No preseason could mean no playing time for Steelers rookies
By Eric Hassel
The Steelers 2020 rookie class will find themselves ‘behind the eight ball’ sans a preseason
So let me be clear here, the lack of a preseason does not bode well for the Steelers 2020 draft class or for any undrafted rookie free agent, for that matter. This is where Mike Tomlin, our Head Coach since the 2007 season, can perform ‘some magic’ in terms of coaching his best season to date.
Make no mistake, I believe Tomlin and the rest of the coaching staff will have to do just that if the Steelers are going to end the 2020 campaign in a manner in which we desire and perhaps expect it to end. The degree to which the coaches can teach the rookies what it is they need to do to not only play but to play meaningful snaps will determine whether or not the Steelers represent the AFC in the Super Bowl or if we are watching the playoffs from home.
I am not suggesting that the 2020 draft class will be the difference between a winning season and a losing season, but I am suggesting that without the benefit of a preseason, the rookies may simply watch and learn this season.
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It’s difficult enough to get first-team reps in practice let alone getting first-team reps in a game, but that is traditionally what the preseason represented for rookies. Since that option is not available to them, the Steelers rookies may find themselves ‘on the outside looking in’ for most, if not all, of the regular season. Let’s hope that is not the case as the Steelers need every player to contribute in order to be a championship team.