With players reporting to camp on tomorrow the game we all love is closer to its return, and the team that stresses us out is back in action. With that action comes no shortage of stories and headlines for a Steelers team that had its most historic offseason in history. Thankfully TJ Watt is not a story going into camp as they were able to get a deal done and now have everyone going into camp signed and healthy (to my knowledge).

My top storylines will be focused on what’s most important for the team’s success come week one. The offense is what everyone will be talking about, but there’s also players and decisions on the defensive side of the ball that can make this currently great defense into a dominant one. Let’s dive in.

1: How will the offensive line perform?

In my opinion this is the most important thing in determining how good the Steelers will be this year. They need to run the ball a lot and effectively while utilizing play action, and to do that the line has to be great. It’s safe to assume Frazier will be as good or better than he was last year, and Seumalo will be just as solid as he’s been since he’s joined the Steelers. That leaves us with Mason McCormick, Troy Fautanu, and Broderick Jones.

If McCormick plays like he did last year, the Steelers should be fine. Going into year two you hope you’d see improvement, but a late-round small-school draft pick is no guarantee to pan out. Having played with Frazier and having a year in Smith’s system the communication and flow should be better, it’s just a matter of how he can handle all the defensive linemen that outsize him.

Fautanu only played a total of 49 snaps last year, so it’s another case of not being super confident with what you’re going to get. They drafted him because he has all the tools to succeed, but injuries have been his downfall. As long as he can stay healthy it’s hard to not see him being at the very least an average right tackle, and I’d expect the Steelers to not put too much pressure on him early on as he gets his feet under him.

Then finally we have Broderick Jones. First and foremost, the penalties have to decrease. Of course throughout the season they’re going to happen, but the untimely false starts and blatant holds need to be kept to a minimum. Camp is a crucial time for him to get the hang of Aaron Rodgers well-known cadence. Secondly, the flip to left tackle needs to be as clean as possible. There’s no doubt the Steelers have handled him poorly by not just letting him stay on one side, but the left side is where he played in college and the side he prefers, so it’s time for him to show us why he was deserving of a first round pick. There’s going to be bumps and bruises, especially early on, but the Steelers should anticipate that and minimize them by giving him support in the passing game in the form of Freiermuth, Washington, and Jaylen Warren chips.

2: How will Aaron Rodgers gel with Arthur Smith and the receivers?

This one largely depends on the aforementioned o-line, but we know there’s differences in what Smith and Rodgers want to do. Rodgers has historically been a gunslinger, relying on quick timing routes and his big arm to advance the ball down the field efficiently. As we saw last year and when he was with Tennessee, Smith wants to pound the rock (a lot) to get the defense to step up, then take big shots down the field.

The ideal way for this to play out is somewhere in the middle – with the lack of talent on the outside the Steelers are going to have to run the ball successfully to be able to open up the playbook. On the flip side, Smith needs to let Rodgers have control at times to let it rip, especially on first down. The Steelers threw the ball just 50% of the time last year on first down, which ranked 29th in the league. Yes, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Buffalo were the three teams that threw it less, but what do they all have that the Steelers don’t? A running quarterback. Camp is the perfect time to find this happy medium.

As for the receivers, someone outside of Metcalf needs to step up in camp and claim the number two spot. To do this they have be detailed route runners on the quick hitters – hitches, slants, and “green grass” routes – to meet Rodgers timing expectations. My guess on who emerges from to camp to be that guy? Calvin Austin. The dude is too talented to be left off the field, and although his skillset may be best suited for the big plays down the field we saw last year I expect him to adjust and be Rodgers go to guy on big downs, along with Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith.

I don’t think Metcalf, Freiermuth and Smith need to be mentioned because they should be just fine meshing with Rodgers. It’ll be interesting to see how (and how much) they use Smith, but Freiermuth should be in line for a career year.

3: What will the depth chart in the secondary look like?

It’s been a while since the Steelers have had an abundance of talent in the secondary, but it’s a good problem to have. It isn’t all perfect though, with free safety being a glaring problem. To me, rolling out Juan Thornhill in an otherwise hole-less defense would be a crime. The Steelers have prided themselves on not giving up the big play and there’s no question teams would target Thornhill down the field.

I’m in the camp of signing one of the vets – Justin Simmons, Jordan Whitehead, or the recently recovered Quandre Diggs. None of them are what they once were, but with the dominant front the Steelers have they just need someone trustworthy who will communicate effectively and be in the right position. If not one of them, I’d try out Jalen Ramsey at safety. His football IQ is through the roof so it wouldn’t take him long to figure it out, and we’ve seen many legendary corners make the transition in the past (both Woodson’s, Antoine Winfield, Devin McCourty, etc). That also solves the problem of not having one of Porter/Slay/Ramsey on the bench in their base package.

Behind those three, Thornhill, and Elliot? Cory Trice, Beanie Bishop, newly signed Brandin Echols, Quindell Johnson, undrafted free agent Sebastion Castro, and special teams aces Miles Killebrew and James Pierre. Last year the Steelers had 10 in the secondary on the opening day depth chart, so two people are gonna be on the outside looking in. Pierre has been great on special teams, but Echols has experience there and at both corner positions so it’s hard to see Pierre keeping his job. I’m unfamiliar with Quindell Johnson, but Castro seems like an almost too perfect backup to Elliot if his IQ and tackling ability from college transfer to the NFL.

4: Can Derrick Harmon standout, and how quickly?

I think that picture is all one really needs to see to show how important it is for the Steelers to finally have an impactful rookie. Coaches have already said he will be given the starting job, but he needs to play in camp like he doesn’t have it. Reports coming out of camp need to be him and Cam being an absolute wall, making plays, and disrupting passes up the middle.

For someone that led the NCAA in pressures and was 4th in pass rush win rate, those skills need to be on display immediately. News coming out of him giving Frazier/McCormick/Seumalo trouble in camp would be exactly what the doctor ordered. The Steelers can’t afford early rookie struggles/injuries anymore, especially for a guy they drafted to be Cam Heyward’s replacement. Immediate impact in the pass rush department while growing into run stopping seems like a good path for Harmon.

5: Jaylen Warren vs Kaleb Johnson

Now we know based on history that Johnson will have to earn his role on the field in-season and gain the trust of the coaches, but the battle in camp between these two should be awesome. I have been vocal (on multiple occasions) that Jaylen Warren will not relinquish the lead/majority role in the backfield at any point in the season. He’s too talented and too well-rounded of a player to not be on the field in my opinion, but that doesn’t mean Johnson isn’t just as or more talented.

I didn’t see a ton of Johnson in college (Iowa has been a brutal watch for a while now), but his film is really good. However, his film is really good running behind one of the best offensive lines in the NCAA last year. Camp should be a great opportunity to see how good of a player Johnson really is and how much he can carve into Jaylen Warren’s role.

There’s no better season than football season, and it’s almost here. But a friendly reminder to everyone that training camp is training camp for a reason. Don’t take everything you see to heart, don’t get too excited, don’t get too down, and don’t get too invested quite yet. The most important things are for the team to stay healthy, get a little bit better every day, and grow into a team that enjoys playing together, and all that starts in Latrobe tomorrow. Here We Go.