Steelers 2022 Pre-Camp Roster Assessment

Overall few starting positions are truly being contested in 2022. A couple maybe on the offensive line, some jockeying at wide receiver and of course, at quarterback – these are the only real starter-level battles. Maybe you throw in safety if Kazee shines in camp or corner if Witherspoon struggle and Sutton latches on as the outside starter. But both of those are long shots. The rest is about depth/role players.

Coaching will offer some of the biggest intrigue. Will we see Matt Canada’s “true” offense? What is Canada’s “true” offense and will it be significantly better than last year’s (it better!)?

And what impact will the addition of Flores have to the defense, and likewise, what will Austin’s implementation as the new defensive coordinator have on a defense that can use a few new wrinkles.

Here’s a positional breakdown:

OFFENSE:

Quarterback:

It’s clear barring injury or an utter meltdown the starter battle is between Trubisky and Pickett. Oladakun will likely be the third QB and groomed to be the longer-term backup. Rudolph, barring injury, likely is released or traded for a late round pick to give him a chance elsewhere.

But (brace yourself), don’t rule out Rudolph completely. Every team needs a capable backup and if Trubisky really falters (it’s possible) or if, God-forbid an injury occurs, Rudolph could find himself here this season.

Offensive Line:

What a hodge-podge here.  Your starters are likely set with Moore-Dotson-Cole-Daniels-Okorafor being your starting five. That’s an entirely new interior line from what they fielded in their last game of last season. And I for one believe the interior line was the biggest issue with the offense. Green is likely then the swing man at guard and center though don’t discount a year of development in his quest to start at center.

A lot of guys vying for interior line backup spots – those battles should be interesting. Leglue acquitted himself well in his brief playing time as did Hassenauer, who still may struggle to make the roster if the Steelers hold on to Green and start Cole since he is mostly a center. Add to the mix Gilliam, and Owens who can play guard and center as well.

Backup tackle is a concern. Haeg and Green are your veteran backups right now. UDFA Rookies Dixon and Tucker may be nice project guys, but you don’t want them on the field in 2022. I would not be surprised to see the team pick up another veteran before the season starts here.

Running Back:

It’s Najee’s show, but even great performers need an understudy that can truly perform well. Snell has struggled to be more than a pedestrian back and for some reason McFarland has not excelled as hoped as a change of pace back. That leads us to two UDFAs – Warren and Durant. Warren is a strong runner that can push Snell for a spot – if he performs well on special teams. Danny Smith is giving him every opportunity to show he can, telling Warren he will start on special teams in the preseason to show what he can do.

Durant is the change-of-pace back McFarland was supposed to be. It will be interesting to see if he can show some big play ability. And I haven’t forgotten Edmunds, but he seems to be firmly entrenched on the practice squad.

Tight End:

You have to think there’s little top-line movement expected here. Freiermuth and Gentry are your one-two punch. The battle for third is between Rader, Sternberger and Heyward. My guess is Heyward will secure that third spot due to versatility and, yes, pedigree. Sternberger is a bit of a sleeper here if they want to “redshirt” Heward- he’s got a high pedigree and is a solid receiver.

Wide Receiver:

Diontae Johnson and Claypool are your likely early-in-the-season starters. Can rookie Pickens unseat Claypool may be something to watch. Either way one will be your second and the other the number three receiver. Austin is an exciting addition – he can create some exciting mismatches with his speed if his size isn’t an issue at the NFL level.

Boykin is a nice veteran addition. You can do worse with a guy like that as your fourth or fifth wide receiver. And there are rumors they’ll test using Gunner Olszewski on offense more as well  to leverage his open field ability. And then there are guys like White, Sims, and Miller. This is an incredibly deep and versatile group of wideouts.

DEFENSE:

Cornerback:

As it’s drawn now, you’re looking at Wallace and Witherspoon as your starters on the outside and Sutton as your key third corner. But that may not be how it ends up. If Witherspoon (or Wallace) falter Sutton could remain the starter on the outside and then move inside in sub-packages.

Don’t love the depth on the outside. Pierre was a nice UDFA find but may have hit his peak and Layne never became more than a pedestrian corner. Behind them is Linden Stephens who’s playing for his ninth team since 2018 and a couple of UDFAs in Steele and Platel. The newly acquired Kazee may be an answer here as he’s versatile enough to play corner and safety if needed.

Conversely – lot’s of depth on how they can work the inside. Maulet and Norwood in addition to Sutton can all play well on the inside. I have some comfort level on this aspect of the secondary. It really all comes down to whether you get the Witherspoon we saw at the end of the season in 2022. If you do that’s a big win.

Safety:

Minkah is Minkah and Edmunds likely comes back as your starter unless Kazee shines in camp. Kazee has had a nice resume at safety but recent off-field issues and injuries set him back. Can he return to form? Behind them are Joseph, ST’s ace Killebrew and Stiner. I don’t expect much push at safety.

Inside Linebacker:

Jack and Bush are your starters – and expect Flores to push Bush hard here. Bush is also in a contract year – don’t discount what effect that may have on his play too. But it all comes down to Bush playing much better than he did last season.

Behind them are Spillane who can step in and be trusted, though his struggles in the passing game are noted. Allen is maybe their best bet as a cover “linebacker”. Rookie draft pick Mark Robinson is going to need a year before he can hope to step in in a real way on defense. Buddy Johnson and Ulysses Gilbert have been “just guys” so far. The big concern among this group is that none seem to have great ability in coverage. Bush has struggled in coverage and he’s their best candidate as a coverage linebacker. This may be the team’s biggest area of weakness in 2022.

Outside Linebacker:

No mystery here – Watt and Highsmith will start. Avery and Tuszka likely your backups. The Avery pickup was solid, and I like Tuszka – an under-rated player for the team last season. His per-snap numbers were better than all Steelers outside linebackers except Highsmith and Watt.. He had more tackles and more sacks per snap than Ingram.

UDFA Johnson may be the best of the rest of the guys to watch- with Moultry and second year player Scott also looking to make the roster.

Defensive Line:

This is quietly becoming a deep unit – they just need to sort some things out.

At nosetackle Alualu is back and that’s an enormous return for a team that suffered in the run game without him. Adams performed admirably as a late season pickup and he returns. UDFA Jeter may be a nice project guy behind those two.

Cam Heyward returns. The obvious big question is – will Tuitt return as well? Heyward seems confident he will. Tuitt is a force and is a very hard guy to replace. His return would be a high difference-maker for this team. Wormley has played well in his stead – a solid player, but few can have the impact Tuitt has. Loudermilk played decently at times for a rookie  – it will be very interesting to see what year two looks like for him – he came to camp 35 pounds heavier, ready for the role . And to see what rookie Leal can bring to the front as well.

A front of Heyward-Alualu-Tuitt with Adams, Wormley, Leal and Loudermilk in rotation would be a terrific front for this defense.

Behind them are a lot of guys that saw the field at times but just had varying degrees of low-impact, including Mondeaux, Archibong and Carlos and Kahlil Davis.