
James Pierre
James Pierre seemed to be a lock to make the final roster going into the 2023 preseason, but there is a chance he may have played his way out of a roster spot. Pierre looked less than ideal in pass coverage, and with the Steelers adding Patrick Peterson in free agency and Joey Porter Jr. through the 2023 NFL Draft, space in the Steelers cornerback room is slim. It is likely he will be getting cut, especially after Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin spoke about how the team does not know what to do with Pierre or know how he fits into the team.
Kenny Robinson
Kenny Robinson is a safety for the Steelers who looked like he might make the team during training camp when he saw a boost in snaps due to injuries at the safety position and Minkah Fitzpatrick dealing with personal issues, missing the first week or so of training camp. Robinson has missed tackles in the preseason and had a few lapses in coverage. It's looking like the former XFL player will not make the final 53-man roster, despite standing out in training camp.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Who are your winners and losers of the Steelers preseason? Let us know in the comments below!
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