In training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense has dominated the offense, including in the "7 shots" drill done daily. Lately though, the offense has seemed to find some footing. That's in large part to starting quarterback, Mitch Trubisky, who had a difficult start to camp. Now, the veteran QB seems to be getting a rhythm in the new offense. A lot of that has to do with the likes of Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth, and Chase Claypool all being full participants in practice.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
With no disrespect to guys like Anthony Miller and Miles Boykin, it was important to get the starters back. It was important for the crew to build some chemistry before taking the field together in the regular season. The offense has done just that, and they even impressed in Saturday's game against the Seattle Seahawks, despite several starters not playing. Our very own, Brandon James Wallace, was in person for camp on Tuesday and noted all seven plays:
7 shots!
— B-Wall (@BWall) August 16, 2022
1. Trubisky QB draw TD
2. Trubisky incomplete to DJ
3. Trubisky to Muth TD (false start though)
4. Trubisky to Muth TD
5. Pickett to McFarland TD
6. Pickett to Heyward TD
7. Rudolph to Vaughns TD#HereWeGo
There are a few things to note just from the list of those plays. As mentioned before, Trubisky is obviously showing vast improvements from his earlier struggles, which has to make Steelers fans feel better about this offense with the season just a few weeks away now. He also displayed his mobility on a quarterback draw, a play that probably hasn't been called by design for the Steelers in nearly 10 years. Trubisky's mobility is something that head coach, Mike Tomlin, mentioned as a difference-maker in why he will be the starter. With that, the quarterback room are all athletic enough to provide a different look to Matt Canada's offense.
After an impressive debut performance on Saturday, Steelers rookie Kenny Pickett began taking a majority of the second-team reps this week. That continued into Tuesday, and he was successful in this specific drill, completing both of his passes for touchdowns. His connection with rookie tight end, Connor Heyward, continued on one of the plays. Anthony McFarland Jr. caught the other touchdown from Pickett, as he aims to continue to establish himself as the primary backup running back over Benny Snell Jr.
Lastly amongst the quarterbacks, Mason Rudolph threw a touchdown to wide receiver Tyler Vaughns in his lone play. Rudolph's displayed some maturity over the past month, and that continued into the preseason opener. Vaughns, who could have a shot at the Steelers 53-man roster after Anthony Miller was announced out for the season, had an otherwise difficult practice, dropping multiple passes.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
It's nice to see tight end Pat Freiermuth get his legs back underneath him, as he caught two touchdown passes from Trubisky in the drill. Well, one of the two plays was a false start, but it's a positive progression after he's been injured for a few weeks. Heyward has been able to establish himself as a viable backup in Freiermuth's absence, as he seems to be a lock to make the opening day team. Freiermuth looks to build off his impressive rookie season in which he reeled in 522 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
These kind of notes from camp always have pros and cons, and from today, the defense obviously struggled. That's with a mostly healthy group as well, so it's not too ideal. What are you looking forward to this week before the preseason game? Who are you keeping an eye on in Week 2 of the preseason? Are you now optimistic about the offense, or even concerned about the defense? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section, and make sure to interact with our social media sites!
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