The Steelers walked out of their preseason opener with plenty to like, but not everyone in Pittsburgh got to ride that wave. While the offense flashed and a few names made noise against the Green Bay Packers, a handful of roster-bubble players came away with more questions than answers.
That makes Week 2 against the New York Jets an important turn for several guys trying to stay in the conversation. For Kaleb Johnson, Riley Nowakowski and Esezi Otomewo, the margin for error already looks thin after uneven showings in the opener.
Kaleb Johnson’s night was especially rough. The second-year running back and 2025 third-round pick handled the ball just twice for three yards against the Packers, and the usage was almost as troubling as the production.
He didn’t get on the field until late in the third quarter, and he was clearly behind Lew Nichols and Travis Homer in the rotation. After that kind of debut, Johnson needs a major response against the Jets just to get the coaching staff looking his way again.
Nowakowski had a different kind of night - one that mixed a flash of promise with some costly misses. The rookie fifth-round pick dropped what should have been a walk-in touchdown from Drew Allar, then later made up for it with a touchdown catch of his own.
Those were his only two targets of the game. But the receiving line wasn’t the whole story.
As a fullback/tight end expected to do his work as a blocker, he didn’t separate himself there either, finishing with a 48.7 blocking grade and a 47.8 overall PFF grade, which made him the third-lowest-graded player on the team. Meanwhile, Robert Tonyan made the most of his 19 snaps early, catching all four of his targets for 61 yards and posting a team-best 93.5 PFF grade.
Otomewo also faded into the background at the wrong time. With the Steelers’ defensive line crowded and roster spots getting harder to come by, he needed to show up while others around him were making plays.
Instead, rookie Gabriel Rubio flashed in run support, Yahya Black added a few strong moments against the run, and Anthony Goodlow outshined Otomewo with two pressures on just nine defensive snaps. That’s not the kind of week a player wants when cutdowns are approaching.
For all three, Friday night against the Jets is now about much more than preseason reps. It’s a chance to stop the slide.
In Other News...
Steelers Turn Jets Game Into A Real Quarterback Audition
With Aaron Rodgers already signaling that he doesnt see much value in preseason snaps, Mike McCarthy is using the Steelers game against the Jets as something different: a closer look at the young quarterbacks. The coach said Rodgers will sit out the matchup, while Mason Rudolph, despite drawing praise for his recent play, will also remain on the bench as Pittsburgh shifts the spotlight toward the next wave of passers.
That leaves Will Howard and Drew Allar to get the first shot in a game that is more about evaluation than the scoreboard. For a team still sorting through its quarterback depth, the chance to watch both rookies operate in live action should tell the staff more than another series from the veteran group would. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Quarterback Battle May Be Telling Us More About Will Howard
The Steelers quarterback picture has started to look less like a simple competition and more like a long evaluation of who might fit as the franchise answer down the road. Drew Allars preseason work has turned heads, but the deeper intrigue may be centered on Will Howard, the second-year passer whose development has earned positive notice from Mike McCarthy and added another layer to how Pittsburgh is thinking about its depth chart.
With no roster decisions announced yet, the debate is not just about who backs up whom, but how many quarterbacks the Steelers might be willing to carry while they sort out the future. Howards progress has become part of that conversation, and the fact that Pittsburgh could consider keeping multiple passers around only raises the stakes as the team tries to balance immediate stability with a longer-term search for its next starter. [Read more 🡒]