Steelers we would have liked to see more from in preseason Week 2

The Steelers did not have a great performance overall in the second preseason contest and these players were not able to show a lot.

The Steelers were able to hit the road as they played the Jacksonville Jaguars in game two of their preseason schedule. It was not an offensive shootout like the first matchup, and it led to some boring football. These players that made the list are not necessarily in bad shape when it comes to their individual roster battles, but this could have hurt them.

For one reason or another, these players were not able to show enough in terms of time on the field or the performance that they displayed. It will give the coaching staff a new batch of question marks to answer heading into game three. This is the last one of the preseason before the final cuts are made to get down to the 53-man roster.

Kenny Pickett was robbed of playing time by the Steelers coaching staff

Kenny Pickett barely got any playing time in this second game against the Jaguars. It was a prime opportunity for the coaches to see what a rookie would be like in a hostile environment, even though there was a lot of black and gold present in the stands. He had limited time on the field, but he showed that he was playing the best out of the three that the club put on the field.

This past weekend will give pause to the coaches when they look at the starter for this team. That probably will not be enough as Mitch Trubisky will be the starter when it is all said and done for the beginning of the season. Pickett played well, but the coaching staff failed him when it comes to the lack of snaps that went his way.

The Steelers starting offensive line needs to bounce back

It has been all over the news when you look at the Steelers coverage of the game this past weekend. The offensive line was atrocious, and Mike Tomlin made them know how poor their play was, especially the starters. He called them out in front of the entire team as he tries to navigate a fix that might not be there.

Dan Moore Jr. and Kendrick Green were the worst performers in the group. Kevin Dotson seemed to settle the left guard spot when he came into the game. This is an ugly wound that this team might not be able to fix this season and will have to live with until they invest in a solution.

George Pickens  had a relatively quiet game against the Jaguars

George Pickens had the hype train in full effect throughout training camp practices and after his week one performance against the Seattle Seahawks. He was able to put on a show that made many fans excited to see him play when games start to count. He had some things cool off a bit as the offensive output came to a halt for the entire unit in week two.

The entire group saw the offensive numbers go down. Pickens was included in that group as the offensive line failed to give Mitch Trubisky adequate time to decipher defenses. That led to many short drives and a lack of targets for receivers and curtailed some of the hype for Pickens at the moment.

The backup running backs did not show much in game two

Pittsburgh did not look to run the ball much against the Jaguars. They did not have much success when they did and that caused most of the backup running backs to fail to wow the coaches in this game. That could spell disaster for some more than others currently fighting for a spot.

Jaylen Warren seems to have a safe spot on this roster after his performance throughout the preseason process. Anthony McFarland could have just had his stock dip after not being able to produce at the same rate as last week. Benny Snell did not produce on the ground but did score a touchdown, plus he provided play on special teams as well, which might shove him ahead of McFarland again.

James Pierre had a quiet day in the Steelers secondary

James Pierre is another player that had a little bit of a setback from game one to game two. He was noticeable against the Seahawks and was able to break up passes multiple times. This game did not see many targets going in the direction of the receiver that he was covering.

The last cornerback spot seems like it is Pierre’s spot to lose now. Justin Layne had a gift throw to him that set up for a winning drive by Mason Rudolph. The Steelers like Pierre and it seems like he will make the roster, despite having a quiet outing in Jacksonville.

The Steelers had a winning performance in game two but there were some players that did not show enough. The reasoning behind that is different for each player, but it did not help their cause much.