LATROBE, Pa. – After an offseason and two weeks of training camp practices here at Saint Vincent College of competing as Steelers against Steelers, head coach Mike Tomlin is ready to see his team work against someone else.
He'll get that opportunity Friday night when the Steelers host the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in their preseason opener.
And for Tomlin, it's a great chance to see where his team is at in terms of preparation for the 2024 season against a team that has already competed in one preseason game. Houston played Chicago last week in the Hall of Fame game to open the preseason.
Because of that, Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans has already said he plans to play a number of his starters against the Steelers, including quarterback C.J. Stroud.
"(I'm) really excited about playing the Texans. It is really good from a developmental perspective that they've already been in the stadium to compete against somebody," Tomlin said. "Stadium experience is an awesome challenge that helps our development.
"They have a commitment I saw to play in some of their starters and so that's exciting as well to get an opportunity to see some top tier talent is really good for development."
Tomlin will play a good number of his starters in Friday's game, though he said several veteran players – defensive lineman Cam Heyward, outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, inside linebacker Patrick Queen, guard Isaac Seumalo and quarterback Russell Wilson – will not participate in this game, while others could be held out due to minor injury issues.
With Wilson out, that will provide backup Justin Fields the opportunity to start the game and utilize new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's offense for the first time in a stadium setting.
"I'm probably going to give that quote-unquote first unit – him included in that – a couple of series," Tomlin said of Fields, acquired via a trade with the Bears this offseason. "I think he just comes to compete every day. He's got an awesome competitive spirit. We've got a competitive environment. And it seems like he's enjoying it. He's doing a really good job of acclimating himself to it and his teammates and letting his talent show."
Tomlin said Wilson, acquired in free agency in the offseason, remains in "pole position" as the team's starting quarterback. But the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback suffered a calf injury during the team's conditioning test and has been slowly ramping up his practice schedule in the past few days here at Saint Vincent College.
But when asked if he's concerned about Wilson's preparation time because of that, Tomlin simply replied, "I'm not."
Friday's game also will be Tomlin's first opportunity to look at the team's rookie class in a game setting.
First-round pick Troy Fautanu got his first work with the starting unit at right tackle in Tuesday's practice, but center Zach Frazier, the team's second-round pick, has yet to work with the first unit, playing behind veteran Nate Herbig.
"Troy has gotten some opportunities because he's handled some of his other opportunities and Zach's done a nice job and I'm sure at some point those opportunities are coming his way," Tomlin said.
That will mean that Broderick Jones, the team's No. 1 pick last season who started at right tackle in 2023, also will see some time at left tackle in this game.
However, this game is just the next step in the process that began a few months ago following the draft when the Steelers ramped up their OTA sessions after adding their rookie class into the fold.
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It's all preparation for what awaits in the 2024 regular season. Preseason games and play in those games are weighted a little differently than practices, but the main thing Tomlin wants to see is his team play mistake-free football.
"I'm really more concerned about how we perform some fundamental things as opposed to strategy and schematics," Tomlin said. "I think it's important that we handle pre-snap football at an acceptable level on both sides – cleanliness in terms of penalties, fluid shifts and motions offensively, adjustments and communications appropriately on defense, things of that nature. We can't be a group that's highly penalized. (We) want to set a nice high floor in terms of some of those things. We want to put our conditioning on display and continue to develop it. Really excited about fundamental things. blocking and tackling and ball searching and ball security, things that have been kind of the foundation of the beginnings of our development in this setting.
"I want to see people make routine plays routinely. You know, oftentimes, we spend a lot of time or energy focused on the spectacular. There's a baseline expectation, particularly first time out, and I'll be excited about watching guys make routine plays routinely."
