Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Steelers will need to stop an elite group of running backs this season.
In 2021, the Pittsburgh Steelers vaunted defense ranked dead last in both rushing yards allowed and yards per rush. The team gets no breaks this season as the backs they will face in 2022 are stacked. Here’s our ranking of the projected starting running backs Pittsburgh will face this season.
Vote for which Steeler will be second on the team in sacks in 2022.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbydbzmnr1bhxef player_id=none image=https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Last season, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt led the league in sacks, tied the single-season sack record and was Defensive Player of the Year. So why are we talking about anyone else?
Because despite Watt’s gaudy stats last season, the Steelers defense was still 20th in points allowed and 24th in yards allowed. Pittsburgh needs to be sure they are getting consistent pressure from somewhere other than Watt as he is sure to see even more double and triple teams this season.
But who is the man? There are really three guys. Defensive tackle Cam Heyward had 10 sacks from his interior defensive line position last season and fellow lineman Chris Wormley had seven of his own. The outside linebacker opposite Watt, Alex Highsmith, chipped in with six.
If we assume Watt will once again lead the team and probably the league in sacks, who is going to be the other guy for the Steelers? If I were a betting man, I’d say Heyward guts out nine of ten more and end up second again. But for the good of the team, it would be tremendous if Highsmith could break out in 2022 and take some heat off Watt.
[crowdsignal poll=11151514]
Cast your vote and let us know who the “other” top pass rusher will be for Pittsburgh this season.
[vertical-gallery id=518635]
[listicle id=518958]
Pittsburgh has options at center this season.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbydbzmnr1bhxef player_id=none image=https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had to try to adjust to life after Maurkice Pouncey. His sudden retirement prompted the Steelers to draft Kendrick Green in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Green was a top-tier college guard but his lack of experience at center showed. Pittsburgh stuck with Green as long as possible but he eventually found himself benched.
In the offseason, the Steelers added two guys, both of which could start at center. Mason Cole came over from the Minnesota Vikings with more than two dozen starts at center. Cole is also a proficient guard.
Pittsburgh also signed James Daniels as a free agent from the Chicago Bears. Daniels was a college center, moved to guard in the NFL and then back to center. He has 48 career starts/
[crowdsignal poll=11149212]
Cast your vote and let us know who should start at center this season. My prediction is Cole wins the job with Daniels at left guard and either Green or Kevin Doton on the right side.
[vertical-gallery id=518927][listicle id=518901]
Kenny Pickett talks about when he switched to two gloves and his adjustment to a larger NFL football.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbydbzmnr1bhxef player_id=none image=https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
The big criticism of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett during the pre-draft process was his hands. Despite a remarkable senior season where he was one of the best players in all of college football, there were concerns about Pickett’s hand size and his need to wear gloves on both hands when he played.
Pickett was on the Pat McAfee show and shared why he switched to the two gloves and unfortunately the answer isn’t very exciting. According to Pickett it was strictly a comfort issue and after switching over he felt like it gives him a better feel for the football. This is going to be especially important given that the NFL football is slightly larger than the college version.
During his senior season, Pickett threw for 4,319 yards and 43 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. He took a Pitt team that was 6-5 in 2020 and led them to an 11-3 record and a trip to the Peach Bowl that he chose not to play in.
Given the weather Pickett will be playing in as a member of the Steelers and in the AFC North, it won’t look at all out of place to see him in two gloves and as long as he can hold onto the football, none of this should matter.
[vertical-gallery id=518635]
[listicle id=518890]
The Steelers have a big chunk of dead cap for this season.
It’s been a very long time since the Pittsburgh Steelers were in such good salary-cap shape. The team went into the offseason with plenty of money to spend, spent it wisely and is still sitting on more than $23 million in cap space.
However, the team does have nearly $31 million in dead money as well. Here’s how it breaks down among eight players.
Here are this season’s theme games.
Here is a breakdown of the theme games for the Pittsburgh Steelers on the 2022 preseason and regular season.
Claypool made it clear how good he thinks he is. Now he has to show it on the field.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool called his shot this week when he declared himself a top-three wide receiver in the NFL. Bold for sure but this is something we’ve come to expect from Claypool. Here are our big takeaways from the interview.
Cast your vote and tell us if the Steelers defense is improved this season.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbydbzmnr1bhxef player_id=none image=https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
No team in the NFL has spent more on defense this season than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh had a ton of money wrapped up in the defense last season as well but it didn’t really pay off. Will this season be different?
The Steelers have invested $165 million in a defense hoping to do better than No. 20 in points allowed and No. 24 in yards allowed. The big additions were linebacker Myles Jack and cornerback Levi Wallace. Meanwhile, cornerback Joe Haden, linebacker Joe Schobert and defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt are gone.
[crowdsignal poll=0]
With so many new moving parts on offense, this defense needs to play at a level equal to the price tag. The AFC is loaded with high-powered offenses and Pittsburgh needs to lean on the defense to try to keep pace. Cast your vote and let us know.
[vertical-gallery id=518635]
[listicle id=518746]
Did the Steelers do enough to address offensive line this offseason?
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbydbzmnr1bhxef player_id=none image=https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Last season, many of the problems with the Pittsburgh Steelers offense centered around inconsistent play by the offensive line. Rookie running back Najee Harris finished fourth in the league in rushing yards but nothing came easy and his yards per carry was near the bottom of the league.
This offseason, Pittsburgh signed a pair of free agents, Mason Cole and James Daniels, both of which should start and be upgrades on the interior offensive line.
But this wasn’t enough to impress Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus. He ranked all 32 offensive lines and he has the Steelers unit at No. 30. Only the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks trail them.
In other AFC North news, the Cleveland Browns are No. 2, the Cincinnati Bengals No. 8 and the Baltimore Ravens are No. 17.
Pittsburgh did nothing to address the offensive tackle position this offseason despite having plenty of salary-cap space. With a new starting quarterback set to take over, not upgrading either side could prove to be a problem with a new signal-caller under center.
Let us know in the comments if you agree with these rankings and tell us if you think the Steelers did this offseason to fix the problems on the offensive line.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce6jMrEJGH4/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
[vertical-gallery id=518635]
[listicle id=518737]
The Steelers have spent big on defense this year.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have committed a massive amount of the salary cap to the defensive side of the football. Far more than the team has spent on offense.
