After their second straight preseason loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers are back to the drawing board in hopes of finding more success in their preseason finale. Mike Tomlin's team once again struggled on offense as the team mustered up just three points against the Bills on Saturday.
The coaching staff is running out of time to fix the biggest issues and they will only get one more exhibition game to do so. In the latest Steelers news, Arthur Smith speaks out, Bill Cowher talks about Russell Wilson and J.J. Watt, and Mike Tomlin sends a blunt message to Pittsburgh's offensive line.
Steelers place center Nate Herbig on IR
The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a big blow to their roster today. Center Nate Herbig has been placed on Injured Reserve, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The #Steelers have placed starting center Nate Herbig on Injured Reserve with a torn rotator cuff. That clears the way for 2nd round pick Zach Frazier to start at center.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2024
During training camp and Week 1 of the preseason, Herbig was working as Pittsburgh's starting center. Because the Steelers placed him on IR before the start of the season, Herbig's 2024 season is done.
This injury paves the way for West Virginia product, Zach Frazier. Pittsburgh's second-round pick will now step into the starting center role. Herbig, who was a guard by trade, would have offered proven depth to the interior offensive line. Instead, he will watch from the sidelines as he recovers from his shoulder injury that will require surgery.
Arthur Smith claims 'preseason can distort reality'
Steelers Nation wasn't thrilled with Pittsburgh's performance against the Bills, but Arthur Smith wants to remind fans that what you see in the preseason isn't reflective of what we are going to get.
Smith spoke to the media on August 20 where he claimed that 'preseason can distort reality' -- both for good and for bad.
OC Arthur Smith on the #Steelers preseason struggles.
— Aaron Becker (@Aaron_M_Becker) August 20, 2024
“Preseason can distort reality, good or bad. We’ve all seen it. … That’s not acceptable, but at the same time, you’d rather do through that now then have that happen Week 1. … We’ve got to get out of our own way.” pic.twitter.com/dD1MHJQQ6T
The Steelers' offensive coordinator noted that his team's performance has not been acceptable, but that he'd rather get the hiccups out of the way now than in Week 1.
Bill Cowher makes his pick for Steelers starting quarterback
Legendary head coaches Bill Cowher and Bill Belichick are in agreeance on who should be starting at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cowher joined the Pat McAfee Show where he explained why Mike Tomlin should make Russell Wilson the starter to begin the season.
"If I'm Mike Tomlin I would start the season with Russell Wilson..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 19, 2024
I would take the pressure off of Justin Fields and see if Russell can take it and run with it"@CowherCBS #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/UL1AMrGtG4
"If you have to take Russell out, he's been there before," Cowher explained. "It's not going to destroy his confidence. I don't want to start Justin Fields and then feel like I have to make a change and take him out. Limit the expectations on Justin Fields. Let him be Justin Fields."
Cowher's reasoning was sound. It would be easier for Pittsburgh to turn to the 25-year-old Fields if things go south with Wilson. But benching the young QB for the aging veteran could make it harder for Fields to bounce back and could stunt his growth.
Cowher believes J.J. Watt will 'listen' to calls from NFL teams
J.J. Watt recently trolled Steelers fans with a cryptic social media post, which included pictures from Pittsburgh's weight room and practice facility. When asked about a potential NFL comeback for Watt, Bill Cowher didn't think it was out of the question.
"I was just with him last week at our seminar," Cowher said on The Pat McAfee Show. "I know he weighs exactly the same playing weight that he did when he was playing. All I can say is I don't know what's going to happen this season if anything were to develop, but I think J.J. is ready. I don't think he'd make that phone call, but I think he'll listen."
Watt played his final NFL snaps with the Arizona Cardinals in December of 2022. An NFL comeback seems highly unlikely at this point.
Mike Tomlin sends blunt message to Steelers' offensive line
Following Pittsburgh's disappointing performance against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 of the preseason, the Steelers head coach had a message for his offensive line.
"We didn’t do a good enough job of protecting the quarterback," Tomlin said during his post-game press conference. "We’ve gotta do a better job in pass protection than we did; not only on possession downs but just in general. I was really upfront with the group about it in that regard. That can’t be a problem for us."
Tomlin is hoping to see much better results from Broderick Jones and the starting offensive line in Pittsburgh's preseason finale against the Lions.