Mike Tomlin: All healthy players will see action in Steelers' preseason opener

Mike Tomlin acknowledged the obvious Wednesday when he said that second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett will need more preseason snaps this year than, say, a more seasoned quarterback.

As far as how many more reps Pickett might need, Tomlin wasn’t ready to answer that question. The Pittsburgh Steelers open the preseason Friday night at Tampa Bay.

“We’ll play it by ear,” Tomlin said, stating his focus was on the impending padded practice Wednesday at Saint Vincent College. “We’ll give him what he needs. It’s always my mentality that I’m open to all that are healthy playing. How much they play will be determined by what it is they need for it to be a productive step in the process this week.

“Then, we’ll deal with next week, next week.”

When veteran Mitch Trubisky opened the 2022 preseason as the starter, he played 13 snaps over two series. No. 2 quarterback Mason Rudolph played the rest of the first half, and Pickett played the second.

The Steelers’ first year without Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback coincided with the second year of the NFL’s three-game preseason schedule. Trubisky, as the starter, appeared in all three games and took his most snaps in the finale when he played the entire first half.

This preseason presents a different challenge with Tomlin trying to break in a quarterback who didn’t become a starter until Week 5 of his rookie season.

“I’m comfortable with the number of games, but I’m always trying to figure out what is appropriate in terms of work for this group, individually and collectively,” he said. “We have some young guys developing, and while they have some experience, it’s good to go through the process and gain readiness, finding their rhythm and executing.”

Tomlin said any player who is healthy after the Steelers’ practice Wednesday and their workout Thursday will suit up against the Buccaneers. That includes free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has participated in only a few practices after missing about a week to attend to a personal matter.

Fitzpatrick doesn’t expect to take many snaps against Tampa Bay, but he said the Steelers can benefit from getting their starters some work.

“You can see where you’re at in a sense of details, things we’ve been emphasizing in camp” he said. “We can do this or can’t do that. We’ll find out.”

Fitzpatrick’s anticipated participation is a departure from the 2022 preseason opener when he, Cameron Heyward, Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris, Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt did not get on the field against Seattle. Watt and Johnson were injured in the preseason finale.

“We want to keep everybody upright, but injuries are a component of the game,” Tomlin said. “We can’t live in our fears. We have to get individuals and collectives ready to play, so we’ll make the appropriate judgments.”

Harris injured his foot last summer, but the injury occurred at training camp and not in a game. He didn’t play until the third preseason game when he logged four carries. He got off to a slow start, but when the ankle healed at midseason, he had a strong second half.

“I think getting reps in preseason ball is important,” Harris said. “You don’t want anybody playing the whole game. I am not a coach, but you want guys to get a couple of series, get some film out there so when we come back in we can look at it, correct it, see what we can do better.”

In 2022, the Steelers used the preseason to identify Jaylen Warren as the No. 2 running back. In this camp, the Steelers might have found the third member of their hierarchy in fourth-year back Anthony McFarland. He has turned heads with the way he has flashed his speed during some impressive runs and receptions in the first two weeks of practices.

“I think he was a redshirt sophomore when we drafted him,” Tomlin said. “We realized that some development had to take place there. To his credit, he’s continually gotten better over his stay with us, and his role has kind of grown continually as well. … I’m excited for him to see if he can carve out an increased role.”