Pittsburgh Steelers training camp this summer should be interesting. Even with T.J. Watt’s contract situation resolved, Pittsburgh has quite a few new faces to mesh together on both sides of the ball. Working some new players into the offense is one of the things Steelers reporter Jeff Hathhorn is excited to see heading into camp.
“How do the tight ends line up?” Hathhorn said Thursday on 93.7 The Fan. “Like, are they both gonna be wide? How is that combination gonna work with Jonnu [Smith]?”
It’s fair to wonder how things will work with two starting-caliber tight ends now in the building. But it would be extremely surprising to see both out wide on a consistent basis.
Arthur Smith loves to run 12 personnel, with both tight ends on the line of scrimmage. That works for this offense for a few reasons. One, it allows for much more blocking in the run game, which should be a staple of Smith’s offense. On passing downs, one, or on rare occasions, both of the tight ends can stay in pass protection, not insignificant with Aaron Rodgers past his prime.
Also, Jonnu Smith can line up pretty much anywhere. With the Miami Dolphins, he played out wide and in the backfield. Pat Freiermuth is capable of playing out wide, but he’s definitely not as agile. It would make sense for Freiermuth to block more often and catch his passes over the middle. Using Smith in the short passing game, or as something of a gadget makes the most sense.
That’s not the only thing the Steelers have to figure out during training camp, either. On defense, they traded Minkah Fitzpatrick for versatile CB Jalen Ramsey in addition to Smith. Now, they have to find a spot for Ramsey.
“Where do you put Jalen Ramsey?” Hathhorn asked. “Does [Darius] Slay immediately become an extra? Can Slay move inside? We know Ramsey’s played some in the slot. Could Ramsey play a little safety? How do you get your best players on the field in the secondary? That, to me, is fascinating.”
It’s a fair question for Hathhorn to ponder. But it wouldn’t make a ton of sense to move Slay into the nickel. As Hathhorn acknowledges, Ramsey has played in the slot before and done it at an extremely high level. He was a first-team All-Pro with the Los Angeles Rams in that role in 2021. With Slay 34, and potentially having injury concerns, keeping him outside would be best. For now, Joey Porter Jr. and Slay on the outside, with Ramsey on the inside makes the most sense. Ramsey could move to safety. If not, Juan Thornhill and DeShon Elliott will be back there.
Both of these topics will be big storylines over the next month. It will be interesting to see how the Steelers address these questions during training camp.