#Project32 provides in-depth breakdowns, projections, and rankings of all 32 teams coupled with promotion of some charitable organizations (a ‘My Clause My Cleats’ charity from some of your favorite fantasy players on each team)
In support of the Art Rooney Scholarship Fund
The Art Rooney Scholarship Fund was established in memory of the late founder of the Steelers, who died in August of 1988 after living most of his life on the North Side. The scholarship annually provides a grant to a Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic student and funds the Pittsburgh Promise scholarships for two Perry High School students. Since its beginning, the scholarship has awarded grants to more than 80 local students.
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- Division: AFC North
- 2021 Finish: 9-7-1
- Divisional Record: 4-2
- 2022 Projected Finish: 8-9
- 2022 Strength of Schedule: 29th
Pittsburgh Steelers Offense
Play Caller: Matt Canada
The Steelers will be without Ben Roethlisberger for the first time in 18 years. A new era begins with Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett taking snaps behind center. The Steelers were fourth in pass attempts last season with 664, but finished with just 6.0 yards per reception, which was 30th in the league. It was clear that Big Ben not only couldn’t challenge teams vertically, but also lacked the mobility to move the pocket, so it was all about getting the ball out of his hand as quickly as possible. You don’t have to be a genius to recognize the quarterback did not fit the Matt Canada system. Canada likes to use inside and outside zone runs to set up RPO and play-action concepts. The Steelers ran the sixth most RPO plays but only had a success rate of 28.8% on such plays. As for play-action, they ranked 31st with just a 37% success rate. It simply wasn’t fooling anybody.
Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett will now compete to be the QB1 in this offense with a roster full of playmakers. The Steelers lined up in 11 personnel last season on 75% of their snaps and this year will be no different. Najee Harris will dominate the touches out of the backfield as a true throwback RB1 that simply doesn’t come off the field. The receiving core will feature Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and rookie second-round pick George Pickens out of the University of Georgia. Pat Freiermuth will line up at tight end and will play a pivotal role in both the run and pass game. Trubisky should get the early season nod, but if he slips and the Steelers get off to a slow start, Mike Tomlin could go with the young gun-slinger who was the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
2021 By the Numbers
- Points Scored: 343 (21st)
- Total Yards: 5,361 (23rd)
- Total Plays: 1,113 (9th)
- Yards Per Play: 4.8 (28th)
- 1st Downs: 323 (24th), Passing 204 (13th), Rushing 85 (30th)
- Scoring Rate: 34.7% (20th)
- Turnover Rate: 9.5% (9th)
- Offensive Plays/Game: 65.4 (9th)
- Pace of Play: 28.6 Seconds Per Play (14th)
- Passing Ratio: 63% (2nd)
- Neutral Game Script: 59% (11th)
- RPO: 198 Snaps – 28.8% Success Rate
- Motion: 357 Plays – 28.6% Success Rate
- No Huddle: 171 Plays – 37.4% Success Rate
- Play Action: 135 Plays – 37% Success Rate
2021 Target Distribution
WRs: 419 Targets (3rd)
RBs: 109 Targets (16th)
TEs: 125 Targets (12th)
2021 Personnel Groupings
11 Personnel: 924 Plays
OVR: 75% (45% Success Rate)
Pass Rate: 71% (44% Success Rate)
Run Rate: 29% (45% Success Rate)
12 Personnel: 201 Plays
OVR: 16% (46% Success Rate)
Pass Rate: 48% (41% Success Rate)
Run Rate: 52% (50% Success Rate)
Offensive Line Projected Starters
LT: #65 Dan Moore Jr.
