Flavell's Five Thoughts: What Matters for Steelers in Second Half
The bye week always comes at a good time when you’re a struggling team sitting at 2-6 with little hope for the rest of the season. It’s an unfamiliar feeling around the Pittsburgh Steelers as the post-Ben Roethlisberger era opens exactly as one should expect when a franchise quarterback rides off into the sunset after masking a team's problems for 18 seasons.
For the first time in his hall-of-fame coaching career, Mike Tomlin is likely to suffer his first losing season as a head coach in the NFL. Ask anyone on the team, including Tomlin himself, and they’ll say he does not care about that.
Regardless, that’s where the Steelers stand. But all hope might not be lost.
Returning for the Steelers is T.J. Watt, one of the league’s premier pass rushers and game wreckers. He’s missed all but three quarters of football this season after tearing his pec in the opener against the Bengals, ironically one of two Steelers wins this season.
Joining him will be experienced safety Demontae Kazee, a guy who looked primed to play a pivotal role in this season’s defense until he fractured his arm in training camp.
William Jackson III, a former first-round pick who the Steelers had plenty of interest in drafting back in 2016, was acquired at the trade deadline last week to help a struggling group of cornerbacks for the rest of the season and next year if his tryout goes well.
Offensively, the Steelers have given the keys to Kenny Pickett at quarterback, traded away Chase Claypool at the trade deadline, and have an inept play-caller playing a large role in running the offense into the ground.
For a 2-6 football team, they sure do not lack intrigue.
Pittsburgh played one of the toughest schedules in football to open the season but will face a much easier schedule in the second half which could lead to some brighter Monday mornings in the Steel City.
I’ve got some thoughts on them as they come out of the bye and I’m here to share them with you. So, alas, let’s get to it.
The Defense Will Be Better
By default they almost have to be, right?
So far this season, the Steelers have seen the following quarterbacks: Joe Burrow, Mac Jones, Jacoby Brissett, Zach Wilson, Josh Allen, Tom Brady, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jalen Hurts.
Outside of Brissett, all of those guys are NFL starting-caliber quarterbacks.
Now, as for the rest of their schedule: Andy Dalton, Burrow, Sam Ehlinger (maybe?), Marcus Mariota, Lamar Jackson (twice), Baker Mayfield/P.J. Walker, Derek Carr, and Deshaun Watson.
There is certainly a much easier side to that schedule.
Quarterbacks aren’t everything in the NFL but they’re a huge part of what makes an offense hard to play against. Not having Watt to rush these quarterbacks and weakening the Steelers’ rush against these offenses made it much harder. Adding him back to the fold, especially against Jackson who they’ve played well over the years, is going to lead to a few more wins on the schedule before the season ends.
They’ve faced the GOAT, three guys in the MVP conversation, and Burrow who took the Bengals to the Super Bowl last season, all in their eight games. 2-6 is a fairly reasonable record for the team right now. Don’t be surprised if they win at least five of their last nine, health permitting.
Only Thing That Matters Now is Growth
It’s clear the Steelers are probably going to miss the playoffs this season. After squeaking in last season just to run into Kansas City, that’s probably a good thing. Nothing good will come out of running the table and making the playoffs outside of Kenny Pickett becoming Tom Brady right before our eyes.
With the current climate, the Steelers could have three picks in the top 45 in the 2023 NFL Draft after acquiring the Bears' second-round pick in the Chase Claypool trade. No one wants the Steelers to lose out, not even the organization itself. But if they finish poorly, they’ll have a top-10 pick, and three picks that early in the draft would be enough to find three starting-caliber players at positions that the Steelers need help at.
But I digress.
The rest of this season needs to be about seeing what players will be around next year when the Steelers have a clean slate and, in turn, an easier schedule due to the NFL’s scheduling formula.
Throw the house at Kenny Pickett. See exactly what you’ve got in him. Surely, he’ll be the starting quarterback next year but you can also see if there’s a chance that he may not be the guy and in two years begin searching for a new franchise quarterback.
Give some of the guys on the offensive line an ultimatum. They’re going to face an easier road the rest of the way. If certain guys can’t figure it out, they shouldn’t be on this roster in 2023.
While this one’s less consequential, let Mark Robinson play. See what the former Ole Miss linebacker has and see if he can play in place of Devin Bush or Myles Jack next year.
