Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed on Thursday that he expects participation for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be similar to last week. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf, running back Jaylen Warren, left guard Isaac Seumalo, tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, defensive tackle Cam Heyward, linebacjker Patrick Queen, cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. and strong safety. DeShon Elliott. Tomlin said outside linebacker Nick Herbig could receive playing time depending on his work in the joint practice on Thursday.
Tomlin said he hasn’t ruled anyone that’s injured out at this point. “We’ll make those decisions at the 11th hour.”
Tomlin also confirmed that all healthy players are scheduled to play in the joint practice.
Tomlin revealed in an interview with the team’s website last Saturday that Rodgers might not play at all this preseason. Asked about coaches that don’t play their quarterbacks in the preseason, Tomlin said, “you might be looking at one.”
“This guy has been doing this for 21 years,” Tomlin said. “His cumulative snap total and what’s required for him to be ready is different than others. And so if I’m not adaptable and open to adjustments relative to the needs of our guys, then I’m not doing my job. And so you might be looking at one of those coaches in 2025.”
“Again, I will deal with next week next week. Nice try,” Tomlin said when asked if Rodgers will play in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.
Rodgers doesn’t see a lot of value in preseason games in general.
“With all due respect (then I can say whatever I want), preseason football is not necessarily real football, because the defenses just don’t do a lot,” he said. “The offenses don’t ether. So you go out there with a very limited playbook against a defense that’s playing one-high zone, one-high man, two-high zone. There’s not much pressure. Oftentimes, there’s communication between the coaches about ‘hey, we’re not going to pressure this week,’ or maybe you’ll see a little pressure.”
The one area that Rodgers did say can be beneficial from a preseason standpoint is just operating the offense with a play clock, stadium radios, crowd noise, a full officiating crew and the like.
“It’s really about the operation,” he said. “If you can actually gain something from the preseason, it’s that you have 40 seconds. We have a clock out here, but it’s not always cued to it. You have 40 seconds. You call the play, get to the line of scrimmage, get us in the right situation, go out and do it.”
Rodgers also feels that joint practices, like the one the Steelers have scheduled for next Thursday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are a better tool for getting ready for the season.
“[Teams are] less worried about showing things,” Rodgers said. “And even though there are usually cameras there,...
