Tim Benz: Debate over playing veterans in preseason is actually a worthy conversation for Steelers this year

Some who cover or root for the Pittsburgh Steelers may call them explanations. Others may call them excuses.

All are reasons why the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016.

Last year’s daunting late-season schedule. T.J. Watt’s injury in 2022. Ben Roethlisberger’s injury in 2019. Missed field goals from Chris Boswell and fluke losses in 2018. Ryan Shazier’s injury and the Jesse James call in 2017.

Oh, and covid in 2020. Because, you know, the Steelers were the only team dealing with that.

Call them what you will, those have all been talking points advanced for why the Steelers haven’t had postseason success for eight years in a row.

All that said, one thing that can’t be a preemptive excu– … um … explanation going into 2025 is an out-of-sync slow start, particularly on offense.

Oh, that’s happened for the Steelers in the recent past. The 2018, ‘19, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23 seasons all featured jagged starts for the club, often with the defense having to cover for the offense just to keep the team afloat until its usual surge through October and into November, before its typical fade in December and January.

This year, though, the Steelers have done little to guard against a repeat of those events by refusing to play most of their starters in the preseason — in particular, Watt, Boswell, Cameron Heyward, Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf.

Regarding Boswell and Heyward, some of that has been contract-related. I’m not even sure if Heyward would’ve played at all anyway, and whether Boswell kicks field goals or just handles kickoffs in the last week should be inconsequential.

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Sitting Watt, I totally understand. In fact, normally, a cautious approach with veterans in the preseason is one I endorse.

But Rodgers and Metcalf are brand new to the team. Rodgers wasn’t even on the roster until the start of June. Neither is expected to play Thursday night in Carolina.

Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith weren’t acquired until the very end of June. Their exposure to the preseason will be minimal unless they get a surprisingly heavy dose of playing time Thursday night.

Free-agent acquisition Darius Slay is in a similar boat, and alleged No. 2 wide receiver Calvin Austin has been limited throughout much of the summer because of injury.

Not to mention Jaylen Warren getting elevated to top-of-the-depth chart running back duties with Najee Harris gone. It might do him some good to absorb a few hits in anger from an opposing defense in advance of the regular season. We’ll see how many chances he gets to do that against the Panthers.

To reiterate, typically, I’ll cosign on a limited menu for established veterans in preseason play. There’s little reward to the risk of putting the vets out there in August, especially when two more weeks of practice remain between the end of the preseason and the regular season opener in New York on Sept. 7.

Furthermore, I appreciate Mike Tomlin’s reluctance to expose a 41-year-old starting QB and a top wide receiver with no depth at the position to injury en route to a meaningless result.

Hey, I’ll admit it: I’m probably only dwelling on this as much as I am because I’m so curious to see if all this hype over these high profile new players is going to boom or bust.

But if things are clunky on offense against the Jets, or if the defensive backs are standing around pointing at each other and raising their palms in confusion like we saw dozens of times last year, “rust” or “working out the kinks” can’t be the rationale offered up through a spotty September.

Given the circumstances, at that point, it would definitely be an excuse, not an explanation.

The Steelers’ approach to minimal preseason playing time for their recently acquired veterans has been a deliberate strategy. It’s an understandable one.

But it’s also one that needs to be validated with above-the-line play out of the gates when the regular season begins.

And that part is not debatable at all.