Steelers’ offense will have different look
By Dale Lolley
For the Observer-Reporter.com
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
The Steelers will report to training camp Wednesday at Saint Vincent College with a very different look about them.
The most obvious change will be at quarterback, and that will be a big focus as it remains to be seen how much of a difference Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will make over last year’s trio of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky.
But the guess here is that the Steelers should get markedly more production out of the position. After all, the trio the Steelers ran out there a year ago produced 13 touchdown passes in 17 games.
More importantly, the offense as a whole will have a much different look to it with Arthur Smith coordinating that unit. Smith prefers a run-heavy, play-action reliant scheme that makes use of the tight ends.
The Steelers’ offense over the past decade – regardless of who is running the offense – has been heavily reliant on playing with three wide receivers, one tight end and one running back. The Steelers were in that formation 71 percent of the time in 2023, which ranked seventh-highest in the NFL.
Smith’s Atlanta Falcons team was in that same alignment only 17 percent of the time in 2023. The league average was 62 percent.
Now, some of that was because the Falcons didn’t have great receivers, but it also was because tight ends Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith were two of Atlanta’s better skill-position players. The Falcons were in a two-tight end set 61 percent of the time. The Steelers utilized that package 27 percent of the time, which was 17th in the NFL and exactly league average.
Finally, the Falcons had two running backs on the field at the same time – either a pair of runners or even (gasp!) a fullback – 32 percent of the time. The Steelers were in that package for only four percent of their plays.
Atlanta also targeted its tight ends over Smith’s three years with the Falcons at the second-highest rate in the league.
We’ll see if Smith chooses to play in a similar fashion with the Steelers, but the signs are certainly pointing in that direction.
It also seems to mesh well with what Wilson does.
Since 2016, according to the NFL’s NextGen statistics, Wilson has a passer rating of 109.7 when utilizing play-action passes. In 2023 with the Broncos, he posted a 115.2 passer rating off of play-action, throwing nine touchdowns and one interception on 93 attempts.
The Steelers last season attempted just 66 play-action passes.
Atlanta, meanwhile, utilized play-action 133 times. And that was with the Falcons having the lowest percentage of passing plays in the league.
Yes, the offense should look much different.
• The defense will have a different feel to it as well.
The addition of linebacker Patrick Queen in the middle gives the Steelers their most athletic player there since Ryan Shazier was lost to injury in the 2017 season. And that should help free up others to make more plays.
• The San Francisco 49ers have no reason to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He’s under contract. They’re trying to win a Super Bowl this season. They have all of the leverage.
And future draft picks aren’t going to interest a team trying to win a Super Bowl this season.
Aiyuk can request a trade all he wants, but it’s doubtful he’s going to sit out any games when his salary is just over $14 million.
San Francisco has played this game successfully in the past with wide receiver Deebo Samuels, tight end George Kittle and defensive end Nick Bosa. All three skipped some time in training camp, the preseason and even a game or two. But they eventually showed up and played.
It’s highly doubtful Aiyuk plays for another team this season.
The Steelers will have to look elsewhere for wide receiver help.
• One overlooked addition for the Steelers is punter Cameron Johnston. Johnston has averaged 47.3 yards per punt in his career and has never fallen below 46.4 in a single season.
Steelers punters Pressley Harvin and Brad Wing averaged 44.0 yards last season, which is barely ahead of the 43.7 net punting yards Johnston averaged last season in Houston.
When you’re a team that wants to run the ball, play defense and win in the margins, being good in the punting game is a must.
The Steelers should be much better in that area this season.
Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.