It seems like the Pittsburgh Steelers just started training camp in Latrobe, and now the team heads into their first preseason bout as the Seattle Seahawks come into town Saturday night.
While the main story of the Steelers preseason has been the quarterback situation, there are multiple other position battles and areas of interest that will be a focus for fans and the coaching staff Saturday.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin at 2022 training camp. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers QB Rotation
Mike Tomlin held a press conference Thursday morning confirming speculation that Mitch Trubisky will be starting the game for the Steelers with most of the first-team players. Mason Rudolph will get the bulk of reps in the second and third quarters, while Kenny Pickett should get some reps in the third and will probably finish out the game in the fourth quarter. Rookie QB Chris Oladokun is not expected to get any in-game reps, but I personally think he could see the field near the end of the fourth.
Tomlin told the media that some players that have been flipping teams or getting time with multiple different players may "bleed in" to other quarters. I expect this to happen with both Rudolph, Pickett and Oladokun. The coaches know and understand the need to let the younger QB's get reps with first or second team players (in Oladokun's case, reps at all), which is why I believe the structure of play could be a little more fluid than it is being made out to be.
Pittsburgh Steelers first round quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) drops back to pass during 2022 training camp. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The Amount of Time the First-Team Plays
Again, Tomlin was somewhat strict in his descriptions of the amounts certain teams will be getting, but I think that the QB rotation we'll be seeing will also happen with some of the star players on the team. Don't expect Minakh Fitzpatrick, TJ Watt, Cameron Heyward and Diontae Johnson to see too much playing time.
Mike Tomlin also mentioned he's not going to play players that have been dealing with injuries, as that would "be setting them up for failure." This probably means that starters like Chase Claypool, Najee Harris, Derek Watt, Kevin Dotson and Benny Snell Jr. will get little to no playing time as they have all been dealing with some sort of injury throughout training camp. Other second-team or third-team players that have been battling injuries should not be expected to play, either.
Steelers wide receiver, Chase Claypool (#11) comes up holding his right arm in the first week of training camp. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Matt Canada, Teryl Austin May Experiment with New Play Styles
The preseason isn't just the warm up for players. Coaches get to finally show some play styles, schemes and play calls that they could be excited to implement for the team this season as well.
Expect more gadget plays from Matt Canada and plays that are going to open up the offense to let explosive play-makers get to work. Calvin Austin III could be targeted for a lot of these plays, as his explosiveness is going to be a big weapon for the Steelers this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Calvin Austin III (#19) participates in 2022 training camp in Latrobe, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO)
Rookies Could Shine
The news out of training camp for the last three weeks has been very positive when it comes to the 2022 rookie class. Pickett and Austin III will get their chance to shine, but so will exceptional rookie George Pickens, as well as Connor Heyward, DeMarvin Leal, and Mark Robinson. All of them have gotten their fair share of praise so far.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, George Pickens participates in 2022 training camp. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Tomlin Will View Game 1 Outcomes Highly
Coach Tomlin has emphasized multiple times in interviews at training camp how the outcomes of the preseason games will effect what happens with the depth chart, although Tomlin is notably not a fan of depth charts.
It is the first real game-like situation for a lot of these players, and succeeding at Acrisure Stadium under the lights against a team other than your own is definitely a good way to get on Tomlin's radar. Expect players that play well Saturday to be looked at more in the coming weeks at training camp.
What do you think, #SteelerNation? What do you expect out of the Steelers for their first preseason game? Do you still want them to win, or do you care more about personal player success? What would you like to see? Let me know in the comments or @anthonyravasio on Twitter.
