The Steelers now only hold three preseason games as the NFL added an extra week to their regular season schedule last year.
The pre-season schedule is about to kick into full gear as the Steelers get ready to take on the Seattle Seahawks at Acrisure stadium. That name is still taking some getting used to, but Pittsburgh will play host for their opening matchup in the pre-season slate of games. It should be a fun time seeing football displayed on TV screens across the world.
Training camp has been going on for a few weeks now and the pecking order at certain positions is starting to take shape. While some are starting to emerge, other spots are starting to become murky as the final cut-down day fast approaches. Coaches still have a lot of hard decisions to make in the future, but there is still some evaluation that will take place.
This is the first time that the black and gold will return to the stadium on their home turf with a new page turned for the franchise. There is a new stadium name and a bunch of fresh faces entering the fold. Football is back, even if it is only the preseason and the games do not count for or against you.
There are some players making a name for themselves in camp
The pre-season means that many fans will have their first look at certain players. Not all Steelers fans have the chance to pay attention to what is happening at training camp or go visit Latrobe. These games are their best opportunities to watch the new guys come in and show their worth.
There are some players that fans should keep a close eye on during these games. Watch out for George Pickens, Kenny Pickett, Calvin Austin III, Connor Heyward, and Jaylen Warren on offense. Some defensive players to monitor are Robert Spillane, Mark Robinson, Levi Wallace, and DeMarvin Leal.
Steelers fans should monitor these three dates during the pre-season
The NFL is notorious for its different stages of cut-down days to get the roster to its conclusion. Rosters will be shrunk down from 90 players to the final form of the 53 men that make the team over the next couple of weeks. Steelers fans need to keep these dates in the back of their minds as the pre-season chugs along.
August 16: Rosters must go from 90 to 85 players
This is the first of the cut-down days for NFL teams to submit. This will happen only three days after the conclusion of Pittsburgh’s first pre-season game against the Seahawks. Most of the names released will be the bottom of the roster guys that many might not even recognize the names of.
August 23: Rosters must go from 85 to 80 players
The next cut-down day only releases another five players from the roster and allows for most players in the hunt to stay alive. There could be one or two names that are more noticeable than the previous cut-down day, but it likely will not be anything shocking. This will lead to the last shot for those that make this cut down to 80.
August 30: Rosters must go from 80 to 53 players
The Steelers will need to make their final decisions for their initial iteration of the 53-man roster just two days after their final pre-season game. This is when some surprising cuts could occur as many think their roster projection could be the right one. Even though certain players make the first 53-man roster, there is always movement afterward that brings changes along with it.
Seattle Seahawks vs Pittsburgh Steelers, Saturday, August 13 at 7 P.M.
The Seattle Seahawks will be hitting the air as they fly across the country to face the Steelers. It will be the first game played at the newly titled, Acrisure stadium after many years of holding the Heinz field name. It is a new thing that the people of Pittsburgh will struggle to alter in their vocabulary out of forgetfulness or ignorance.
This will be the first game scheduled on the black and gold’s calendar in regard to the pre-season schedule for 2022. Head Coach Mike Tomlin just held a press conference recently that has shed some light on what to expect from this one. The first stringers will play the entire first quarter before they can take the rest of the night off.
The second quarter will see the second-string team on the depth chart take over for about half of what remains for the game. The third stringers will then finish it out until the contest concludes. Mitch Trubisky will be the starter at quarterback. He will be followed by Mason Rudolph and then Kenny Pickett.
There are many players that have done well during practices at training camp for the Steelers. They will need to translate that over into game scenarios starting on Saturday night. Many penalties will probably be called like most preseason games as players acclimate to the league.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars, Saturday, August 20 at 7 P.M.
When this game rolls around, the Steelers will be looking forward to hitting a player in a different color jersey. Training camp is a grind that causes a lot of dog days under the summer heat. Hitting the same players every day and running the same drills can get a little bleak from time to time.
That stale part of the pre-season will start to dissipate some as the team heads to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. They will be going up against a club that is still in a full rebuild but is starting to get some quality parts together. They have some solid players at key positions and a real coach that can guide them in a brighter direction.
Since the starters are playing a lot in this first game, do not assume that they will continue that trend throughout this portion of the schedule. Unless they have a very poor outing in week one against the Seahawks, one should assume many backups will litter the field. They need the reps more than the starters do at this point in time.
Things could always change and perhaps certain starting spots could become more up for grabs. That could lead the Steelers coaching staff to plug starters in more to see what kind of outcome the battle will have. If starters do play, it will probably be a select few that need to show more.
Detroit Lions vs Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, August 28 at 4:30 P.M.
HBO is filming the popular series “Hard Knocks” with the Detroit Lions as the stars of the show this time around. Perhaps that will lead to some interesting tidbits during a Steelers game that many fans do not get to experience. This will be a big episode that the teams are involved in as both sides will have players fighting for spots with their careers on the line.
The last game of the pre-season is always considered one of the most boring, depending on who you ask. Most of the time, backups take center stage and perform for all, if not most of the contest. That should not be completely boring this time around for Pittsburgh as they will have a good chunk to look at with this newly forged quarterback room.
One should hope that Kenny Pickett will have jumped up and secured the second-string spot from Mason Rudolph at this point. That could be a little concerning if he does not accomplish that by the end of this process. This game could help decide who takes which spot as both players will likely play one-half a piece to show coaches what they got.
The last of the depth chart and roster spots will also be figured out during this game as well. The final cut-down day for the Steelers to get to 53 players is only two days after this game concludes. This is the last battle for those players on the fringe for making this roster and for those that are jostling for certain positions on the depth chart.
The Steelers have some interesting matchups during their pre-season schedule. Do not read too much into the outcomes of these games as players are using this to fuel their reasoning to make the final roster.