The types of guys that you need to find out more about should be placed into the lineup immediately. Robinson, William Jackson III, Jaylen Warren, DeMarvin Leal when he is healthy again. They need to play and see what they’re made of so the Steelers have a clearer idea of who can be on the roster next season when things could begin to look up again.
Matt Canada Will Finish Season as OC, But at What Cost?
The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been a big “in-season firing” type of team. They like stability, especially at the head coaching position. However, since Bruce Arians was fired following the 2012 season, the Steelers are on their third offensive coordinator.
Todd Haley made it through to the end of the 2017 season and was fired despite being the most successful offensive coordinator since Arians’ firing. Randy Fichtner coached the offense until the 2020 offseason when he was replaced by Canada heading into last season.
While many thought Roethlisberger had the majority of the pull in the offense, a lot of the same concepts are showing up this season for the Steelers in terms of actual on-field play calls and results.
The bye week of a 2-6 football screams the perfect time to fire your OC. The Steelers opted not to, which basically confirms that Canada likely will make it to the end of the season before any decision is made on his future. With a struggling rookie quarterback at the helm, this could be a decision that could hinder the progression of Pickett and the offense in general.
The oldest starter on the Steelers’ offense is 26 years old. The idea was to find a bunch of young players to gel and become a fearful offense for years to come. Five-yard route trees and an inability/lack of willingness to throw the ball downfield certainly will hinder that progress.
For the Steelers' sake, hopefully, their progression won’t be pushed back due to the retention of Matt Canada.
Kazee’s Return Could Free Up Fitzpatrick
Anytime you can add veteran players mid-season, whether through trade or injury return, it can be a big deal. Demontae Kazee could play a big role in the defense that could help Minkah Fitzpatrick play a more hands-on role.
With Watt missing the time he did and the Steelers not able to generate the pass rush necessary to allow the secondary to bloom, Fitzpatrick has had to play more deep safety, protecting against the big plays. If the Steelers so choose, they could use a concept that they practiced in training camp: three safeties on the field.
With no disrespect to Tre Norwood or Miles Killebrew, they weren’t guys that were going to scare the offense away from throwing at them. While Kazee is no Fitzpatrick, he presents a much bigger threat than Norwood and Killebrew.
Using Kazee as the safety could allow the Steelers to move Fitzpatrick up a little bit and play as an underneath safety and potentially get more interceptions.
It’s no coincidence that the Steelers’ five-interception performance happened with Watt on the field. Fitzpatrick was the beneficiary of one of those. With both Watt and now Kazee back, Fitzpatrick could make a few plays later in the season that he hasn’t been able to make without some help on the defensive side of the ball.
How Do the Steelers Finish?
I made five predictions at the beginning of the season, none of which are going to come close to hitting. They admittedly were a bit optimistic. My bad on that one for jinxing it.
What better way to atone for those than to run it back?
Health will play a big role for the Steelers going forward. If the offensive line keeps allowing Pickett to be flat on his back as often as they do, he may not make it to the finish line and we’ll get to watch Mitch Trubisky limp to the finish line. If Watt re-injures his pec, the Steelers might not see him again until late next season.
Regardless, with the easier schedule, the Steelers shouldn’t follow their first-half season pace. I believe that they will win at least four of the last nine with a chance to go over .500 for the second half of the season. I’ll officially give them 7-10 with Tomlin’s first losing season in Pittsburgh but a record that should all but guarantee them a pick in the top 12 of the draft.
While that’s not what the Steelers or their fans ever aim for, it gives them a reason to be excited heading into the draft and a glimmer of hope that the 2023 season will be better than what they were subjected to in season number one without Ben Roethlisberger.
Find great deals on Steelers tickets from SI Tickets HERE
Make sure you bookmark All Steelers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Jaylen Warren Ready for Bigger Role in Steelers Backfield
Steelers Dealing With Five Injuries Early in Week 10
Steelers Considering Jaylen Warren as Feature Back
Kevin Dotson Now Qualifies for Pay Increase Next Season
Damontae Kazee Injury Worse Than Believed, Expects to Return this Week
Steelers Next Offensive Coordinator Might Have Just Hit the Market
- Subscribe to the All Steelers YouTube Channel
- Follow All Steelers on Twitter: @si_steelers
- Like and Follow All Steelers on Facebook
