PITTSBURGH — Want the football in Arthur Smith’s offense? You better block. The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers learned that on Wednesday as new wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni led them through blocking drills, including a stint on the sled. George Pickens and Roman Wilson are looking to become the base of Pittsburgh’s offense, but it will require an emphasis on blocking and playmaking.
While Pittsburgh can rep blocking as many times as it wants, the only way that Wilson and Pickens will build chemistry with quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields is through continual repetition. So, Pittsburgh did just that on their second day of offseason training activities. Smith is very clear in what he wants, and is far more detailed than previous offensive coordinator Matt Canada. That leaves Pickens and Wilson should be the standard in the room under Smith’s new vision
Due to the Steelers hiring externally instead of staying internally with the status quo of Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan, there will be growing pains naturally. But with that will come natural hiccups. So, OTAs become even more critical as the Steelers look to iron out the cobwebs from player to player on the offensive side of the football. Pickens and Wilson look to massive proponents of setting that standard for Smith and his offensive assistants heading into the season.