5 questions that need answered during the Steelers game vs. the Chiefs

The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night. Here are five burning questions that fans would like to see answered.

The Steelers are now just three weeks away from the start of the regular season, and still there are plenty of questions that have yet to be answered. Pittsburgh won their first preseason game and got good performances out of many of their young players.

Even with a solid week one performance on both sides of the ball, Pittsburgh needs to start getting some things figured out soon. Here are five burning questions that Steelers fans would love to have answered following the Chiefs game:

Who will be the backup quarterback in 2019?

Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph both had impressive outings against the Buccaneers last weekend. However, it’s Rudolph that gets the nod as the starter this week. Much of how he performs Thursday night could determine what the Steelers intend to do at quarterback moving forward.

Could James Washington emerge as the number two receiving option?

Donte Moncrief and Diontae Johnson haven’t been able to help their causes during preseason so far, as neither receiver was able to suit up in week one.

Moncrief was able to log a practice earlier this week, so perhaps he will get a chance to run with the first team offense for a few drives. However, it was James Washington who was the most impressive receiver on the field for the Steelers last weekend. If he has another dominant showing, could he emerge as the Steelers number two receiving option?

Can Benny Snell compete for touches right away?

When Benny Snell was drafted, there was talk that he could eventually supplant James Conner as the feature back for the Steelers. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all right now. Snell really struggled in his first preseason game, and rushed for just 2.0 yards per carry. He will need a big outing against the Chiefs to help build the confidence of his coaches moving forward.

Could Justin Layne contribute as a rookie?

I was admittedly excited when the Steelers were able to land Justin Layne in the third round of the draft this year. However, the rookie didn’t have a good performance in his first NFL action last week. Layne struggled against the Buccaneers, and will need to have a bounce-back performance against the Chiefs if he wants to be part of the cornerback rotation this year for the Steelers.

Could Ulysees Gilbert climb the inside linebacker depth chart?

Gilbert was surprisingly good in his first preseason game last week. He made plays all over the field and landed on Pro Football Focus’s Defensive Team of the Week in his first NFL action. Gilbert looked like a natural at the position, but will have to keep it up. Tyler Matakevich also had an excellent game and is clearly ahead of Gilbert on the depth chart

. Right now, Gilbert is fighting for a roster spot, but another great performance could see him climbing the depth chart soon enough.

It will be interesting to see which of these questions will be answered after Saturday night. Though some things we won’t know until the season actually starts, we will get a much better feel of where players lie on the depth chart after the Steelers second preseason game.