Steelers vs. Texans: Why Pittsburgh has cause for concern in Week 3

Getting the TEs involved

The Steelers had a huge hole at TE during this offseason. Vance McDonald couldn’t do it all on his own and there was no clear other option in this offense. The Steelers opted to sign veteran Eric Ebron. Known for his pass-catching ability, fans were drooling at the potential he would bring for this offense. Finally, the offense had a true move TE for Ben Roethlisberger to utilize.

And then, the season starter. Ebron only caught one pass in the opener, and while his stats jumped a bit during week two, he has failed to impress much as a mismatch. McDonald has been even worse, barely registering any offensive contributions. Worst yet, both of their blocking has been less than stellar. This means that the offense has barely any use for them and have honestly been more of a detriment to the offense than a help.

The Steelers will need one if not both of their TEs to register on the stat sheet this week. This doesn’t have to be by catching a dozen passes, but they both need to play with their strong suits. Ebron needs to get some red-zone targets and find his way into the end zone. McDonald has to exploit the middle and serve as that tough and reliable offense. Both need to show a little more tenacity when they block. The Steelers need more from this group, and they enter week three as a major question mark.