The Pittsburgh Steelers have turned the page in a big way on the offensive side of the ball this offseason, with the team sporting new faces at some key positions.
The Steelers did bring back Jaylen Warren, but they also signed Kenneth Gainwell and drafted Kaleb Johnson. Of course, Aaron Rodgers is now the quarterback and Pittsburgh signed DK Metcalf and traded George Pickens.
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear the Steelers' offense is having much success at camp. According to Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly, Pittsburgh's running backs have struggled against the defense in practice.
"The offense had a hell of a time running the ball against this defense; whether it was Jaylen Warren, Kaleb Johnson, Kenneth Gainwell, or Trey Sermon, it just wasn’t happening on Sunday," Kaboly wrote. "It’s pretty much been that way for the majority of camp. Don’t get me wrong, they have made some plays in the running game, but have been bogged down more than you would like to see, and that’s concerning."
Kaboly also noted that the Steelers' offense converted just two of 12 plays at the goal line during team periods on Sunday, and that was without T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward taking part.
Adding to that, Kaboly says Rodgers was under constant duress.
"You can look at the struggles on offense and point all the blame at Rodgers, and that’s fine," he said. "However, a lot of times on Sunday, he was flushed out of the pocket almost immediately."
"Of course, it’s nothing to worry about as the Steelers head into their prep week for their first preseason game on Saturday in Jacksonville, but it is something to keep an eye on. The biggest issue I have noticed is getting Rodgers off his mark quickly and blowing up the play, which could indicate what lies ahead for this unit if it doesn’t clean things up on the line," Kaboly concluded.
While it's nice to see the defense playing well, especially against the run, there's no question the lack of success on offense is troubling.
Pittsburgh's offense was its weakest link last season and the team struggled to move the ball on the ground and through the air, with lackluster blocking playing a big role in that.
The fact that we aren't seeing much of an improvement upfront is alarming, to say the least. Broderick Jones' struggles in camp have been particularly concerning, as he's set to shift from right to left tackle after he was very disappointing in 2024.
Thankfully, there's still a month left before the season for Rodgers and Co. to work out the kinks, which are to be expected with so many new faces on offense.
But it's hard to be optimistic when we're seeing the same issues that plagued Mike Tomlin's squad last season.
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