It is nearly Christmas. Every NFL team has had a bye week and played 13 games. The Super Bowl contenders are becoming clear.
At 5-8, the Steelers obviously are not one of them. And their chances of postseason play are dwindling at a very rapid rate.
With that, there are four more games on the schedule and there are some things that I have simply seen enough of from this team, as well as some things I want to see more of:
I’VE SEEN ENOUGH OF...
Gunner Olszewski: This is the kind of player that the opposing defense is very happy to see on the field. He is easy to play against. Olszewski is averaging just under 14 snaps per game with the offense and noticeably more since the Chase Claypool trade. In the past five games, Olszewski has been on the field for 112 snaps.
Olszewski throws his body around and is a good blocker, but he simply doesn’t offer enough as a receiver. He isn’t dangerous. As a special-teamer, he has not been impressive as a returner and has played about half the snaps on the kickoff return team while filling in here and there on punt coverage. He has played basically every snap of punt returns. There is still an argument for having Olszewski active on game day, but not on the offense.
Zach Gentry: He isn’t a bad player, and this isn’t to imply that he should be benched. He has great size and has come a very long way as a blocker. But he isn’t a killer or exceptional at blocking for the run or pass. Sure, the Steelers want to run the football and be physical, but keeping Gentry on the field at the expense of Pat Freiermuth is insane.
On first and second downs against the Ravens, when the Steelers only had one tight end on the field, Freiermuth played just 17 of a possible 37 snaps. Also, Gentry certainly doesn’t deserve regular targets, especially in the screen game, as he offers zero ability after the catch. Gentry has played almost exactly half of the team's offensive snaps and has played 25 or fewer snaps in just four games this year. That is far too many for a one-dimensional player.
Robert Spillane: He's played 373 of a possible 849 defensive snaps, mostly in the dime defense and on third downs. He blitzes a fair amount and is considered an excellent communicator, but he isn’t much of a pass rusher. If a quarterback wants a completion, he needs to look no further than finding Spillane in the middle of the field.
While Spillane does have an infectious football temperament as well as special teams value, the only main phase of the latter where he has been a foundational player is punt coverage. Mark Robinson isn’t ready for prime time, but he is an excellent athlete who flashed in the preseason. How about incorporating him to a part time role in this defense while learning NFL special teams at the expense of Spillane? How could it hurt?
Tyson Alualu: He has been a great asset to this organization, and he is loved and respected in the locker room. That has value. But, Alualu is no longer a good enough player. That has proven to be true from start to finish this season. Montravius Adams is a true backup, but he is the Steelers' best nose tackle in 2022. This offseason, the Steelers need to find an Alualu from a few years back (or better) and relegate Adams back to a player that sees about 10 snaps per game.
An excellent example of what Alualu once brought to the table:
That kind of impact on the game has been greatly missed this year. The Steelers really need to find someone to replicate that.
I’D LIKE TO SEE MORE OF...
George Pickens targets: Let’s start with some basics here. Pickens can be a star in this league and needs to be fed the football. Getting the same usage as Steven Sims isn’t going to cut it. Pickens needs to be an eight-or-more-target type of wide receiver the rest of the way -- no matter what.
Connor Heyward: He and Gentry both are tight ends. But that is about as much as they have in common in terms of style of play and physical dimensions and abilities. So this isn’t to imply that Heyward would be an upgrade over Gentry. They are just too different. But, Heyward is a weapon and can align all over the formation.
Also, if the opponent counts Heyward as a tight end and plays heavier personnel, he can detach and usually get a linebacker in coverage. If they see him more as a receiver, the Steelers should see lighter defensive personnel to run against. Everyone plays Gentry as a heavy blocker. There is no mystery to Gentry. Already a true core special-teamer, Heyward has gotten a spike in usage with the offense since the Claypool trade. Now it is time for another spike in usage.
For more of this:
This is just one play -- and Heyward’s most prominent as a professional -- but it also shows that he can be a weapon down the field. He is a good route runner, excellent on the move pre-snap or as a blocker and brings some mismatch capabilities to the table. He can also align in the backfield, something he did with great regularity in college.
Miles Boykin: Picked up for nothing after the Ravens let him go, Boykin has been useful for the Steelers. He a fantastic special teams player and that in itself makes him valuable. But, if we decrease the usage of Gentry and Olszewski, what if we add some peripheral blocking that those two provide by giving Boykin more snaps as a big slot receiver in much the same manner Claypool occupied?
Boykin’s blocking compared to Claypool’s is night and day favoring Boykin. Instead of seven offensive snaps a game, how about a dozen or so? That’s not too much to ask.
Anthony McFarland: He's on the practice squad, but he showed well in his one varsity opportunity this year. Early in his career, McFarland showed a lot of unnecessary movement without getting upfield. His one regular season game and preseason indicate that McFarland, who has the most juice of any of the Steelers running backs, could be turning the corner and becoming a more professional runner. He also offers big play potential as a receiver, and is just a different style of running back than Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Benny Snell.
In-breaking route concepts: The Steelers run more go routes than any team in the league. They run far too many. Every cornerback they face know it’s coming, and those corners are able to use the sidelines as an extra defender. Rarely are Diontae Johnson or Pickens simply going to run by an NFL cornerback that knows go route after go route is on a very limited menu.
Johnson, and especially Pickens, need to be used far more often deep downfield, but on in-breaking routes. How about some posts or deep digs?
Myles Jack: We have seen an awful lot of Jack, but why are his snap counts, usage and participation on the defense decreasing? Don’t the Steelers think Jack is capable of being a true every down linebacker? Against the Ravens, Jack played 56 percent of the snaps, and on third and fourth downs in that game, Jack was on the field only 20 percent of the time.
Devin Bush has been leading the second-level defenders in playing time, which isn’t necessarily a terrible thing. Jack isn’t the second coming of Jack Lambert or Levon Kirkland, but is there something here I am missing? Or is Jack falling out of favor?
William Jackson: Maybe this is a lost cause this year because of injury, but I very much believe that, when the Steelers traded for Jackson, it wasn’t just to rent him for the rest of the 2022 season. I believe that the Steelers think he can be a major contributor, and maybe one of the starting outside cornerbacks, next year. Hopefully he makes an appearance before the season ends.
DeMarvin Leal and Isaiahh Loudermilk: Well, this one is going to happen at the unfortunate expense of Chris Wormley. Wormley’s season is over, and Leal is set to see a huge spike in snap counts. That is a great thing in isolation and will enable the Steelers to see if Leal is a true starter going forward or not.
Loudermilk hasn’t played a lot this season (just 77 snaps) and has been a healthy scratch at times, but there are traits to work with there and he has been blocked a bit this year by Cam Heyward, Wormley and Leal. Leal and Loudermilk are very different in terms of body type, but that doesn’t mean these two can’t both step up over these final four games.
Calvin Austin and Anthony Miller: Unfortunately, this is going to have to wait until next year, but can either of these two be the Steelers' third receiver? Everyone is disappointed that Austin didn’t get a chance this year, but few bring up Miller, who was very impressive in training camp, in the same light. Miller is a true slot receiver -- something this team really needs right now. Austin has more versatility and blazing speed -- another thing this team could really use going.
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The Mike's Beer Bar War Room, by former NFL scout Matt Williamson, appears Wednesdays on DK Pittsburgh Sports. Find previous editions.
