This week the Pittsburgh Steelers kick off the NFL preseason schedule with a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa. Here are the big storylines we will be watching this week.
How much will Kenny Pickett play?
It sounds like Kenny Pickett will start Friday’s game but it isn’t clear how long he will play. We don’t expect to see Pickett play more than a couple of drives this week.
The new inside linebackers in action
Pittsburgh has a handful of new inside linebackers on the roster including Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Kwon Alexander. We really want to see what these guys bring in comparison to the one returning linebacker, Mark Robinson who is fighting for a starting spot.
First look at the rookie class
The Steelers 2023 NFL draft class has been making waves at training camp. But now it is time to see how guys like Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton can play in live action. We are especially anxious to see tight end Darnell Washington in the passing game.
Is the offense really new?
In practice, the Steelers have shown a lot of new wrinkles in the offense including 13 personnel, taking lots of shots downfield and using center Kendrick Green as an h-back. Preseason is typically pretty vanilla when it comes to the offense but offensive Matt Canada needs to give fans some hope that he can do his job.
