5 things to watch in Steelers' preseason opener

Saturday’s meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars is the third time in four years the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing a preseason game in Florida. It was 88 degrees in Jacksonville in 2022 and a steamy 94 in Tampa a year later.

Luckily, Accuweather’s Saturday forecasted high of 84 for Duvall County, Fla., is 5 degrees cooler than what it projects for Pittsburgh.

But forget the forecast. Here are some scorching-hot takes for five aspects of Saturday’s Steelers-Jaguars game to keep a keen eye on:

1. Welcome to the NFL

The preseason opener is always anticipated as the first in-game look at the rookie class. Of the seven players the Steelers drafted in April, five will debut Saturday. Though the finger injury to sixth-round quarterback Will Howard was a major bummer for fans eager to see him (seventh-round defensive back Donte Kent also is out because of an ankle injury), the Steelers’ top four picks have flashed during training camp.

The team broke with their convention and immediately placed first-round defensive tackle Derrick Harmon as a starter on the initial depth chart. But can he move opponents’ offensive linemen the way he’s shown capable of doing to teammates so regularly at Saint Vincent?

Third-round running back Kaleb Johnson was turning heads almost immediately from the first practice. Will that second-level burst translate to the full-tackle, in-stadium environment?

Fourth-round edge rusher Jack Sawyer always was viewed as the proverbial “gamer.” And while a preseason game against a returning 4-13 team isn’t exactly the College Football Playoff semifinals, it’s a step up from Chuck Noll Field practices in shorts.

Fifth-round defensive tackle Yahya Black has been swatting down passes with the frequency of a prime Dikembe Mutombo. Can Black do it off a throw from 6-foot-6 Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence?

Even with no Howard, many eyes will be on the other high-profile draftees.

2. Another route

Don’t forget the undrafted rookies, either. Typically, one or two find their way onto the season-opening roster each year, from Beanie Bishop last year to Jaylen Warren in 2022, there’s even an occasional significant contributor mined from the undrafted rookie class.

Based on their playmaking abilities at camp, among those to look out for this season include tight end JJ Galbreath, receivers Max Hurleman and Roc Taylor, safety Sebastian Castro and fullback DJ Thomas-Jones. Mammoth tackle Gareth Warren and kicker Ben Sauls — who set records at Pitt — also could “pop” with their respective opportunities to show what they can do.

3. When in Rome

There are few players for which this preseason and camp has more on the line than Roman Wilson. A third-round pick last year, Wilson played only five offensive snaps as a rookie in large part because of a pair of injuries. But even last year, the Steelers went into camp hoping Wilson could crack the top three of their wide receivers corps.

That didn’t happen, and the situation is principally repeating itself in 2025. Again, the Steelers have a bona fide No. 1 wide receiver (this time, DK Metcalf) but again lack concrete roles beyond that. It was and is well within the realm of possible outcomes that Wilson opens this season as prominent as the WR2 or as a healthy scratch for the opener.

After a undistinguished first week of camp, Wilson stacked some of his best practice showings this week. Making big plays on the field in EverBank Stadium would go a long way in helping Wilson solidify a significant role in the offense.

4. Vanilla tastes good, too

There is no opponent-based game planing during the preseason, and obvious incentive exists for teams to hold back creativity in playcalling.

Still, camp has suggested 2025 offers a pivot in the philosophies of both the Steelers’ offense and defense. Offensively, it’s more of an evolution in Year 2 under coordinator Arthur Smith, even more tight end usage and other big personnel, further play-action integration. Don’t forget, too, that Smith is designing a scheme this year for Aaron Rodgers after working with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson last year.

Defensively, the Steelers have been open about their desire to play more “press” man and throw as many “coverage people” at opposing offenses as possible.

Saturday’s showings will remain vanilla. But maybe some further clues will emerge about how the Steelers plan on working their schematics on both sides of the ball when the regular season comes along.

5. Punter love

At only four spots does the word “or” appear on the depth chart released by the Steelers this week. One is for a backup spot (Sawyer or DeMavin Leal at second-string left outside linebacker), and another is a manner to tout both the Steelers’ longtime NFL-starter tight ends (Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith) as part of the first-team offense.

The other two times “or” is used are between the names Corliss Waitman and Cameron Johnston. The positions those two play are punter and holder. One man will be chosen to perform both duties.

Each can make a case to be the incumbent. Johnston was signed to a three-year, $9 million contract in March 2024 to solidify the Steelers’ punting, whereas Waitman provided above-average results in handling the duties the final 16 games of last season following Johnston’s torn ACL in the opener.

It generally had been assumed Johnston will be the default choice, all things equal. But special teams coordinator Danny Smith has gone out of his way to term the decision as an open competition. Both punters have regularly boomed balls during practices at camp. Now it’s time to audition during game action.