Advertisement

3 ways the Steelers must change their preseason philosophy in 2021

The NFL made a change to their preseason schedule for 2021, cutting the schedule down to only three games. However, for the Steelers, it is business as usual as the team is playing an extra preseason game with their Hall of Fame Game matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.

This, along with a serious influx of new players could have a significant impact on the Steelers preseason plans. Here are three things the Steelers need to do.

Heavy workload for the starting offensive line

(Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers)

The Steelers offensive line is entirely new this season and they need reps together. Pittsburgh is likely to start rookie Kendrick Green at center along with three new starters. This team cannot get the run game on track until this unit is on the same page so they will need plenty of reps right out of the gate.

Lots of faces in the defensive secondary

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

The Steelers are looking to replace cornerbacks Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson in the secondary and they have a long list of potential candidates. You will need to pay close attention to who is on the field but look for Pittsburgh to rotate a half dozen guys at cornerback with spots on the 53-man roster on the line.

Get those young QBs on the field

Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers

First off, we have always advocated that Ben Roethlisberger, a notoriously slow starter in the regular season, should play more in the preseason. But we have given up on head coach Mike Tomlin ever doing this. So instead let's go the other way. The future of this team is in the hands of Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins and Joshua Dobbs so let's see what they have. This is especially true of Haskins who is the newest addition and a complete unknown. And open up the playbook. Give these guys a proper evaluation.

1

1