By Jeremy Hritz
Happy Tuesday, Studians! I hope you had an amazing Labor Day holiday weekend, and that you are geared up and ready to go for this weekend’s Steelers regular season opener. Join me today for my Steelers Study Notes, as I discuss the newly released depth chart and other little nuggets from over the weekend. Also, if you have not yet checked out my 2022 Steelers Season Previews, Parts 1-4 are published and available on the site. I will repost them at the bottom of this article for your convenience. The Preview will wrap up this weekend with my game-by-game prediction for the Steelers, in addition to statistic projections for the players. Be sure to check it out!
Have a great Tuesday, and enjoy today’s Study Notes!
- Mitch Trubisky is listed as the starter on the Steelers freshly released depth chart, with Mason Rudolph as the #2, and rookie Kenny Pickett as the #3. The Trubisky selection is a no-brainer, but I’m a bit confounded by Rudolph as the backup. Is this just an effort to boost his trade value? Or, does the team really see him as the more viable option over Pickett? Something seems off here…
- Kevin Dotson officially wins the starting left guard position over Kendrick Green. Now, he just needs to stay healthy and show the promise he had his rookie season. The Steelers NEED his development for this offensive line to improve.
- Jaylen Warren is listed as the #2 runner behind Najee Harris. What an impression the rookie had on the coaching staff, huh? Look for big things from this kid this season. He has all of the intangibles of a quiet star in the making.
- Devin Bush wins the left inside linebacker spot over Robert Spillane, but I wouldn’t conclude that this is permanent. His struggles are real and well-documented, that if he begins to struggle, I believe the team would be more likely to pull him for Spillane and not ride it out. They saw the effects of that last season, and won’t allow for that to happen again.
- Pray there is no injury to Ahkello Witherspoon, as James Pierre is his backup. In an instant, things could get really ugly, very fast.
- And how about the returning Jamir Jones being listed as the backup to Alex Highsmith? That’s one hell of a welcome back!
- The Steelers named 5 captains over the weekend: Trubisky, Najee Harris, Cam Heyward, TJ Watt, and Miles Killebrew. The players are voted on by their peers, and it gives you an indication about how their teammates feel about them.
- Don’t blink, it will be here before you know it. This Sunday at 1:00 pm, the Steelers will travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in an AFC North showdown. Last season, the Bengals owned the Steelers, and hopefully that dominance will not continue (24-10, 41-10). The Bengals will be a difficult contest for the Steelers, as they are returning the majority of their starters, and have one of the best QB/WR combos in Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase. They Steelers need to get back to traditional Steelers football and run the ball, control the clock, and play good defense if they are to win. Can they do it? We will find out soon enough.
That is all for today! Make it an amazing week!
Jeremy