Steelers, Tomlin Buck NFL Trend in Preseason Participation

UNITY TWP., Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers will be full go for preseason game No. 1 on Friday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Mike Tomlin said on Wednesday.

Tomlin said that he plans to use every healthy Steelers player in the first preseason game, and that is typically the way that Tomlin has approached the preseason in years past.

As preseason games have become more passé league-wide, the Steelers have been one of the stalwarts in finding value in exhibition football. According to research by MIBPJ, the Steelers had the most preseason snapped played by  Week 1 starters of any team in the NFL in 2022.

The analysis no one asked for but I'm doing anyways:

I see a lot of claims that the Ravens are achieving this feat by playing their starters more than other teams, but, at least in 2022, there isn't much truth to that.#Analytics https://t.co/rm3COxCgZ3 pic.twitter.com/0P9StbpVLQ

— MIBPJ (@mibpj2) August 8, 2023

In Week 1 last year, the Steelers went on the road and earned a big upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals, during which star quarterback Joe Burrow, who did not play in the 2022 preseason after undergoing an appendectomy, did not look like himself and turned the ball over five times. It seems clear that the Steelers were the more-prepared team in that game.

“That’s one way to look at it,” veteran safety Levi Wallace said. “A lot of people don’t want to play in the preseason. There’s always an injury risk factor that you have. But at the same time, you can’t think about that. Stuff happens. It’s football. …

“You just have to approach it with the right mindset, right? The only way you can get better at playing football is playing football. You kinda get tired of playing against your own guys. You just have to go into it with the right perspective. It’s an opportunity to get better, get your skills right.”

Tomlin used a boxing analogy do describe the reason for his preference to have even his star players suit up in the preseason.

“I lean toward playing but I respect that there are many different approaches,” Tomlin said. “But in general, if we’re going to box, we’d better spar.”

That approach seems to be working. In addition to their upset win over the Bengals in 2022, the Steelers pulled the same feat against the Buffalo Bills in 2021. Tomlin’s Steelers have lost their season opener just once since 2015. That track record has given even the team’s veteran players faith that Tomlin’s path is one worth following.

“I think that’s just all on how Coach T wants to run it,” linebacker Elandon Roberts said. “From me personally, if Coach T says [I’m] going in preseason, I’m going. If he says [I’m] not, I’m not. … Me, personally, this week, I’m preparing to go.”