The Steelers suffered their first (preseason) loss of the season on Saturday, falling at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-14. As always, there are plenty of takeaways to be had.
1. Top rookies impress
If you listen to Steelers Twitter, rookies Derrick Harmon and Kaleb Johnson disappointed in their NFL debuts last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. I wouldn’t say that’s true in either case, but it’s fair to say that neither looked spectacular a week ago.
However, both provided some highlight-worthy moments in preseason Week 2.
After being kept off the stat sheet against Jacksonville, Harmon recorded a sack and a tackle for loss against Tampa Bay. On the sack, he unleashed a devastating bull rush that forklifted a poor Buccaneers guard right back into the quarterback.
Harmon drew Cam Heyward comparisons coming out of college, and that rep gave some weight to the hype.
Still, a missed tackle later in the game while defending the run — another common takeaway from Harmon’s college tape — shows that the rookie still has some things to work on.
As for Johnson, he got off to a slow start but built momentum in the third quarter, ending regulation with 11 carries for 50 yards (4.5 average). That’s a notable improvement after last week’s eight/20/2.5.
He showed off some power with another strong stiff arm, and repeatedly had the burst to turn the corner and get to the second level of the defense. He’ll never be a speedster and will need to become more comfortable running between the tackles when he goes up against starting-caliber defenses, but Saturday was still a major step in the right direction.
Kaleb Johnson looked just fine. In short, two (preseason) games into his NFL career, can we just stop being weird?
After the game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin also seemed appreciative of Harmon and Johnson’s efforts. “Second time stepping into a stadium, you see more of their talents,” he said of the team’s first- and third-round picks this year.
Tomlin repeatedly emphasized that he expects more of the young players’ talent to show as they become more acclimated to playing in the NFL. I’d recommend taking a similar approach.
With one preseason game yet to go, this might seem a little premature. But can anyone really see Scotty Miller not making the final roster at this point?
Miller hauled in both of his targets for 38 yards on Saturday, running with the Steelers’ “first team” over veteran Robert Woods. After a four-catch, 47-yard performance last week and plenty of glowing training camp reports, the veteran receiver seems to have established himself as one of the top five names at his position on the roster.
Miller’s speed has stood out in a big way this preseason, and he’s developed a strong rapport with Aaron Rodgers over the offseason (the two have connected plenty in camp, and Miller was part of Rodgers’ Malibu workout crew).
After putting together a 501-yard season with Tom Brady in 2020, it seems Miller has a rock solid chance at forming a connection with another future Hall of Famer in 2025. Even though Rodgers hasn’t appeared yet in the preseason, Miller’s spot on the depth chart and production through the first two exhibition games of the season seems to confirm he’s in a good spot with the team.
And at WR2, the Steelers could still go shopping for a new candidate ahead of the regular season, but Roman Wilson has now stacked two good preseason performances in a row. He’s given Pittsburgh a reason to invest in him as a contributor on offense in 2025.
Against Jacksonville, Wilson was targeted early with two catches for 24 yards, including a 19-yard grab on the offense’s first play. Against Tampa Bay, he once again made an early splash downfield, with two catches for 72 yards in the first quarter.
His first grab of the night went for 42 yards on a post route, showcasing good speed to run by the coverage and strong hands to secure a slightly underthrown ball.
In college, Wilson was at his best working the middle of the field on deep and intermediate crossers. And the play-action concepts the Steelers have been testing out during the preseason have been placing him in a similar role.
Like Kaleb Johnson, it’s far too early to say anything definitive about Wilson’s NFL career, good or bad. But so far, he’s made the most out of the preseason opportunities he’s been given.
At cutdown day, I expect the Steelers to keep D.K. Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller, and Ben Skowronek (special teams matters, guys) at wide receiver. At this point, it would be surprising to see any other combination unless the Steelers add an outside name.
3. Practice squad all-stars
Barring a rash of injuries, running back Lew Nichols and edge rusher Eku Leota have a near-0% chance at making the Steelers’ final 53-man roster. At both spots, Pittsburgh has a depth chart that’s been set long before the preseason.
But both players, who I’m sure many fans didn’t even know were on the roster earlier this summer, have done everything they can this preseason to stand out.
In fact, you could make an argument that they were the Steelers’ offensive and defensive MVPs, respectively, on Saturday.
Nichols had the team’s longest run of the day: a 37-yarder where he displayed a great mix of speed and power.
He followed up that play with one of the toughest catches of the night: a six-yard wheel route reception outside his frame, hanging onto the ball through a big hit.
Nichols is another preseason standout who’s been stacking good days. Against Jacksonville, he was the only Steelers running back to have a remotely good stat line (he led the team with 5.2 yards per rush; second place was 2.5).
Nichols is no stranger to leading the pack. In 2021, he had the most rushing yards in the entire FBS during his 1,710-yard season at Central Michigan. That was a Group of Five school, but Nichols has shown that he can play regardless. He’s put himself in strong contention for a practice squad spot in 2o25.
The same can be said of Leota, an afterthought in a Steelers outside linebacker room stacked with names such as T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, and Jack Sawyer. Even DeMarvin Leal and Julius Welschof had more name recognition entering the season.
