The preseason finale was a much better showing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, mainly because the first-team offense showed some signs of life with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields promptly leading touchdown drives early in the contest. To be fair, the Detroit Lions didn’t play their starters on either side of the ball but that’s not something that Mike Tomlin and company can control. Even in the loss, this was a nice bounce back performance for a team that looked pretty lifeless on the offensive side of the ball the last time out. Here are some notable performances from the third preseason game.
Dude: EDGE Nick Herbig
At this point, it’s simply unfair for a player of Nick Herbig’s caliber to be lining up opposite backup tackles in pass protection. His burst and bend around the edge along makes it an unfair fight. In limited action, he had a clean up sack and immediately followed it up with a nasty cross-chop win around the corner to force a strip sack which gave the Steelers good starting field position. Herbig looks ready for a bigger role on defense and the Steelers coaching staff has no choice but to find creative ways to get him on the field during pass rush situations.
Dud: CBs Thomas Graham/Beanie Bishop
In recent weeks, I’ve become a little more concerned about the slot corner position. Graham got the start against the Lions but didn’t make much of a positive impact, whiffing on an open field tackle and was the closest player in zone coverage on a chunk play over the middle. Bishop, who had previously been running with the first-team defense for a good chunk of the summer, was seen playing in the slot well into the second half. For a player that was just viewed as the front runner for starter snaps, it’s pretty rare to be playing with second and third stringers this late into the game. Whether it’s in the slot, on the boundary or both, the Steelers should be hawking the waiver wire for depth next week at the very least.
Dude: 1st Quarter Offense
Hallelujah! Ladies and gentlemen, we have signs of life from the Steelers offense. Russell Wilson converted a third and long with a strike to George Pickens on a corner route before Cordarrelle Patterson found the end zone untouched on mid-zone, following an outstanding block from Isaac Seumalo. Then, it was Justin Fields turn. He earned a first down on a zone read play but the most encouraging rep of the day was a play action pass over the middle where he showcased some anticipation that was lacking for all of last week. Again, the necessary context here is that the Lions were playing without their starters. But they did what was necessary and it should alleviate a small portion of the panic surrounding this group. For now, at least.
Dud: Kick Coverage
The Lions first kickoff was returned to the 32-yard line, while the second one was brought back to the 45. In the punting phase, Cameron Johnston continued to show off an impressive leg but the issue remains that the Steelers aren’t getting down the field quick enough, significantly reducing the net yardage gained on multiple occasions. It’s fair to be a little bit concerned about the play of the gunners in particularly. Perhaps a Miles Boykin reunion is in the cards, assuming he’s not able to make the New York Giants initial roster?
Dude: WR Dez Fitzpatrick
You catch a 60-yard deep ball, odds are that you’re going to be on the right side of this list. These types of splash plays on the vertical plane are what made him an intriguing prospect coming out of Louisville in 2021. Fitzpatrick has had at least one explosive reception in all three preseason games, contributed on special teams and has shown supreme effort as a blocker in the run game. It’s painfully obvious to me that the Steelers still need to add talent at the wide receiver position but in the event that they choose to stand pat, rolling with Fitzpatrick would be my choice. He’s a little bit different of body type and more versatile than the other guys competing for that WR5 spot.
Dud: OT Devery Hamilton
Look, there isn’t an NFL team in the league that feels great about the depth of their offensive tackle group. With that being said, Hamilton’s performance against the Lions was a rough one, consistently allowing rushers to get on his edges, which led to a strip sack on Kyle Allen. Normally, this wouldn’t be notable but with health question marks surrounding both Broderick Jones, Troy Fautaunu and even Dylan Cook at the moment, the Steelers are running out of healthy and capable bodies at the position.