The Pittsburgh Steelers are slated to square off against the Tennessee Titans in their penultimate preseason game. It appears quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is set to make his preseason debut.
Roethlisberger has watched their first two preseason games unfold from the sidelines. According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, head coach Mike Tomlin says he will play against the Titans:
Head coach Mike Tomlin said Roethlisberger will play for the first time this summer and that the rest of the team’s starters will also be in action.
Although the length of his playing time still has yet to be revealed, it is safe to assume Roethlisberger will not see too much of the field. After all, Pittsburgh’s main priority has been to get the veteran to the 2019 NFL season as healthy as possible.
It is no secret that the Steelers have undergone some significant changes this offseason. The departure of Antonio Brown leaves a notable void in Roethlisberger’s receiving corps. While the team is confident in wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s ability to take over duties as the No. 1 option in the passing game, the pecking order for the rest of this group still has yet to be determined.
Roethlisberger’s debut will give wide receivers Diontae Johnson and James Washington a chance to build their rapport with him in a real game situation. This could go a long way in earning his trust heading into the 2019 NFL season.
It will be interesting to see which wideout makes the best case to become the No. 2 option to Smith-Schuster.