Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Preseason: Position Battles Revisited
A little less than a month ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers entered training camp with several positions up for grabs. Throughout camp, some players shined, while others faded, leaving the position battles more clear.
Standouts included rookies Maurkice Pouncey, Emmanuel Sanders, and Antonio Brown, while Jonathan Dwyer disappointed.
The battles became even more apparent over the first two preseason games, as players flashed their potential.
The upcoming preseason game against the Denver Broncos will be the most important of the preseason, as the Steelers will give their starters plenty of action before sitting them most of, if not all, in their final preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.
It will become clearer when the lineup is set for the Broncos game who will occupy what spot on the depth chart.
For some players, it will be as a starter or key contributor and for others it will be one step closer to their final game in the black and gold.
Defensive Line Depth
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After having a dominating camp, Ziggy Hood has been nearly invisible during the preseason. This does not mean that he is not doing his job, but for a former first-round pick, who displayed pass rush ability in camp, more has been expected.
Hood did not move himself up the depth chart, but will still be a key contributor.
Sunny Harris, so far, has earned a roster spot, building on his rookie season last year. He has held the point of attack quite well and is showing he can potentially be a valuable backup this season.
Rookie Doug Worthington has not outplayed Nick Eason, but is on the edge of displaying enough talent to sneak onto the roster. There is a chance the Steelers may lose him if they try to put him on the practice squad.
Running Back: Third String
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Once thought to be a late-round steal of this year’s draft, Jonathan Dwyer has had a number of injury issues resulting in a lack of production.
Dywer only has eight yards on six carries in the one preseason game that he played in and is a likely cut.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, second-year player Isaac Redman is not only showing that he deserves a roster spot, but is earning himself playing time with his preseason performance.
Redman looks very comfortable in his second year, carrying the ball 21 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He has also worked as a fullback and could be in the backfield at the same time as Rashard Mendenhall.
Outside Linebacker: Primary Depth
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Rookies Jason Worilds and Thaddeus Gibson have not wowed anyone, but each will earn a roster spot.
Worilds had injury issues throughout the early part of camp, while Gibson has shown some ability to get to the quarterback.
Neither player will be a primary backup, though. That role will go to Lawrence Timmons, who will shift over from his inside linebacker spot to the outside, if needed.
Patrick Bailey, a solid special teams player, has once again shown that he is not capable of playing in the base defense.
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Return Specialist
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Stefan Logan has not displayed the same excitement level that he did last preseason and, while rookie Antonio Brown hasn't either, Brown has flashed skills elsewhere.
With five receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown, Brown has showed the ability to be a playmaker on offense, something that Logan has not.
Logan has one punt return for no yards and four kick returns for 80 yards, with a long of 35 yards.
Brown got his first action returning the ball last Saturday, with two kick returns for 50 yards, with a long of 26 yards. He added four punt returns for 43 yards.
Since neither player has stood out, Logan’s history as a returner has to be considered, but so does Brown’s future potential as a receiver.
This battle will likely come down to the last preseason game and one of these players will earn one of the final roster spots. Right now, the edge goes to Brown.
Wide Receiver: Third String
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Antwaan Randle El should have this role early in the season. He is not the same player that he was when he left Pittsburgh, but he is a crafty veteran who can still get open and make a big third-down catch.
Emmanuel Sanders has four receptions for 56 yards, so far, and has shown that he can go over the middle.
As he continues to develop, he should play a more integral role in the offense, but this will take time.
As with Sanders, Brown has shown that he can be a playmaker, but still needs to refine his route running and is still a year or two away from moving up the depth chart.
Cornerback: Starter
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Neither Bryant McFadden nor Keenan Lewis has shown that they are a shutdown corner, but both have also played better than what William Gay did as a starter last season.
Lewis has had an up and down preseason and is on a big down after suffering a concussion Saturday.
In the first game against Detroit, Lewis was matched up against Calvin Johnson and performed quite well, but did get beat for a touchdown.
McFadden has been relatively unnoticed, which is not a bad thing for a cornerback.
There is no clear winner yet, but, unless Lewis steps up his game, McFadden will be the starter Week One.
Right Guard: Starter
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In a pleasant turn of events, the coaching staff appears to be handling Maurkice Pouncey correctly.
After playing at a near dominating level against Detroit, Pouncey played center once again against New York and continued to show that he is not just the center of the future, but the one of the present.
Not only has he played well enough to earn a starting spot, but he has potential to play at a Pro-Bowl level.
By taking himself out of the equation, the edge at right guard goes to Trai Essex.
Though Ramon Foster may be a better option at right guard, Essex is one of the smartest players on the team and the Steelers are using him to help out Flozell Adams as he attempts to earn the starting job at right tackle.
If Adams wins the starting right tackle spot, Essex will start at right guard. If not, Pittsburgh should give serious consideration to Foster.
Right Tackle: Starter
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The ideal situation would be for Adams to continue to improve to lock down the right tackle spot. However, his susceptibility against speed rushers could cost him his job, regardless of how dominant he may be against the run.
The new favorite may be Jonathan Scott, given his experience with offensive line coach Sean Kugler.
This is yet another position battle that is still a toss up and could go down to the last preseason game.
An interesting twist could occur if Tony Hills continues to display talent at left tackle. He has a long way to go to beat out Max Starks, but if he did, Starks could shift to the right side of the line, as well.
Right tackle is still a dynamic battle that bears watching over the next couple of weeks.
Quarterback: Starter
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It has been clear for months that Byron Leftwich would be the starter come the regular season. Though his numbers will not ‘wow’ you, completing nine of 16 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, it must be remembered that he was facing the top defense of the opponent with a bad offensive line in front of him.
Dennis Dixon may not have earned the starting spot throwing against backups, but he has earned himself playing time.
Dixon should be a big part of the offense, even as a backup, after completing 13 of 15 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. He has added another 58 yards on 11 carries as well.
Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians can use specially designed plays to use Dixon’s mobility and new found accuracy to add another dimension to the offense.
The Steelers are in great shape at the quarterback position.
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