5 things to watch as Steelers begin organized team activities
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Football — at least the version that is played in shorts and sans shoulder pads — returns for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday when they conduct the first of 10 scheduled organized team activities at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
The workouts, which are voluntary yet heavily attended, represent the first time since the season ended Jan. 8 that the Steelers will be on the practice field in an official capacity. It is the de facto start to the 2023 season preparation.
With the return of OTAs comes questions and issues that carried through the offseason. The Steelers, like every other NFL team, have their share to answer. Here are five talking points that will focus on the Steelers this week:
1. Quarterback talk
When the offseason began, fans were left to wonder who might back up Kenny Pickett in his second NFL season. Mitch Trubisky had a $10.625 million salary cap hit that was unwieldy for a backup quarterback, and Mason Rudolph was set to hit free agency after five seasons with the organization.
Fast forward four months and such talk — based on moves that took place in the past week — was much ado about nothing.
Team president Art Rooney II said the team wasn’t concerned with Trubisky’s cap hit, and general manager Omar Khan made it a moot point by extending the veteran quarterback’s contract by two years, creating $4.6 million in cap savings for 2023.
As for Rudolph, his days with the Steelers weren’t numbered after all. In a surprising move considering how he was used last season, Rudolph signed a one-year contract to return as the No. 3 quarterback.
With all three quarterbacks in place, the Steelers can use OTAs to get the first-string snaps for Pickett that he lacked at this point last season. The Steelers also can judge Pickett’s conditioning and arm motion after he spent the offseason working with his quarterback coach.
Trubisky and Rudolph will fall in line behind Pickett and will be left to face questions about accepting their roles on the depth chart.
2. Tackling the left tackle spot
Dan Moore started the past two seasons at left tackle only to find his job in jeopardy when the Steelers traded up to the No. 14 overall pick and drafted Georgia’s Broderick Jones in the first round.
The Steelers obviously didn’t make that move so Jones could ride the bench. They also don’t historically anoint a rookie as a starter. That usually takes time that encompasses offseason workouts, training camp and preseason games.
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Which is why it won’t be surprising if Moore takes the first-team snaps at the outset of OTAs. Make no mistake, though, Jones will be pushing for playing time. In the meantime, he can settle into a role as the No. 2 left tackle so he can develop under second-year offensive line coach Pat Meyer.
3. Where does Peezy Jr. fit?
Rather than accept trade offers for the No. 32 overall pick in the draft, the Steelers held onto it so they could take Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to open the second round.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin immediately said “there are no redshirts,” meaning that Porter would get a chance to play as a rookie. The question is where? The Steelers have Levi Wallace returning for a second season, and they gave veteran Patrick Peterson a two-year, $14 million contract to replace the departed Cam Sutton as a starter.
Peterson, though, said he is open to moving around in the secondary, which could free up Porter to play significantly as a boundary corner. At Penn State, Porter excelled as a press corner, and that makes him an attractive piece when matched up against the likes of Ja’Marr Chase.
How the Steelers deploy Porter in OTAs could give some insight into the role he could take into training camp.
4. Introductions needed at ILB
Don’t expect the Steelers inside linebackers to wear name tags when they take the field Tuesday. It wouldn’t be a bad idea, though, considering the top three players to man the position last year are gone.
The Steelers allowed Robert Spillane and Devin Bush to walk in free agency, and then released Myles Jack so they could lop his $8 million salary from the books. That left second-year player Mark Robinson as the longest tenured inside linebacker on the roster. He played just 44 defensive snaps as a rookie.
Using free agency to replenish the position, the Steelers signed Cole Holcomb, formerly of the Washington Commanders, and Elandon Roberts, who suited up for the Miami Dolphins last season.
Holcomb played nearly every snap last season, his fourth in the NFL, until a foot injury required season-ending surgery in December. The Steelers plan to bring him along slowly.
Roberts started every game last season for the Dolphins, although he logged just 59% of the defensive snaps, an indication that he is better served at defending the run than the pass.
The Steelers will use OTAs to see how Roberts, Robinson and any other potential inside linebacker fits within their defense.
5. Speedy recovery
Much like 2020 when the Steelers viewed free safety acquisition Minkah Fitzpatrick as their missing first-round pick, they are using Calvin Austin to offset the lack of wide receivers taken in the draft.
Austin, the team’s fourth-round draft choice in 2022, will use OTAs to show how much he has recovered from foot surgery that derailed his once-promising rookie season. If healthy, Austin can fill the void at slot receiver.
That the only major wide receiver acquisition in the offseason was the trade for Allen Robinson showed the faith the Steelers have in Austin contributing this season. The 5-foot-9 Austin ran the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds at the NFL Combine and flashed his speed at the outset of training camp last year.
But Austin injured his foot on the eve of the preseason opener and never got into a game the entire season. The Steelers designated him to return from injured reserve during the season, but a setback with his foot injury — and subsequent surgery — kept Austin out the entire year.
Source: TribLIVE
