No matter who's on the field at any given time for the Steelers, head coach Mike McCarthy wants to see better execution.
But make no mistake, the deployment of personnel is tantamount to a good game plan for a given week. Through four games, the Steelers are like any team in that they're sifting through answers, sorting through solutions and divvying up the snaps as the coaches see fit.
Defensively, for instance, the Steelers have a nucleus of well-established veteran players but also a group of younger standouts poised to someday take the torch. Keeanu Benton up front and Nick Herbig at outside linebacker are fresh off new contracts they signed in the summer, though neither has broken through just yet statistically, as the Steelers have the old guard of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Cameron Heyward stuffing the box score.
Offensively, Darnell Washington is off to a productive start as another member of that 2023 draft class whose contract was extended. That's why McCarthy views it as a week-to-week proposition when it comes to return on those investments.
"First of all, I think when a player achieves a second contract, he's earned that, so those men put themselves in position prior to me arriving here," McCarthy said of Herbig, Washington and Benton prior to practice Thursday. "But, yes, when you're building your menus of offense and putting together your system, you're obviously looking at the veterans that you have. With that being said, that's why some of those packages are in place, and you prioritize them. We've played 25% of the season and have been trying to utilize them."
Patrick Graham hasn't been shy to utilize different combinations as the defensive coordinator. In fact, the Steelers have used 132 unique lineups already, which ranks fifth in the NFL behind only the Chargers, Cowboys, Commanders and Rams.
But, to McCarthy's point, the Steelers' most common defensive lineup has been on the field for 10.5% of the snaps, the fifth highest of any primary personnel grouping on that side of the ball across the league. That would be Heyward, Benton, Watt, Highsmith, Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Jalen Ramsey, Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., Jaquan Brisker and Rayshawn Jenkins.
That number is likely about to go way down as Dean manages an ankle injury and safety DeShon Elliott is making progress in a return from the reserve/injured list. In the meantime, the Steelers may have to rely on one or both of their two 53-man roster acquisitions at cornerback, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Terell Smith.
"The new guys only have one day," McCarthy said, referring to Wednesday's session. "We actually were talking roster right before I came out here, so really the biggest thing is to have a plan for those guys, make sure they're getting the work so we can evaluate them. We have a full week this week to see how it plays out for the Colts game. But I think, like all of our guys with injuries, they're working through it and we'll see how that goes."
McCarthy added that the playing time for Murphy-Bunting and Smith, or lack thereof, will be determined when they get to the end of the week. Those conversations are ongoing between McCarthy and the defensive staff.
There will be similar conversations for the offensive staff, too, as wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. deals with a foot injury. Pittman's absence could lead to an even longer look for Roman Wilson, who drew praise Wednesday from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Thursday there was more where that came from courtesy of the head coach.
"Roman has a second gear that you just love to utilize as much as you possibly can," McCarthy said, explaining that Wilson has gotten better at using that burst to get in and out of his breaks and work with the right pace. "His ability to separate is top-notch. I just think in learning the disciplines of the different parts of each route, he's definitely improving."
