Tim Benz: Difficult early season schedule bound to influence Steelers' starters

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth paused and gave some sincere consideration before answering the question.

At what point in your rookie season last year did you stop thinking and feel like you truly knew the playbook cold?

“Honestly, the first game it really clicked for me, where I felt comfortable doing stuff was the first Cincinnati game we played,” he said. “Week 3 last year. (That’s) when I really felt comfortable knowing what other people were doing and where I needed to be at certain times. That was really the first week.”

That would’ve been a game at Heinz Field that the Steelers lost to the Bengals 24-10, but it also featured Freiermuth’s first NFL touchdown.

“I think Pat is blowing smoke right now. I think it took a little bit longer,” Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward said with a laugh. “Everybody is different. But you don’t know what you don’t know. If you are getting thrown into the fire from the very beginning, you expect it from there on out. You get better with reps. And it is going to be important for our younger guys to take the preseason seriously, especially with the way we are starting the season.”

To Heyward’s point, the compressed timeframe for the rookies to be good early is particularly germane to the Steelers this year considering they have a brutal six-game gauntlet to start the season. And they may be entering it with a rookie first-round draft choice quarterback in Pitt’s Kenny Pickett if he wins the job over Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph.

The Steelers begin the year with a road game at the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals, a home date against the New England Patriots, then a Thursday night road game in Cleveland.

After potentially a slight let up against the Jets in Week 4, the Steelers have to go to the reigning AFC East champion Buffalo Bills and then have a home game against the defending NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Steelers coaching staff will never admit this, but that six-game stretch to begin the season will definitely weigh into their decision-making when it comes to how much playing time they want to give to the rookies.

Particularly with Pickett at quarterback.

How couldn’t that be the case? Think about it. That six-game swath to begin 2022 features:

• Three games in 12 days to start the year. Two of those games are road divisional contests. The other is against Bill Belichick and the Patriots.

• Four playoff teams from last year, including one conference champion and three divisional champs.

• Games against both Belichick and Tom Brady.

Tough tasks, especially for a potential starting quarterback in his rookie season.

“You always have to be on your screws early,” Pickett said last week. “I’m not too concerned about the short amount of games in the short amount of time. I’m just concerned with getting better every day. They are throwing a lot at us. I’m taking it in stride and being the best QB I can be out there.”

The difficult schedule throws a wrench in what has always been my fallback argument in terms of how the Steelers should handle their decision about who will start 2022 at quarterback.

I’ve long said that all things being equal, they aren’t. In other words, if Pickett is in a 50-50 battle with Trubisky or Rudolph, then the team should go with the guy who is the future franchise QB right off the bat.

In other words, if there is a coin flip to be made, coach Mike Tomlin should leave the coin in his pocket. Just name the 24-year-old with 49 career college starts on his resume, who was perceived to be the most NFL-ready quarterback in the draft, as the team’s starting quarterback coming out of training camp.

That schedule, however, gives me pause. Is it just too compressed and too challenging to throw Pickett into the fire against? I think it may be.

“I know we play the Bengals Week 1,” Pickett said. “After that, I really don’t know. I’m just locked in on what I’ve got to do. The rest will take care of itself if I am locked in mentally.”

For his part, though, Rudolph says Pickett and fellow rookie QB Chris Oladokun are picking up the offense.

“They’ve been good,” Rudolph said. “Their heads are spinning a little bit. They’ve got a lot of questions. But they’ve picked things up quickly. I remember being a rookie, and you see that hunger in both of them to want to learn. To stay later and ask questions.”

That said, Rudolph sees the challenges that schedule creates for any rookie QB.

“Getting over the rookie wall, the learning curve. You do start to become more comfortable. … That’s our job to help those guys overcome those obstacles,” Rudolph said.

It’s not just Pickett who is going to have to hit the ground running if he starts immediately in Year 1. The Steelers may also be leaning heavily on rookie receivers George Pickens and Calvin Austin III, as well as first-year defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal. They’ve also got to be up to speed quickly if the Steelers are going to be able to count on them for success over the first six weeks.

“Three games in 12 days, it’s coming up soon and you’ve got to be prepared. And you always have to be ready to play,” Pickens said. “I think I’ll be pretty good, and I’m always ready to compete.”

He better be. The same can be said for all the Steelers rookies. Pickett and beyond. Because for as long as the NFL season is, the tone of the Steelers 2022 campaign could very well be cast before the Halloween decorations are even up around Pittsburgh.