5 Things to Watch Steelers vs. Lions: Ben Roethlisberger Reveals New Offense

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field for their third preseason game of the year.

The starters will be dressed, the crowd will be welcomed back, and the Steelers will hit the field under the lights with little to prove and plenty to learn. When Ben Roethlisberger and company step onto the grass, there's plenty to keep your eyes on.

At this point, training camp is over and it's now time to begin sculpting teams for the regular season. The Steelers know most of their starters and want those starters to get reps before Week 1.

This will be the first time the new offense is displayed with Roethlisberger, the starting offensive line is working together and some changes on defense will be made.

Saturday night couldn't be any more exciting. Here's what to watch.

Roethlisberger and Canada's First Go

Why is it important for Roethlisberger to play this preseason game?

"Because we've got a new system," the quarterback said. "There's a new coach to player communication in terms of a new guy. The offense is different. He's up in the box as compared to on the field, so there's a lot of newness, and I think it's prudent to get as much time as I can in, under those circumstances."

This is the first time anyone outside of training camp will see Matt Canada's offense with its starting offense - including the quarterback.

You can judge the entire see off what you see tonight or don't see tonight, but truthfully, it could be sloppy, which is exactly why Big Ben needs reps in live-game action.

Offensive Line's Cohesion

Tomlin wasn't focused on much heading into the team's preseason home opener. At least not when he was asked questions during his pre-game press conference.

What he did talk about, though, was this offensive line meshing. Against the Lions, this will be the first time the starting five play together in a game - and really, only the fifth time they'll play together total.

Pretty much all of this offense's success will start with the five big men upfront. How much success that is will begin against Detroit.

Cody White

Listen, Ray-Ray McCloud came into Steelers training camp as a secure No. 5 in the wide receiving core. But after an injury, some less-than-impressive days and a pretty good group of guys behind him, he's no longer the front-runner for the final roster spot.

Who is? One would guess Cody White.

The Michigan State star has worked with the first team since returning from his injury. When he went down with a hamstring, sources told AllSteelers Pittsburgh wasn't waiving him - a practice they do on almost all practice squad-level guys during camp - because they believe he could be a factor for this team this season.

It's hard to believe a second-year undrafted free agent takes a leap into a group with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and James Washington, but White might do just that.

New Cornerback Setup

At practice, the Steelers started testing the waters with a new trio at cornerback. Cam Sutton bumped inside to play nickelback while Joe Haden and James Pierre manned the outside.

This is the rotation that seems most effective once the regular season starts, but we won't know that for sure until it's tested in a game.

The Steelers are also letting Arthur Maulet and Antoine Brooks Jr. compete for the job, but it seems they've moved on from either working all the reps with the first team.

If Sutton goes to nickel against Detroit, it'll be important to watch.

Joe Schobert and Devin Bush

Devin Bush finally has himself another field general for the first time in his NFL career. Tomlin wasted no time putting Joe Schobert into the starting lineup and confirmed the inside linebacker will be ready to play first-team reps against the Lions.

At practice, Bush looks better with Schobert on the field. These two have all the makings to mesh very well together. And the Lions will be the first opponent to meet the Steelers' newest defensive quarterbacks in action.

Keep an eye on No. 45 and No. 55. These two could have a monster game.

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.

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