Football is back! The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Philadelphia Eagles in their first preseason game of 2018. A matchup that should lead to plenty of excitement on both ends.
The Steelers may not utilize their starters much, but with so much talent on the roster, and plenty of new faces hoping to make noise, this game is just as exciting as the rest. Steelers fans, football is back, and we should all be thrilled.
Don’t expect Antonio Brown or Ben Roethlisberger, but rather the rookie, Mason Rudolph, and one serious quarterback competition between Landry Jones and Josh Dobbs. Before this team starts hunting for a Super Bowl, watching this third string quarterback competition is some of the best action we’ll get until Week 1.
There are also rookies. Terrell Edmunds, James Washington, Marcus Allen and Jaylen Samuels are all expected to see the field. Pittsburgh’s draft class won’t have a single starter come Week 1 against the Browns, but all of them have enough promise to raise some eyebrows.
On offense, the biggest thing to watch, as said, is the quarterback position. The Steelers have three guys fighting for the second and third spot. Rudolph is basically a lock, but Jones and Dobbs are still neck-and-neck fighting for a roster spot.
James Conner has been an animal all offseason. Without Le’Veon Bell around, the second-year back has taken full advantage of his opportunity. He’s made a case for an expanded role in the regular season, but his preseason performance will determine how large that role is once Bell returns.
For the defense, inside linebacker is the position to keep an eye on. Jon Bostic will likely get the first start of the preseason, but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s taken him all summer to crack the first team, and Tyler Matakevich isn’t going to be happy about losing his spot.
The rookies, Terrell Edmunds and Marcus Allen will get plenty of time at safety, which should get everyone’s hearts racing. These two are some of the biggest rookie additions in Pittsburgh, and they’ve turned the position around completely. Really, the entire secondary should have everyone’s attention.
This is just the beginning. Pittsburgh’s hunt for their seventh Super Bowl starts tonight. They have questions to answer and positions to watch, just like every fan.