Stock up, stock down among Steelers after preseason opener

Technically, the record will show there was a winner (the Pittsburgh Steelers) and a loser (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) during Friday’s preseason game at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. But in reality, the team result is secondary to the individual performances.

Some Steelers players helped themselves more than others in regards to making the team or establishing a significant role. Here are three of each:

Stock up

1. Calvin Austin III

Can Austin’s breathtaking speed translate to NFL games? That question has been asked over the 15-plus months since the Steelers made him a fourth-round pick. Well, in Austin’s pro game debut, he provided a pretty resounding answer.

The Steelers made the diminutive receiver a priority in their offense, and he responded by way of having game highs in rushing yards (23), receiving yards (73), longest rushing play (17) and longest passing play (67). Austin’s third-quarter touchdown from Mason Rudolph was longer than any play a Steelers wide receiver has made over the team’s past 48 regular-season games since an 84-yard catch by Chase Claypool on Sept. 20, 2020.

Austin also had jet sweeps that gained 17 and 6 yards — each time displaying the type of burst that helped him be a second-team All American sprinter at Memphis. Austin is 5-foot-9, 162 pounds, but size doesn’t matter when you can run past cornerbacks on fly routes and beat defenders to the corner after taking handoffs.

2. Nick Herbig

Herbig had 20 sacks over his final 24 college games, and he quickly showed his pass-rushing skills translate to the pros in practice-like settings. From organized team activities to training camp, the rookie from Wisconsin consistently has beaten myriad Steelers tackles.

In limited snaps Friday, Herbig showed he can beat other team’s tackles, too. Over the span of his first dozen snaps as an NFL player, Herbig was involved in a pair of sacks. The only curious part was why he didn’t play until the second half, well after several other non-starters had gotten into the game.

Time will tell if Herbig can become a well-rounded, complete NFL-caliber edge rusher. But there seems little doubt he has the look of a player who can last a long time in this league based on his pass-rush skills alone.

3. Kenny Pickett

Pickett’s first NFL preseason start was nothing short of flawless. Pickett played one series, joining the rest of the first-team offense. It’s a small sample size, but it wasn’t just the result (a touchdown) or the stats (6 for 7 for 70 yards) that looked so good from Pickett. The one incompletion came when he was under duress, and one of the completions was a dump-off to Najee Harris. But each of the other five throws was precise, each was delivered with zip, each was a good decision and each seemingly highlighted Pickett’s skillset.

There was a patented Pickett pass as he rolled to his left and delivered on target to Diontae Johnson for a 13-yard gain. And there was a perfectly placed third-and-8 ball to George Pickens that resulted in a 33-yard touchdown that topped the distance of any Steelers touchdown last season.

It was only preseason, but if Pickett’s play Friday foretells how he is going to perform in his second NFL season, the Steelers could overachieve.

More Steelers

• Kenny Pickett starts strong as Steelers open preseason with win at Tampa Bay
• Feats of Strength/Airing of Grievances: 1st team offense shines, new defenders pop en rout to Steelers preseason win in Tampa
• Steelers notebook: Rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. sits out preseason opener with calf injury

Stock down

1. Kendrick Green

Talk about a letdown. After becoming a camp cult hero following five consecutive practices in which Green’s usage as a “skill” player on offense was teased, the 6-4, 315-pound former starting center never lined up anywhere but the offensive line Friday. And although he came out with the second-teamers (a slight promotion from where he’d been during most of camp practices), Green had a disastrous three-snap sequence during the second quarter Friday.

After allowing a defensive lineman to push him back into Rudolph on a play that originated from the Bucs’ 43 yard-line, Green was penalized for holding on the next snap. That negated a 16-yard Anthony McFarland gain — and Green cost the Steelers another 16 yards on the next play when Rudolph had no chance of catching his shotgun snap.

It was a 90-second sequence that seemed to negate instantly all of the out-of-nowhere momentum Green was building to make the team.

2. James Pierre

Pierre had at least twice as many total tackles (10) and solo tackles (nine) as any player on either team Friday. That might sound good, but as an outside cornerback, amassing tackles is typically not a good sign. It was the case Friday that Tampa Bay quarterbacks seemed to be targeting — successfully — whoever Pierre was responsible for in coverage, time and time again.

Pierre has appeared in every Steelers game over the past three seasons, and he still has a good chance to make the team as a depth DB and special-teamer. His film from Friday, though, wasn’t his best and won’t help his cause.

3. Jordan Byrd

Coach Mike Tomlin gave Byrd plenty of opportunity to state his case. But aside from kickoff returns of 22, 17 and 15 yards, in five other touches Byrd netted 2 yards.

One of college football’s top return men in recent years, Byrd was designated to return each of Tampa Bay’s six punts. He made one fair catch and netted 0 yards on two he returned (the others went out of bounds and into the end zone). Byrd also had a 6-yard pass reception and a run in which he lost 4 yards.

Byrd has a path to the roster in that he has the chops to be a return specialist. But he probably has to make a “splash play” during the preseason for that to happen.

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.