Behind the Steel Curtain
When the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off their preseason Saturday, most of the team’s household names didn’t even touch the field. Although healthy, starters including Aaron Rodgers, Cam Heyward, and T.J. Watt didn’t suit up.
While hardly notable, it marked a small change from last year’s preseason opener, where the Steelers still sat several players but starters such as George Pickens and Najee Harris appeared. On Saturday, Pittsburgh sat not just D.K. Metcalf but even Jaylen Warren.
It’s become a trend in the NFL for teams to sit their starters as much as possible during exhibition games, with Pro Football Talk noting that 14 teams didn’t play their top quarterback at all during the first two weeks of the preseason last year. In 2014, only one team used that strategy.
It’s a philosophy even Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has said he’s considering, noting in an interview with Steelers.com that he might not play Rodgers at all in August.
A cautious approach, of course, is the best way to avoid injury.
But a perhaps understated trend of the Steelers’ 2025 offseason has been the amount of turnover among starters. Pittsburgh has a new top quarterback, running back, and wide receiver from last year. The team lost its starting left tackle as well as starters and important rotational players on every level of the defense, highlighted by the trade of star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
And with Aaron Rodgers’ style of play putting a heavy emphasis on chemistry with the rest of his offense, the Steelers will be taking a risk if his first live game reps don’t come until Week 1 against the Jets.
The 41-year-old Rodgers will be fine without preseason reps. That’s not a worry. But his young offense needs all the experience they can get with their new signal-caller.
And with communication woes tanking the Steeler defense late in the season, the other side of the ball could probably use some time to gain their sea legs ahead of the games that count as well.
I’d expect, and hope, that the Steelers play more starters on the opening few drives of Saturday’s matchup against the Buccaneers. The same can be said of the team’s Week 3 preseason game against the Panthers, where Pittsburgh will still have a 17-day break before the regular season.
The team has plenty of time to both shake off the rust and completely rest up ahead of the season opener.
And even if it’s just for a drive or two, seeing Aaron Rodgers on the field at some point in the preseason still seems like a good idea.
For what it’s worth, the Pittsburgh O-line looked better than expected protecting Mason Rudolph against the Jaguars.
What are your thoughts on starters sitting out the preseason? Join the BTSC comment section and let us know!
