The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to play the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7. The Steelers are coming off of the bye week and are expecting to have Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth, and (sigh) Dan Moore Jr. return to the lineup to try to jump-start a moribund Matt Canada offense. Pittsburgh is only half a game behind in the AFC North, but it seems like a much bigger deficit to fans.
The Snap Podcast / DenverBroncos.com
Steelers Insider, Aditi Kinkhabwala.
Aditi Kinkhabwala, a sideline reporter for CBS Sports coverage of the NFL, joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on Wednesday for her scheduled weekly appearance. Kinkhabwala is an AFC North insider and always has her finger near the pulse of the division. Chris Mueller asked Kinkhabwala after a week of bizarre personnel decisions by Mike Tomlin about the departure of Desmond King and got a surprising answer.
“That’s the $64 million dollar question, isn’t it,” Kinkhabwala answered. “How many times do we say this? It doesn’t feel fair to sit here and rip certain decision-making. You never want to malign someone’s character and suggest that there is something else at play. Is it anything we don’t know?”
It is possible that King was not fitting in behind the scenes with the Steelers. Pittsburgh could have been protecting his future employment by keeping it quiet. It also could be that he was a bad fit in the Steelers defense. Based on how poorly the secondary has played, it is hard to fathom he is significantly worse than what the Steelers have put on the field through five games, but it is possible.
George Gojkovich / Getty Images
Steelers' James Harrison was known as one of the most intense defenders of his time.
Mueller pointed out the recent veteran signings off the waiver wire that never saw the field, dating back to James Harrison’s second stint with the Steelers before his retirement. It is curious how players who theoretically should be better than what Tomlin currently has at his disposal can’t find a helmet, never mind the field. Mueller pointed out that jettisoning King for Darius Rush is just another example of Pittsburgh bringing in players they were high on during the draft process.
“It’s a possibility. When we talk about sitting here and tinkering, this is low-hanging fruit,” Kinkhabwala observed. “I’m sorry, but there is a much bigger issue here. Why even bother talking about the little things until we know we can have a lot of confidence in what the offense is going to be able to do?”
Kinkhabwala said the quiet part out loud. A shift on the defense will not make a difference if Canada’s offense can’t pick up a few first downs, let alone score a touchdown in the first quarter. The Steelers have real problems that don’t include releasing a player they didn’t let on the field so they could sign a defensive back they may have scouted and liked before the 2023 NFL Draft. A player who was so impressive that he landed on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad after being picked in the fifth round.
“I was in the car and was watching the Browns-49ers game on my phone, and multiple times Greg Olsen says, 'Wow, that was a really great play design,'” Kinkhabwala said. “When was the last time you heard that said by any announcer, Fox, CBS, or NBC about the Steelers plays? You sit here, and you talk about Diontae Johnson, the scheme is the scheme. How is Diontae going to completely change what the Steelers do when they are in the shotgun or under center?”
Steelers' Diontae Johnson Could Be Simple Fix For Struggling Offense In Week 7
Pittsburgh is currently laboring under the pretense that they are a power-running team that is going to be rescued by the return of their second-best wide receiver. Johnson is a highly effective route runner, but as Kinkhabwala points out, it won't matter if defenses know what is coming. The Steelers run the ball nearly 90 percent of the time they line up under center.
Matt Freed / Post-Gazette
Steelers offense is in real trouble under Matt Canada and Mike Tomlin.
It is beyond a poor scheme at this point. The play-calling is so predictable under center that if you were allowed to bet on every single play, and don't think the NFL would not love that, Vegas would take the Steelers offense off the board.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Did Kinkhabwala hit the target in her observation? Are the Steelers just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic until they make meaningful changes on the offense? Please let me know what you think. Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
#SteelerNation
