So far, so good for Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense. At least that's offensive coordinator Matt Canada's evaluation after the team's first preseason game, a 27-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I thought for the most part it was good, with the 1s especially, it was clean. We got done what we wanted to get done.” Canada summarized after the win, per Dale Lolley of Steelers.com.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing to come from the win was the play of second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. Leading the first-team offense, Pickett went 6-for-7 passing, totaling 70 yards. Pickett and Co. capped a 10-play, 83-yard drive with a touchdown. The six points came on a 33-yard touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver George Pickens.

The Steelers' first-team offense played just one drive, but Pickett was sure to spread the wealth around. Pickett targeted five different receivers, completing passes to four of them. Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh's leading receiver in each of the last three seasons, led the way with three receptions for 32 yards.

“I thought he did good” was how Canada evaluated the play of Pickett overall. “He did a great job of getting the ball to the right guy who was open at the time.”

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The next step for the preseason that Canada harped on was integrating some of the team's younger players into the offense. Chief among them is 2023 first-round draft pick Broderick Jones. The offensive tackle saw game action with the backups on Friday.

To Canada, getting Jones reps was the main goal. “We wanted to see him do that,” Canada said of the 50 snaps Jones clocked. “Going against different guys, everybody's got their own moves, little things.”

Canada was also impressed with Calvin Austin III, a 2022 fourth-round pick who missed all of last season with a foot injury. “I thought Calvin had a good night.” Pickett was wowed by the second-year receiver's speed in particular.

Kicking off the preseason with a win is certainly encouraging. But more important is the efficiency the young offense displayed. Now it's time for Canada and his unit to build on that momentum.