After what seems like an eternity, we finally have a football game to discuss.
The road to Super Bowl LVI officially kicks off on Thursday night, with the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers squaring off in the Hall of Fame Game under the lights in Canton. Now given that this is the first of four preseason games for these two teams, while the rest of the NFL plays in just three, familiar names might be held out of this contest.
Still, with actual football to discuss and some intriguing storylines for both teams here is a primer on what to watch for during the Hall of Fame Game.
The battle for QB2 in Dallas
(Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)
Expectations remain high for the Dallas offense, given the trio of wide receivers in place, the presence of running back Ezekiel Elliott, and the return of quarterback Dak Prescott after last year’s season-ending injury. But Prescott’s return has been marked by an arm injury, and the team is taking it slow with their star passer:
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy says they’ve “taken a step back” with QB Dak Prescott’s shoulder strain rehab. Deciding to be even more cautious. “We want to make sure this doesn’t turn into something bigger.” Once he throws again, will begin on pitch count. pic.twitter.com/WPMCYKqQJk
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) August 3, 2021
As the Cowboys learned last season, life without a solid QB2 option can be tough. Of course Dallas hopes to have Prescott for a full 17-game schedule, but last season’s struggles after his injury shine a bright light on the backup position. Who emerges for Dallas behind Prescott? Cooper Rush, Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci are currently battling for that spot behind the starter, and Thursday’s game could go a long way towards locking that spot down for one of these quarterbacks.
The improved Dallas defense?
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
One of the best football resources available today is provided by OurLads. Their depth charts, which are updated almost weekly during the season, are an invaluable resources, to the point that I have the URL memorized for each and every team.
(It’s the same web address with a team abbreviation at the end. This is not some feat of human performance or anything).
During the preseason, the minds over at OurLads have the rookies highlighted in green font. As an experiment, take a look at the current depth chart for the Cowboys and you will see a lot of green on the defensive side of the football…
But it goes without saying that a big part of turning the Cowboys’ fortunes around lies on whether the team can rebuild the defensive unit. Dallas spent their first four picks on the defensive side of the football, drafting linebacker Micah Parsons in the first round, cornerback Kelvin Joseph in the second, and cornerback Nahshon Wright plus defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa in the third. They also added coverage linebacker Jabril Cox in the fifth, defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna in the sixth and safety Israel Mokuamu in the sixth.
That is a lot of green on the depth chart.
How does this new-look defense, under the tutelage of incoming defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, look in their first live action?
Who emerges as WR4 in Dallas?
(Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)
One of the first selling points when making a case for the Cowboys this season is the array of weapons around quarterback Dak Prescott. It begins with the three receivers the Cowboys can put on the field, as the trio of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup might be the best 11 personnel group of receivers in the league.
Something tells me that fans of teams like Tampa Bay, Denver, Kansas City, Buffalo and Minnesota — to name a few — might bicker with that statement.
But behind those three, who emerges as the fourth option? Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown have been options for the Cowboys the past few years, but keep an eye on rookie Simi Fehoko, as the Stanford wideout flashed on film last year in his limited action.
Will we see Najee Harris?
(Karl Roster/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports)
One of hte more fascinating draft storylines was the decision by the Pittsburgh Steelers to select running back Najee Harris in the back half of the first round. With Ben Roethlisberger perhaps entering his final season, with issues on the offensive line, and needs at other positions, selecting a running back was a decision questioned by many.
If, however, you are going to select a back in the first round Harris is perhaps the prototype. Harris is effective in both the run and the pass game, making him a fit for modern NFL offenses. Whether he plays Thursday night or not remains to be seen, but his usage — and Pittsburgh’s decision to draft him — will be a storyline for the Steelers the entire season.
Pittsburgh's own QB2 battle
(Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
I am nearing the end of my summer “Peaky Blinders” re-watch, closing out the fifth season of the fascinating BBC drama that is well worth your time. In that season one of the main characters feels that those around him are jockeying to “take his throne” as the leader of the Peaky Blinders.
Something similar could be playing out in Pittsburgh, as Mason Rudolph, Joshua Dobbs and Dwayne Haskins are battling it out to see who wins the backup spot behind Ben Roethlisberger. With speculation around Roethlisberger’s future a huge storyline in Pittsburgh, the QB who emerges as QB2 will have the inside track to the starting job at some point in the future.
Thursday night is the first step towards figuring that out for the Steelers. Mason Rudolph will get the first crack at running the offense:
Coach Tomlin has named Mason Rudolph the starting quarterback for the Hall of Fame Game against Dallas. pic.twitter.com/1T7gU37aOU
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 3, 2021
But Haskins is certainly eying the backup spot:
Is there an open competition for the Steelers No. 2 QB?
Dwayne Haskins: “I’m trying to make it one.”
Is Thursday your first try out to be the future franchise QB?
Haskins: “I feel like that was the first day I got here.” pic.twitter.com/GtEzTi7Hot
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 3, 2021
The Steelers' offensive line
Perhaps the biggest question facing the Steelers as the 2021 season beckons is their offensive line. There has been a great deal of turnover in this unit from last season to this season. Maurkice Pouncey decided to retire, the team released David DeCastro, and tackle Al Villaneuva signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
That means the team is relying on Chuks Okorafor to slide over to the left tackle spot, as well as hoping that right tackle Zach Banner is recovered from last year’s knee injury. The Steelers are also hoping that either Kendrick Green or B.J. Finney locks down the center spot, and that Trai Turner can hold down the right guard spot.
That is a lot to hope for as a new season looms, particularly when protecting Ben Roethlisberger is going to be job one. Now, in some sense the offense can protect him through scheme: Last season Roethlisberger had the fastest time to throw out of all NFL quarterbacks according to the league’s Next Gen Stats, and that was due to a lot of 3×1 formations that gave Roethlisberger the ability to target the backside X receiver on vertical concepts. That might be something to watch for as the preseason gets underway, along with the cohesiveness up front.
