WHERE POSITION BATTLES STAND AFTER STEELERS TRAINING CAMP
Some jobs still up for grabs in preseason
It has been a month since the 2021 Steelers reported as a team and a couple of days since they officially broke training camp. Time for another installment in our mission to bring precision to position competitions.
In other words, an update on the various battles for jobs across the roster. Call it a postcamp or mid-preseason rendition, whichever is best in your … vision.
■ Center: Kendrick Green 85%, J. C. Hassenauer 9%, Player X 5%, B.J. Finney 1%
Mike Tomlin stated that there will be no “bold announcements” about who his starting center is, but that was essentially his way of announcing that it’s Green, who has worked entirely with the starting offense in camp. But with him being a rookie (and a third-round pick), we’ll leave the door open for other possibilities — especially with Green struggling at times in the preseason. Hassenauer has consistently been the No. 2, and while Finney’s lack of center reps all but rules him out of
the race, his past experience with the Steelers keeps him on the board as a long shot. “Player X” would be the Steelers deciding to sign a free agent or trade for a center to be their starter, which seems unlikely, but then you remember the Joe Schobert deal.
■ No. 3 cornerback: Arthur Maulet 50%, James Pierre 25%, Antoine Brooks 24%, Player X 1%
We’re referring to this as the third cornerback rather than the slot cornerback because that designation would change depending on which of the above three pulls ahead. Tomlin explained at length Thursday that this position could be a committee, of sorts — one guy on early downs, another guy on third downs, someone else entirely in two-minute drill situations. It’s up to you whether you believe that, but if Tomlin opts for a “cookie-cutter nickel,” in his words, to replace Mike Hilton one-forone, Maulet ostensibly has the edge. He’s been the firstteam guy for a couple of weeks now, although that’s more because Brooks has been injured than due to any superb play by the little-known fifth-year veteran. Brooks still has a shot if he gets healthy soon and performs well, but Pierre’s trying to prove that he’s good enough on the outside that the coaching staff should move Cam Sutton to the inside when they play five defensive backs — which is more often than any other defensive formation. We’ll entertain the idea of another roster addition here, too, if the Steelers aren’t enamored with any of those three (and we think it would most likely be a true slot in order to keep Sutton tethered to one spot).
■ No. 2 outside linebacker: N/A
Sorry, but we’re copping out on this one, while still acknowledging that Melvin Ingram could eventually surpass Alex Highsmith as the starter opposite T.J. Watt. Yes, Highsmith has been excellent in camp and exhibitions, but Ingram has been unblockable in practice, too. The reason we can’t really take an educated guess at this one is because of Watt’s lack of participation; both Highsmith and Ingram have been clear-cut starters with Watt on the sideline. And both guys rotate in at both outside linebacker spots, not just the right side where Watt won’t be ( though Highsmith lines up there more).
■ Punter: Pressley Harvin 85%, Jordan Berry 15%
It would be just as surprising to see Harvin lose his grip on the job as it would his fellow rookie Green. This is a Steelerscentric decision, but there’s been a global trend in the NFL when it comes to this spot — the previous 17 times a team valued a punter enough to use a draft pick, that rookie has gotten the gig. What’s keeping Berry in the hunt this much is his stellar showing in Philadelphia, with two punts inside the 10, and his pro experience — but even that one is a double-edged sword considering he was released by the Steelers last September because he just wasn’t good enough. You have to factor that into his history in Pittsburgh.
■ Backup quarterback: Mason Rudolph 74%, Dwayne Haskins 25%, Josh Dobbs 1%
The hardest competition to handicap, hands down. Haskins has looked better than the incumbent in practice and at least one game, but it’s Rudolph who appears to have the coaches’ confidence based on everything we’ve seen in terms of their quarterback usage. And everyone’s being careful what they say about this battle, perhaps due to the difficult circumstances both quarterbacks have endured the past couple of seasons (some self-inflicted, some not). Offensive coordinator Matt Canada said “we’re settled and in a good spot” but then quickly added “things could change tomorrow” with the backup quarterback spot. Dobbs has cooled off after his hot start, but 2018 showed us you can’t completely write him off just yet.
■ Swing tackle: Dan Moore Jr. 80%, Joe Haeg 20%
This didn’t project as being up in the air going into camp, given Haeg’s resume and Moore’s lack of one. But lately, the rookie has been the one jumping from left tackle to right tackle, presumably to prepare him for that No. 3 role on game days (formerly held by the likes of Chuks Okorafor, Jerald Hawkins and Matt Feiler). Sure, Haeg has worked at both spots, too — and he’s making $1.5 million to be on this team — but when Zach Banner takes a play off here and there, it’s Moore stepping in for him, not the sixthyear former Buccaneer.