Pittsburgh Steelers rookie report cards: Preseason week 1

The Steelers rookie class displayed the good, the bad, and the ugly during their first preseason action. Here’s how I graded their performances against the Buccaneers.

The Steelers took the field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night for their first preseason action of 2019. Some Pittsburgh rookies looked excellent, while others still have lots of work to do.

Here are my rookie report cards from week one of the 2019 preseason for the Steelers:

Devin Bush: A+

To the astonishment of many, Pro Football Focus gave Devin Bush just a 70.6 overall grade for his spectacular performance on Friday night. Bush was all over the field and could be seen making plays in the backfield, getting his hands on the football in the pass, or even blowing up an offensive guard. He was very good in this game.

Justin Layne: C-

Justin Layne really struggled in his first NFL action. He gave up too much cushion against the pass and made lackluster tackling efforts against the run. He had a few nice plays in coverage, and his traits make him a very interesting player on the outside. However, this performance showed us just how far away he is from contributing for the Steelers.

Benny Snell: D

Snell couldn’t get anything going on the ground in his first preseason game as a Steeler. He garnered just 26 rushing yards on 13 carries (2.0 ypc), and his longest run was just 5 yards. The offensive line did not have a great performance by any means, but Snell needs to look better moving forward.

Zach Gentry: B

Gentry had a surprisingly promising performance on Friday night. He didn’t exactly stand out on offense, but he was able to reel in all 3 of his targets for 3 receptions and a touchdown. However his 5.7 yards per catch was nothing to ride home about.

Isaiah Buggs: A-

Buggs really had a fantastic night for the Steelers in his first NFL action. The 6th round draft choice didn’t do much on the stat sheet (3 tackles), but was constantly beating up backup offensive linemen and getting pressure on the quarterback. He earned a 90.2 overall grade from PFF for his performance.

Ulysees Gilbert: A+

What else could you ask a 6th round rookie linebacker to do? He didn’t come in until the second half, but Ulysees Gilbert made big play after big play. He recorded 1.5 sacks, 4 quarterback hits, and an interception on a 2-point conversion attempt.

It was a rough outing for some of these rookies in their first action, but players like Devin Bush, Isaiah Buggs, and Ulysees Gilbert really shined. It will be interesting to watch their development moving forward.