5 things to watch for in Steelers preseason finale vs. Lions

It was a tradition that went back two decades. Every year, just before Labor Day, the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Carolina Panthers in the teams’ annual preseason finale.

It wasn’t quite Michigan-Ohio State or Alabama-Auburn, but the “rivalry” was a staple of the end of the preseason, a mishmash of black- or teal-clad backups and soon-to-be-cut players who perhaps were making their final formal appearance in a true football game.

Steelers-Panthers, though, is no more. And that’s not the only Steelers tradition that has changed for the 2022 preseason finale. The idea that no starters at all play in the preseason finale is now suddenly a thing of the past, too.

With that in mind, here are some things to watch in Sunday’s 4:30 p.m. game against the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium, a matchup in which both coaches have pledged will feature many of their starters and high-profile players.

1. OL bounceback?

The quarterbacks got most of the attention, but arguably the biggest storyline of last week’s preseason game was the struggles of the first-team offensive line. Arguably, that was the worst unit on the team last season, prompting the Steelers to deploy offseason resources to addressing it.

All the goodwill the O-line garnered after a sterling effort in its run blocking (185 yards, 6.5 per carry) during the preseason-opening win against the Seattle Seahawks was blown seven days later when the Steelers running backs had 10 rushing yards on 10 carries and starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky was under duress on nearly every dropback of his three series against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

An outing closer to the former than the latter would help calm the critics.

2. Pickett’s next step

For many casual fans, nothing is of more interest in any of the preseason games (or throughout the entire training camp, for that matter) than the quarterbacks. Specifically, Kenny Pickett, who impressed in doing everything he was asked to do over the first two preseason games.

It might be nitpicking, but the lone criticism of Pickett’s performance so far could be that he wasn’t asked to do that much on his throws. Being accurate is great, leading scoring drives during end-of-half situations is even better and completing 86.4% of your passes is impressive. But will Pickett push throws downfield in his third professional outing? Will he even be asked to by coordinator Matt Canada? Because if Pickett shows “in-the-stadium” proficiency in that area, it might force the Steelers’ hand in getting serious about him starting regular-season games sooner rather than later.

3. Hosting Harris

Coming off a rookie season in which he had 307 carries and 74 receptions, Najee Harris is about to make his 2022 in-uniform debut.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Harris “absolutely” will get some carries against the Lions. Some might question the wisdom in that with a heavy regular-season workload awaiting, but Harris likely believes he needs to get some work in to establish timing and knock off some rust after he sat out about two weeks of camp practice because of a foot injury.

Related:

• Steelers, Mike Tomlin keep open mind in final audition for players on roster bubble
• No change in Steelers' quarterback rotation for preseason finale against Lions
• Mark Madden: Steelers should delay culture shock for Kenny Pickett until after Patriots matchup

4. All is settled?

The “official” depth chart never has carried much weight, but as the Steelers enter their preseason finale, three “OR” position battles remain. However, it appears each of these “OR” designations has been all but decided.

At left cornerback, it’s been virtually unfailing throughout camp that Ahkello Witherspoon has played ahead of Levi Wallace. At left inside linebacker, Devin Bush seems to have held off Robert Spillane. And at left guard, Kevin Dotson spent the entire past week taking first-team snaps in lieu of Kendrick Green.

Seeing these divisions of labor all play out against the Lions would all but seal the deal for each position battle.

5. Four-five-six

The Steelers’ Nos. 1-3 wide receivers are set: Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and rookie George Pickens. But WR Nos. 4-6 are anything but. Who will claim those roles?

Fourth-round pick Calvin Austin III looked like a major part of the answer early in camp, but he has missed both preseason games because of injury. Even if he returns, has he had enough reps as a rookie to have a significant role? Gunner Olszewski probably has had the most first-team reps and made the most catches in practice, but he only has six receptions in 37 NFL games.

Former third-round pick Miles Boykin has the pedigree, Tyler Vaughns has been the Steelers’ preseason late-game star, Steven Sims has NFL experience in the slot and Cody White is the incumbent Steelers WR5 from 2021.

Having a big game Sunday could help lift one of these players into a roster spot.

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