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A lot of people are looking at 2022 as a rebuilding season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is because there is a changing of the guard at quarterback. But a strong case can be made that 2021 was the actual rebuild and 2022 is going to be more of a reload.
Last season, the Steelers leaned heavily on their rookie class. More than at any time during the tenure of head coach Mike Tomlin. Here’s how the rookie class of 2021 looked in terms of snaps.
OT Dan Moore-1080 snaps
RB Najee Harris-988 snaps
TE Pat Freiermuth-683 snaps
S Tre Norwood-388 snaps
DE Isaiahh Loudermilk-288 snaps
Obviously some of those snaps, namely the ones by Moore and Loudermilk came about due to injury. This season, the only two spots, barring injury where a rookie could have an impact are strong safety and wide receiver.
But at strong safety, the Steelers have not ruled out a veteran like Tyrann Mathieu or even bringing back Terrell Edmunds. As for wide receiver, they would strictly be WR3, which doesn’t amount to a massive workload. The Steelers have added multiple veterans in free agency to fill needs on both sides of the football and won’t have to rely on rookies short of catastrophic injury.
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