Kenny Pickett's freedom with offense among several questions facing Steelers at minicamp

Phase 3, the final stage of offseason workouts, takes place this week for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the form of a three-day minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

Like the nine organized team activities that preceded it, players will don shorts and helmets but no shoulder pads, and tackling is not permitted. Unlike OTAs, attendance is mandatory, which means the entire 90-man roster is expected to take the practice field.

These three sessions represent the last time the players will be together until training camp, which begins for the Steelers with a July 26 reporting date.

Minicamp, on the other hand, also represents the first time assistant coaches will be made available to the media since the end of last season. That is important because it will give reporters a chance to ask offensive coordinator Matt Canada and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin about changes that have taken place in the offseason and expectations for this season.

Here are a few topics that likely will be discussed over the next three days:

1. Will Kenny Pickett have the training wheels removed?

The offense started to find a rhythm with Pickett at the controls in the second half of his rookie season when he was instructed to play conservatively and not turn over the ball.

The result was Pickett throwing just one interception in his final eight games. On the other hand, he threw just five touchdown passes and no more than one per game for the entirety of his 13 appearances.

Pickett did his best work when he had to step up the tempo while directing winning drives against Las Vegas and Baltimore and helping the offense score a season-high 28 points in the finale against Cleveland.

With Pickett entering his first full year as a starter, will Canada give him more freedom at the position? Will Pickett be allowed to call audibles? Will the playbook be expanded to account for Pickett having a full offseason to learn the system?

2. Will the offense still include a running back tandem?

Najee Harris’ return to health after the bye week was another reason the offense began humming after that 2-6 start. Harris rushed for at least 80 yards in six of the final nine games after failing to hit that mark once in the opening eight starts.

It also helped that Jaylen Warren grew into his role as the No. 2 running back.

Harris’ workload was reduced in his second year, and Warren helped the Steelers revitalize their running game in the second half of the season. The occasional rest also helped Harris become a stronger runner, and the duo enabled the Steelers to average 145.8 yards rushing after Week 8. That was the seventh-best rushing total in the NFL during that span.

The Steelers showed they could win by running the ball without relying on one workhorse running back. Will that lead to a bigger role for Warren, and will he and Harris be on the field at the same time?

3. Is Allen Robinson ready to take over in the slot?

Chase Claypool took the most snaps in the slot before he was shipped to the Chicago Bears at the trade deadline. Steven Sims filled the role the rest of the season, but the Steelers didn’t tender him a contract as a restricted free agent and he signed with Houston.

That led to the trade for Allen Robinson, whose time in the slot has increased since he made his NFL debut in 2014. Consider that when Robinson had 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 2015, he took 13% of his snaps from the slot. When he reached 1,000 yards next in 2019, his snap count in the slot had increased to 32%. He played almost the same percentage in the slot last season until his season-ending foot injury in Week 11.

Robinson just recently started practicing fully and is prepared to play in the slot. Other options could be Calvin Austin or Anthony Miller, who each is trying to contribute after missing the 2022 season with injuries. The Steelers also could use tight end Pat Freiermuth in the slot. He took 180 snaps there on pass plays last season.

4. Will Blitzburgh return to the defense?

After leading the NFL in sacks for five consecutive seasons and recording at least 50 every year in that span, the Steelers dipped to 40 sacks last year despite blitzing more frequently (31.5% of defensive snaps) than they did in 2022 (27%).

If pass rush and coverage go hand in hand as coaches like to say, then the pass rush came up short in a year when the Steelers tied for the NFL lead with 20 interceptions. Much can be attributed to the absence of T.J. Watt for most of the first half and his dip from 22 1/2 to 5 1/2 sacks.

The Steelers need to get a more consistent pass rush from players not named Watt, Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith. And more forced fumbles after generating just nine last season — 11 off the league lead.

5. Which rookie is ready to contribute immediately?

First-round pick Broderick Jones spent much of OTAs taking second-team reps at left tackle behind incumbent Dan Moore, who did get in some work at right tackle. Could minicamp be the time for the Steelers to begin giving Jones increased first-team snaps with the starters?

The other rookie to watch will be cornerback Joey Porter Jr. After the draft, Teryl Austin said the Steelers didn’t take Porter so they could redshirt him. Minicamp will provide another indication of whether Porter can take playing time outside away from Patrick Peterson or Levi Wallace.

Fellow second-round pick Keeanu Benton faces heavy numbers as he tries to earn playing time on the defensive line. He’s one of nine linemen trying to find a role behind Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi.