The sound most associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers' last home game in early 2022 was a chant honoring a legendary quarterback.
During his final home game in January 2022, Ben Roethlisberger received a “Thank you, Ben” chant from the fans in honor of his impending retirement.
On Saturday, Steelers supporters chanted a new name.
It was “Ken-ny, Ken-ny, Ken-ny” this time in honor of Kenny Pickett's excellent NFL debut performance.
Pickett left Saturday night's 32-25 victory against the Seattle Seahawks with his head held high. He was certainly among the big winners in that preseason opener.
It wasn't all rosy for the Steelers, though. Some other players struggled in their win over Seattle, and it'll be interesting to see how far their stocks fell after last Saturday.
3 Steelers players who struggled in preseason opener
3. Dan Moore Jr.
One position group that struggled in the opener was the Steelers' o-line. The offensive line had some issues with pass protection at times. Dan Moore Jr., in particular, had some tough spells. In one snap, he got beat on a speed rush. In other moments, there were also a few communication slip-ups that led to QB pressure.
This was in stark contrast to what people expected. Take note that Moore had the second-most offensive snaps of any Steelers player in 2021 after starting 16 games at left tackle in his rookie season. As a fourth-round pick, Moore wasn't expected to take the NFL by storm, but he performed admirably in his debut campaign. He should be a lock to make the 2022 roster, but it's uncertain if he will keep his starting spot.
Remember that Moore is only 23 years old and has already played more than 1,000 offensive snaps in the NFL. He surely has a lot of room to grow in 2022.
2. Derrek Tuszka
Derrek Tuszka had the ideal chance during the preseason to justify the team's lack of efforts to increase outside linebacker depth. Unfortunately, he underperformed last Saturday. To support star LB T.J. Watt, the Steelers do have a number of promising backups on the roster. Tuszka, however, doesn't seem to be one of them, especially after how he played in the preseason opener.
Keep in mind that special teams play a significant role in Derrek Tuszka's role as a backup linebacker. While he had a few excellent moments, it's crucial to bear in mind that his success in run defense was mostly against tight ends and that he didn't often drop into coverage.
It took some time for Tuszka to feel secure in the defense and begin to play aggressively and confidently. Right now, consistency is still not really there for him. The big question mark is whether he can develop into a player who can be the third outside linebacker in 2022.
1. Levi Wallace
Levi Wallace's reputation is suffering more from how he was used than from how he actually performed last Saturday. Keep in mind that he was involved in two tackles in the backfield.
Myles Jack sighting, does great job staying clean and getting behind the line for a run stop. Levi Wallace adds backup pic.twitter.com/LKD1ha4pQV
— Adam Steel (@RenegadeAdam) August 13, 2022
Wallace reportedly watched Ahkello Witherspoon take the opening defensive play of the game while vying for the right to start as the No. 2 cornerback. When a third cornerback entered the field for the second down, Arthur Maulet instead of Wallace did so.
Wallace did not enter the field until a clear passing opportunity came up. He could not have imagined this when he joined the Steelers in the first few days of free agency.
After Witherspoon renewed his contract two weeks later and the team guaranteed Cameron Sutton a regular position, Wallace had to compete to be the No. 2 CB. Few, however, anticipated that Maulet, could become a de facto No. 3.
Wallace doesn't play the slot, but if the Steelers go nickel, Sutton could easily go there. If nothing changes, Wallace could only have a minor role in the Steelers' future.
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