Pittsburgh Steelers: Randy Fitchner’s offense showing change at tight end

Randy Fitchner is going to bring change to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense, and the first glimpse of that came in training camp.

Training camp opened and took no time for Randy Fitchner to make changes to the offense. The new offensive coordinator has some talent to work with, but it was no secret changes needed to be made to the offensive scheme.

People expect a much faster play style this season. Ben Roethlisberger wants to run more no-huddle, and with guys like Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, they should be.

The first change of the offensive play didn’t come with no-huddle calls. It didn’t even focus on a position many were thinking about coming into camp. Instead, it made a player with a ton of potential, much better, and provided a much easier time getting open.

Vance McDonald is a quick tight end. He’s versatile, and relies a lot on his athleticism to help him get open down the field. Last season, he lined up in the slot a few times, and proved he could take on most inside corners. So, Randy Fitchner let him work from where he’s more comfortable.

McDonald, along with the rest of the tight ends lined up, mostly, in the slot position. They were spread out from the line of scrimmage, playing more of a spread offense.

This season, there’s more than one player who can line up in multiple positions. McDonald, Jesse James and Jaylen Samuels will all be called upon to work from the slot. With Pittsburgh wanting to move quicker in 2018, placing the tight end, and/or Samuels off the line will spread the field and make it a lot easier to make plays down the middle.

Who benefits from this change just as much as McDonald, is Xavier Grimble. Grimble is not a blocking tight end, and struggles when placed on the line. Lining up on the outside will allow him to use his athleticism and find open routes. Something the Steelers have wanted to see the last two seasons.

Expect more change to come, but for now, seeing this adjustment already brings hope to a fiery offense. This team is loaded with guys who would love to put up 100 points a game. The faster they move, and the more spread they are, the easer 100 points is to achieve.