Freiermuth will be the primary tight end.įrom this grouping, expect to see a lot of last year’s offense. Robinson can bump outside when needed, and Calvin Austin III, depending on how quickly he progresses, should take reps in the slot as well. At receiver, Johnson should play the X (away from the tight end), Pickens the Z (to the tight end) and Robinson, at least initially, in the slot. The personnel in the 11-package should include Harris in the backfield, spelled by Jaylen Warren or whomever the Steelers keep as their third back (Anthony McFarland?). But on early downs, like 1st-and-10, or on downs where they are on schedule (2nd-and-5 or less), or on short yardage and in the red zone, I’d expect to see bigger groupings. They’ll run the ball enough from this grouping to not be totally predictable. My suspicion is the Steelers will use 11-personnel when they get behind the chains or want to throw. But with the roster turnover, a young QB in Kenny Pickett and the lack of an elite receiving corps, Pittsburgh isn’t as well positioned to operate that way. It was one thing when Ben Roethlisberger was at quarterback throwing to Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders. In Pittsburgh, though, a heavy reliance on 11-personnel no longer makes sense. The NFL is a passing league, and the fact that nearly all of its teams now base out of 11-personnel is a testament to that reality.ġ1-personnel forces a defense to cover the entire width of the field while posing several vertical threats It puts more speed on the field, too, and takes advantage of the rule changes the NFL has implemented that make it easier to throw the football. The benefit of 11-personnel is that it spreads the field with three receivers and forces defenses to police more area. In 2021, they used it on 75% of their offensive snaps. This has been Pittsburgh’s base grouping for over a decade. Likely personnel: Najee Harris (RB), Pat Freiermuth (TE), George Pickens (WR), Diontae Johnson (WR), Allen Robinson (WR) Here are some thoughts on what those groupings might look like, and at how often we might expect Canada to use them. Canada must now decide how to utilize his personnel to create the best match-ups against a given opponent. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada has plenty of options when it comes to putting together personnel groupings. The potential exists for them to be more multiple than they’ve been in years. They are now six-deep at receiver, three-deep at tight end, have a versatile H-back and several reliable running backs. The depth Pittsburgh has acquired extends beyond the line. How they might do this is an interesting discussion. The blueprint next season seems pretty clear: the Steelers intend to lean heavily on the run and to use it to set up the rest of the offense. Weidl sought players with an edge who had a reputation for being tough and were strong in the run game. Assistant general manager Andy Weidl, a former offensive lineman himself who arrived last year after several season with the Philadelphia Eagles, dedicated himself to remaking the line more in the image of his previous employer. Pittsburgh’s line was a weakness for several years before improving in 2022. The Steelers have gone to great lengths to add physicality this off-season, particularly on offense. But as we sit here today, their core is in place. Pittsburgh may even add a veteran in the second wave of free agency to fortify a specific area (inside linebacker?). There are roster spots to be won, of course, and camp battles to determine starters at a few key positions. © 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers.Now that the dust has settled on the NFL draft, the Steelers have a pretty good idea what their football team will look like come September.
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