Depth Chart Analysis: Steelers Offense
On Tuesday, Steelers’ Head Coach Mike Tomlin released his initial depth chart for the 2024 season ahead of tomorrow’s preseason game against the Houston Texans. Now, I know we haven’t even had roster cuts yet, and there are many changes that are inevitably coming as it pertains to this particular depth chart, but it’s nice that we’re able to get a sense of where Mike Tomlin’s head is at in terms of personnel, heading into our first preseason game; something he hasn’t done for us much in the past. After a couple of weeks of training camp, here’s how our offense is shaking out so far:
Offensive Line:
Taking a look at the offensive line, as presently constructed, I think the biggest development here is our first rounder, Troy Fautanu, listed as the backup LT behind Dan Moore Jr., despite the fact that he has been taking snaps exclusively at RT during training camp. According to Max Starks, Fautanu figures to start at RT come week 1, and Broderick Jones, who has been taking a lot of snaps at LT during camp, will be the starter on the left side. It’s not shocking to me that everyone currently listed as a starter on the offensive line was with the team last year. These next few weeks of preseason games will be extremely telling for our offensive line.
Spencer Anderson, listed as a backup guard, is virtually guaranteed a roster spot because of his ability to move all around the line and fill in at an average or above average level. Max Starks calls him the “6th man” of this offensive line.
The center position has been a hot topic all throughout camp, and Nate Herbig is still being touted as the starter in that spot, with Zach Frazier listed as the backup. Frazier has brought a physicality to training camp that has been admirable, but he’s had some communication issues and issues snapping the ball at times. I don’t know about yinz, but after the Mason Cole debacle of 2023, I don’t enjoy hearing that our 2024 second round pick is having issues snapping the ball, so it seems like, until that’s cleaned up, the number one center spot is Herbig’s to lose. Still, as Frazier builds a rapport with this team, and gets some of his timing issues under control, he has all the tools you want from a young OL on the rise.
James Daniels is listed as the starting guard on the right side in this initial depth chart. Mason McCormick has brought a “nasty” attitude with him to camp, setting the tone physically and making himself known in squabbles, but he’s got a long road ahead of him before he passes James Daniels, who was nearly perfect as a starter for us last year. There are 10 offensive linemen on this roster, as of now, that have a real chance of making our final 53-man roster, which is an awesome problem to have. This line has the potential to be in the top 10 this year if we’re able to find some continuity with all these new faces; the talent is there.
Skill Positions:
Switching our attention to the skill groups, particularly the running backs room, there’s not a whole lot of news there. Najee Harris is listed as the starter, with Jaylen Warren as the backup and Cordarrelle Patterson as RB3. As this preseason unfolds, it’ll be interesting to see how CP is used in the Arthur Smith offense. He was used a TON in Arthur Smith’s offense in Atlanta, where he took 144 carries for an average of nearly five yards per carry in 2022. I expect Najee and Warren to split carries fairly evenly, similar to their roles in the 2023 season, but perhaps with even more production with an improved offensive line and quality quarterback play.
I’m extremely eager to see what Najee Harris is able to do as he will be seeking out a new contract after the 2024 season. It seems crazy to say this, but he might be the longest tenured Steeler on the entire offense; a role he has embraced during training camp, setting the tone with his physicality and being a leader to all the new faces around the locker room. I’m Najee’s biggest fan this season, and I hope he balls the absolute fuck out and gets his money, whether that be with us, or elsewhere.
Tight end is, maybe, the most interesting group on the depth chart. No real surprises in the TE room, led by Pat Freiermuth, followed by BIG Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward. Expect MyCole Pruitt, who played under Arthur Smith in Tennessee and Atlanta, to make the roster as well. I call this group the most interesting group on the depth chart, because I expect each and every one of those guys to play a significant role. Heyward continues to be a swiss-army-knife-type guy, also listed as the starter at FB. Still, given what we know about Arthur Smith and what we’ve seen in camp so far, I would expect the entire TE room to get moved all around the formation and have significant roles.
How about BIG Darnell Washington, though? Standing 6’7” and weighing in at 265 lbs., throwing him the ball is like trying to hit a skyscraper. It just looks too easy, and yet, for some reason, he just couldn’t carve out a significant role in our offense last year. Here we are again, deep in training camp, and it looks like he’s getting a decent amount of targets, and has even become a bail-out, lob and pray option for Kyle Allen, but we’ve seen this before during last year's training camp. Still, Arthur Smith is NOT Matt Canada, so I have to assume that more people are going to know the name Darnell Washington by the end of this season.
As I stated before, Connor Heyward is listed as the starting fullback, followed by Jack Colletto. Nowadays, most teams don’t even roster a fullback, so in the event Colletto doesn’t work out, there’s going to be no shortage of other FB-type guys to choose from when roster cuts start to happen. Given the run-heavy nature of our offense, I wouldn’t be surprised to see both of these guys on the 53-man roster by week one.
The wide receiver room is looking better than I would’ve anticipated at this point in the offseason. George Pickens is George Pickens. Despite what the national media thinks about him, I think he’s one of one, and his tape at camp reflects that. He’s going up snagging one-handed grabs, and making touchdowns appear from thin air. The team seems to have really opened up the route tree for him; pair that with improved quarterback play, and he figures to be a top receiver in the league this year.
Van Jefferson is listed as the second outside receiver on the depth chart. A few weeks ago I would’ve been a little bit nauseous writing that sentence, but he has been showing OUT during training camp. He’s making plays all over the damn place, and has built a hell of a rapport with Justin Fields. He has turned into a very reliable option, but we’ll get a better sense of what to expect from him from the reps we see during the preseason. Plus, with all these reports of Aiyuk potentially coming to the Steel City, Jefferson may not be our WR2 at the start of the season, anyways.
Calvin Austin III is listed as our slot guy in our initial depth chart. Austin is another dude that I put in the same boat as BIG Darnell Washington; I expected him to be a crucial part of our offense, and he didn’t do shit. The talent is there with him, and he can blow the top off of any defense, but he needs a quarterback to throw him the ball. We haven’t seen much of Russell Wilson in training camp, but we have seen plenty of Justin Fields, and his deep ball has looked beautiful. I could be falling into the same trap as last year, but I, once again, am expecting big things from Calvin Austin III. Roman Wilson, Dez Fitzpatrick, and Quez Watkins round out the backup spots, with Scotty Miller and Jacob Copeland also fighting for roster spots.
As for the quarterback position, I’m going to address that in a separate post. Justin Fields will get the start in our first preseason game against the Houston Texans while we ease Russell Wilson back into on-field activities.
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