Tim Benz: Despite 3-0 preseason record, very few Steelers questions have been answered

The NFL preseason did little to definitively answer many questions about the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers.

Especially after the 19-9 slopfest of a victory against the Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon in the preseason finale at Acrisure Stadium.

Some of those questions have grown into greater concerns. Other questions are now lesser points of agitation. But none appear to be solved.

If you were someone who was worried that this season may mark Mike Tomlin’s first losing campaign as a head coach, most of the shortcomings that exist on this team are still every bit as present as they were when it reported to Saint Vincent College for training camp in late July.

If you were someone who was assuming the Steelers were in good shape heading into the summer, you’ve probably talked yourself into believing that they are going to snap their five-year playoff-win drought.

With the Sept. 11 regular season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals next up on the agenda, let’s take a look at where the Steelers have made progress toward determining how 2022 is going to go.

Or, better said, where they haven’t.

Ohh, that offensive line

If you wanted answers about how the Steelers offensive line play was going to improve, you didn’t find any.

In fact, without Ben Roethlisberger throwing the ball in under 2.5 seconds on every pass play, at times the line has been made to look worse in pass protection. It also still looks impotent when it comes to creating a push in the run game.

Against Detroit, the first team offensive line allowed Trubisky to be sacked twice and was flagged for three holding penalties (two by Dan Moore, one by Chuks Okorafor). Kevin Dotson had a false start as well. And Kendrick Green came off the bench and was tagged with a hold in the third quarter that was declined.

Through the first three quarters, the Steelers were averaging 3.1 yards per carry (2.9 for the game) on the ground after getting just 1.7 in the previous win in Jacksonville.

Quarterback carousel

Here’s an area where I do think the Steelers are in a better spot than expected when training camp began. After the struggles of Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett early in training camp, once the preseason games began, they appeared to be further along in their acclimation to the Steelers than how things looked in Latrobe.

Mason Rudolph, too, for that matter.

As a team, the Steelers had a 124.9 passer rating in the first game, 115.6 in the second and 98.1 in the third. But before we assume any of the three QBs are going to make us forget about Roethlisberger in one year, let’s remember, they were throwing against vanilla defenses that featured backups from Seattle, Jacksonville and Detroit — three non-playoff teams from a year ago.

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Depth chart holes

Not only did the Steelers fail to find a clear-cut backup outside linebacker (let alone two), their starters both now have injury concerns.

Alex Highsmith barely participated in games or practices thanks to a rib injury, and T.J. Watt suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of the game against the Lions.

I understand wanting to let the starters get a little contact and a few reps in the preseason. But Watt got some of that the previous week in Jacksonville and in the first quarter against the Lions. He didn’t need to be in the game at that point. Nor did he need to go back in after he was injured on a cut block.

At halftime, Tomlin told Evan Washburn of CBS that Watt and Diontae Johnson (who suffered a shoulder injury) may have returned, if needed, in a regular season game. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t hurt heading into the regular season or that their participation Sunday was necessary.

“You can’t box without sparring,” Tomlin said of playing starters in the preseason.

Related:

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• Madden Monday: Steelers 'think they are far better than what they are' — the offensive line may be their undoing
• First Call: Ravens mascot injured; potential name is off Steelers outside linebacker wish list
• Trubisky leads TD drive in 2-minute offense, helps Steelers beat Lions in preseason finale

Well, Watt didn’t do much sparring in the ‘21 season because of his contract “hold in.” Yet he “boxed” well enough to be Defensive Player of the Year.

Meanwhile, at running back, Jaylen Warren has impressed.

“I’m prepared for anything, especially being in the running back room that I am in. They taught me a lot. With their insight, picking stuff up from them, I’m ready,” Warren said after the game.

But Warren is still just an undrafted rookie. Still an unknown. That’s banking a lot of faith if he is to be given the important job as Najee Harris’ top backup.

And at inside linebacker next to Myles Jack, seventh-rounder Mark Robinson has opened the most eyes. Unfortunately, the hope was that Devin Bush would put any such discussion to an end. He hasn’t. Nor has Robert Spillane looked like much more than a special teams candidate.

Wary of rush defense

Last year’s much-maligned rush defense has at times looked more capable. The Lions first team was limited to a respectable 4 yards per carry. The Jags only averaged 3.2 yards per carry.

But when you see Justin Jackson busting off 27-yard runs and the Seahawks averaging 6.1 yards per attempt, there is obviously a long way to go before feeling secure in that unit’s resurgence.

“We added some new pieces to the defense that I think are really going to help. And we added some new wrinkles schematically that are really going to help us stop the run,” said defensive lineman Chris Wormley on Friday.

Wormley and nose tackle Tyson Alualu warned that those up front needed to avoid playing “hero ball” and cease jumping out of their gaps and leaving assignments to make plays in 2022.

The run defense doesn’t need a hero. It doesn’t need a Superman. It just needs guys who are better than Clark Kent.

That goes for the rest of the team as well. And this year’s edition doesn’t have a future Hall of Fame quarterback to put on a cape in the fourth quarter like Roethlisberger did so many times last year.