Tim Benz: Amid injuries, Steelers' highly praised depth will now be put to the test

Based on my inbox and social media interactions, Sunday’s season-opening blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers appears to have shaken the confidence of many Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

I don’t blame you. For those of you who got worked into a lather based on the club’s outstanding preseason performance and placed futures bets for them to get to the Super Bowl, I bet that “cash out” button on your favorite gambling app is looking mighty appealing right now.

Not only because of the ugly 30-7 result but because of the injuries the team sustained during the defeat.

Defensive captain Cameron Heyward is reportedly heading to injured reserve, thanks to a groin injury. That’s at least four games and likely longer. Fellow defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal endured a triceps injury. Starting wide receiver Diontae Johnson suffered a hamstring injury. Starting right tackle Chuks Okorafor is in concussion protocol. Both guard James Daniels and special teams ace Miles Boykin were spotted wearing walking boots Monday.

Aside from all that, though, Sunday was a wonderful all-around experience.

“We got kicked in the teeth in a lot of ways,” head coach Mike Tomlin said.

Like I said, generally just a pleasant late summer day on the North Shore.

But before we throw our hands up in the air and declare the season over because they lost too much manpower in Week 1, let’s remember a few things.

First of all, they lost T.J. Watt for seven games last year and rallied in the second half of the season to remain in the playoff race until the fourth quarter of the last regular-season game.

Second, new general manager Omar Khan and assistant general Andy Weidl put together the deepest, most versatile roster ever assembled. They had the greatest draft since 1974. Every free agent was an example of shrewd business acumen. And every trade was a fleecing of the other team’s front office.

At least, that’s the way it was portrayed in Pittsburgh during the preseason.

“Omar is comin’! The ‘Khan artist’ did it again!”

Hey, I admit to adding at least a thin layer of hype on that front. Not to that degree, but I was also impressed with the offseason roster construction by the Steelers front office.

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So we can’t change the narrative now. Pittsburgh football fans shouldn’t be allowed to play the “woe is us” card based on September injuries if this team is as well constructed as we have assumed.

Especially along the defensive line, where Steelers coaches and executives openly fretted about cutting a player at the end of training camp and exposing him to the rest of the league.

“There’s going to be some tough decisions (that) have to be made, because I think we may lose a guy that we know can play in the NFL,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said just before preseason cuts.

They risked that with nose tackle Breiden Fehoko, but the Steelers were able to bring him back to the practice squad. They decided to keep Armon Watts, but he was inactive Sunday versus San Francisco. They also decided to retain third-year player Isaiahh Loudermilk, who played 41% of the snaps Sunday.

All three of those players will have to log vastly increased roles now, with Heyward out for the foreseeable future, Leal banged up, and Larry Ogunjobi still hampered by a bothersome foot. To say nothing of rookie Keeanu Benton, who logged 43% of the snaps Sunday and may have to take on an even greater load moving forward.

“Talked to coach about that a little (Sunday) night. Basically, he was telling me I’ve got to grow up fast and ready to go out there and play,” Benton said.

Pro Football Focus gave Benton an overall grade of 86.1, the seventh-best among interior defenders for the week. Loudermilk was 93rd at 50.7. At 52.8, starting nose tackle Montravius Adams was 88th. A total of 120 were ranked.

The Steelers defensive front was shredded for 188 yards rushing by the 49ers. Aside from Watt’s three sacks, Leal was the only other player in the Steelers front seven to register a tackle for loss and a QB hit with one apiece.

“I think we’re gonna come in this week with a different type of grudge,” Benton said. “Nobody likes losing. So, coming off that loss, a lot of things are going to need to be detailed up more. A lot of things are going to be a lot more nitpicky from coaches and players, so we should go in and have a good week.”

Now the Steelers have to take on a Cleveland Browns team that just racked up 206 yards rushing in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. That was the second-best total in Week 1, behind only the Los Angeles Chargers at 234.

“We just had to finish plays, man,” linebacker Kwon Alexander said. “Just finish tackles. There was nothing too crazy about it. We just have to tackle. We’ve got all the pieces we need to be the best we want to be. We’ve just got to go out there and just finish.”

They better finish. Because if they don’t, the Browns will finish the Steelers as quickly as the 49ers did. All those wildly hopeful 12- and 13-win projections some people were spewing on behalf of the Steelers a few weeks ago will be finished as well.

Part of the reason for that optimism was all this perceived depth on the team. Now we’ll get to see if it was all warranted.

A lot earlier than anyone in Pittsburgh was hoping.