Steelers Initial Depth Chart Review and Thoughts

The Steelers are back! Like many of Yinz, including myself, training camp is one of the highlights of the year. Watching the new rookies and players blend with the familiar faces has been fun to see. George Pickens has been putting on a one man show, and Joey Porter Jr. has been rudely welcomed to the NFL. This is what football is all about. Getting through the grind of training camp and earning that roster spot. Players who had to prove themselves in training camp, like the legendary James Harrison, live for this time of year. Men get separated from the boys.

This week, the Steelers released their first depth chart of the new year. There are plenty of positions without question marks. Kenny Pickett, obviously QB1 and TJ Watt is, you guessed it, starting OLB. However, there are plenty of positions where the answer isn’t so obvious...

LEFT TACKLE

The Steelers selected Left Tackle Broderick Jones with their first round selection this year. Left Tackle has been a glaring issue for this team since the departure of Alejandro Villanueva, and the brass in the Steel City believe that Jones is the long-term solution. He comes into the season as the backup to last year’s incumbent, Dan Moore Jr. While Dan remains the starter, I do not see that being the case by the end of the season. Jones still has a lot to learn and needs some time to grow - and the Steelers rarely start rookies out of the gate so I’m not sure we will see Tomlin and Co. throw him to the wolves' week 1. Thank goodness for training camp so we can see how this battle plays out. 

TIGHT END

When the Steelers drafted Darnell Washington, he instantly became a yinzer favorite. His 6’8”, 260lb size makes him a wonder just to behold. Washington was an elite run blocker at Georgia and has made his presence known at training camp, even winning a few battles against All-Pro TJ Watt. Yet, he is listed as the fourth tight end on the depth chart as of this week. I do foresee him eventually making his way into the second spot, however, Zach Gentry is a serviceable back-up and Darnell will have to continue to impress in camp. While he may get touches in the regular season, he’s going to have to earn it and the Steelers are making that clear. 

CORNERBACK

All yinzers will gladly tell you about how they were able to snag a top cornerback prospect, Joey Porter Jr., in this year’s draft. Many experts had Porter as the first cornerback off the board heading into draft day and I still believe that he was the best in the class. Fortunately for the Steelers, he fell into their laps at pick 32. He was on the bad end of a George Pickens highlight reel catch, but otherwise he has had a good camp. Porter has been learning all that he can from veteran, and future hall of famer, Patrick Peterson. Peterson is also a new face in Latrobe after signing a contract with the Steelers this offseason and has been named a starting cornerback for the team (and rightfullly so). Joey comes in as the fourth corner in line to this point, however, don’t worry, I am sure we will see a lot of him this season.

(The Steelers also selected CB Cory Trice in the seventh round this year and he appears to be really talented. Unfortunately, Trice has been placed on the reserve/injured list, effectively ending his season. There are draw-backs to training camp, injuries unfortunately one of them. We look forward to witnessing his comeback in 2024.)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

The Steelers run a 3-4 defense making defensive linemen the anchors of the defense. They’ve been consistently drafting them for a few years now, Montravius Adams, DeMarvin Leal, Isaiahh Loudermilk, and this year they brought in Keeanu Benton out of Wisconsin. With Cam Heyward not getting any younger, it is important that they continue to try to grow their young talent at the position. Adams, Heyward, and Larry Ogunjobi round out the starting 3 for the Steelers. Benton has shown some promise at training camp to this point and is listed as the third string Nose Tackle. This is a position that is going take some growing into, and with veterans like Heyward and Ogunjobi filling the DT and DE roles, he will have to battle it out with the younger guys. I could see him eventually being a starter for this team in the future and will be a solid rotational piece for now. The team overall, in my opinion, does not have much depth on the defensive line and they should probably look to shore it up before the season begins. 

The Steelers have a well-rounded roster with what appears to be paired with depth and young talent, and yinz should be excited for this squad. The Steelers for the first time in a long time are underdogs and hope that some of the new changes will yield positive results. I look forward to seeing the product that Mike Tomlin has in store!

PSA: THE STEELERS PLAY FOOTBALL THIS WEEK! #HEREWEGO