But of that group of reserve edge rushers, Leota had the best night on Saturday. No. 53 looked faster and more fluid than fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer rushing the passer, and he showed some physicality with a team-best two tackles for loss in the run game.
Leota actually appeared in a game for Pittsburgh last year due to injuries to those in front of him on the depth chart, and that possibility remains in 2025 — both Herbig and Highsmith have already been hurt this offseason.
He’s still likely due for a practice squad spot at best come cutdown day, but the reserve pass rusher has put himself in a spot to be the first man up if the Steelers need to call a defender up from the practice squad this fall.
While Leota and Nichols were the Steelers’ best reserve players on Saturday, the team’s undrafted free agent class continued to make plays — especially at wide receiver, where several stood out last week.
Receiver Roc Taylor had another solid night with three catches for 39 yards and a near-touchdown, while safety Sebastian Castro looked strong coming downhill with a team-leading five tackles.
Both had underrated plays as well: Taylor’s block helped set up the big Nichols run, while Castro made the heads-up play to block Buccaneers returner Tez Johnson following a muffed punt to set up a Steelers recovery. Neither have shown enough to unseat the veterans ahead of them on the depth chart, but they’re both likely candidates for the practice squad.
Wide receiver Ke’Shawn Johnson, another UDFA, had a quiet night compared to his big game versus Jacksonville last week. However, he consistently made the first man miss on punt returns. He’s a fun player to watch.
Receiver Max Hurleman has also been easy to root for. His two drops were a bad mark on a day that had some otherwise good plays for the undrafted rookie. He recovered a muffed punt and had a standout hustle play hawking down a Buccaneers defender following a Logan Woodside interception. He’s apparently been watching D.K. Metcalf film.
The top end of the Steelers’ wide receiver depth chart is still a question mark. But Pittsburgh has a lot of developmental names on the roster bubble.
5. Odds and ends
I’m not sure if it was the NFL Plus stream I was watching or the actual game broadcast, but on multiple occasions, ad breaks ate up entire plays, or late cuts would only show the last half of one. When I write that Derrick Harmon had a tackle for loss, I’m going off the stat sheet — I never saw it.
Zach Frazier had a few low snaps in the game that definitely affected the timing of the following plays. It’s been a reported issue in training camp as well, and now it’s a real worry that it could spread into the season.
The Steelers’ backup offensive line looked rough but did settle into a run-blocking groove in the third quarter. It’s worth noting that the team is still down several top backups with Ryan McCollum and Calvin Anderson hurt, and Spencer Anderson running with the first team in lieu of Isaac Seumalo.
Running back Kenneth Gainwell, who started the game, had just two yards on two rushes behind the Steelers’ starting O-line. That’s a more pressing concern, even if the group once again seemed to perform well in pass protection.
Middle of the field pass coverage was a struggle all night, and Payton Wilson and Cole Holcomb both looked like they were beaten once or twice. It’s worth keeping an eye on, even if Pittsburgh was sitting most of its star secondary. A handful of Tampa Bay drops made the defensive performance look better than it was.
Chuck Clark and Juan Thornhill each logged a tackle for loss. Good stuff from the new names at safety.
Logan Lee was fantastic as an emergency long snapper following a shaky first rep. I doubt it significantly affects his roster chances, but it certainly doesn’t hurt them. It was a cool moment for the reserve lineman.
Skylar Thompson wasn’t as sharp against the Buccaneers as he was against Jacksonville, but he did show off some more off-schedule playmaking ability. He should be on an NFL roster somewhere this season.
The Steelers’ defensive front seven, even without its top names, was dominating a very solid Buccaneers offensive line early in the game. A promising sign for Derrick Harmon and co.
Your weekly punter battle update: Corliss Waitman averaged a whopping 58 yards per punt while Cameron Johnston averaged 42.3. However, the latter landed two of his three boots inside the 20-yard-line while Waitman managed to place just one of his three punts that deep. I don’t care what anyone says: This is the top Steelers storyline heading into Carolina next week.
Defensive back D’Shawn Jamison rallied from a costly roughing the kicker penalty with some good defensive play down the stretch, including a forced fumble and tackle for loss. Add another name to your “practice squad locks” list.
I’m not sure how I feel about the NFL’s new computer measuring technology. There’s still a lot of room for human error, and it doesn’t save much time, if any.
We still haven’t seen the Steelers’ starting quarterback or running back, the top two wide receivers, or the O-line’s most experienced starter. We haven’t seen the top two outside linebackers, the All-Pro D-lineman, the starting strong safety, or the three best cornerbacks. And some of the preseason stars from Pittsburgh’s first game of the season have already faded a bit: Hurleman’s aforementioned drops seem to have ended his already slim roster hopes; both Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson threw interceptions against Tampa Bay (Thompson’s wasn’t his fault, but a later should’ve-been-intercepted pass was); and Brandin Echols gave up a touchdown and had a rough missed tackle. My point: We still don’t know anything about the 2025 Steelers.
The Steelers’ preseason finale will be here before we know it, with the team traveling to take on the Carolina Panthers on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST.
What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Buccaneers? Agree/disagree with the ones above? Join the Behind the Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!