Age: 23 HT: 6’5 WT: 315 College: Texas A&M Draft: RD4 Pick 128
OVR PFF: 57.8 Pass: 58.9 Run: 53.8 (1,079 Snaps)
Contract: 3 years / $1,044,475 per year (55th at position) – Expires 2025
LG: #69 Kevin Dotson
Age: 25 HT: 6’4 WT: 321 College: Louisiana Draft: RD4 Pick 135
OVR PFF: 64.5 Pass: 78.4 Run: 60.8 (565 Snaps)
Contract: 2 years / $988,453 per year (49th at position) – Expires 2024
C: #61 Mason Cole
Age: 26 HT: 6’5 WT: 298 College: Michigan Draft: RD3 Pick 97
OVR PFF: 69.7 Pass: 44.1 Run: 75.2 (471 Snaps)
Contract: 3 years / $5,250,000 per year (12 at position) – Expires 2025
RG: #78 James Daniels
Age: 24 HT: 6’4 WT: 327 College: Iowa Draft: RD2 Pick 39
OVR PFF: 71.8 Pass: 68.3 Run: 72.9 (1,121 Snaps)
Contract: 3 years / $8,833,333 per year (6th at position) – Expires 2025
RT: #76 Chukwuma Okorafor
Age: 25 HT: 6’6 WT: 320 College: Western Michigan Draft: RD3 Pick 92
OVR PFF: 63.6 Pass: 63.0 Run: 65.9 (1,078 Snaps)
Contract: 3 years / $9,750,000 per year (6th at position) – Expires 2025
“Trubisky brings mobility to this offense, which will allow Canada to open up the playbook a little bit this season and challenge the intermediate to deep areas of the field”
QB Room
#10 Mitch Trubisky
Age: 27 HT: 6’2 WT: 220 College: UNC Draft: RD1 Pick 2
Contract: 2 years / $7,412,500 per year (26th at position) – Expires 2024
The Steelers will look to Mitch Trubisky to lead this team at the start of the 2022 season. It makes sense given the fact that Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 15-years as the head coach in Pittsburgh. Trubisky spent last season with the Buffalo Bills as Josh Allen’s backup but only attempted 8 passes all season. Prior to his lone season in Buffalo, Trubisky spent four years in Chicago as their starting quarterback. His best season was in 2018 when he completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 3,223 yards and 24 touchdowns, while adding another 421 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns. Trubisky brings mobility to this offense, which will allow Canada to open up the playbook a little bit this season and challenge the intermediate to deep areas of the field.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Passing: 582 Attempts, 64.1% Comp Rate, 3,820 Yards (6.6 YPA), 24 Touchdowns (4.1%)
Rushing: 51 Attempts, 5.7 YPC, 293 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
PROJECTIONS TEMPLATE – GET NOW!
RB Room
#22 Najee Harris
Age: 24 HT: 6’1 WT: 232 College: Alabama Draft: RD1 Pick 24
Contract: 3 years / $3,261,861 per year (20th at position) – Expires 2025 – 5th year option available
Najee Harris finished the 2021 season as the RB4 in ppr scoring. He’s a top-end RB1 on pure volume alone after finishing with 381 total touches for 1,667 yards and 10 touchdowns. He carried the rock 307 times for 1,200 yards while catching the rock 74 times for another 467 yards. He finished fifth in target share (14.5%), first in routes run (424), second in evaded tackles (106), and second in yards created (1,035) behind a very poor offensive line. The Steelers will continue to pound Najee Harris in the run-game, but I do expect to see a slight dip in the passing game.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 14% Target Share, 81 Targets, 65 Receptions, 371 yards (5.7 YPR), 3 Touchdowns
Rushing: 70% Rush Share, 295 Attempts, 1,209 Yards (4.1 YPC), 9 Touchdowns
WR Room
#18 Diontae Johnson
Age: 26 HT: 5’10 WT: 183 College: Toledo Draft: RD3 Pick 66
Contract: 3 years / $18,355,000 per year (17th at position) – Expires 2025
Diontae Johnson has been a target monster since he arrived in the NFL. In his three seasons he has compiled 405 targets, 254 receptions, 2,764 yards, and 20 touchdowns. Not too shabby for a third-round draft pick out of the University of Toledo. Johnson finished first in routes run (594), eighth in red zone targets (23), sixth in yards after catch (502), and tenth in target separation (1.89). He will continue to pace the wide receiver room in 2022 but faces more competition in the red zone with the addition of George Pickens.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 25% Target Share, 145 Targets, 92 Receptions, 1,035Yards (11.3 YPR), 6 Touchdowns
“he was a 5-star recruit who started immediately as a freshman at an SEC powerhouse”
#14 George Pickens
Age: 21 HT: 6’3 WT: 200 College: Georgia Draft: RD2 Pick 52
Contract: 4 years / $1,688,047 per year (100th at position) – Expires 2026
George Pickens started to climb up draft boards after his performance at the NFL combine. He was only a year removed from suffering a torn ACL, but still managed to run a 4.47 40 which is a solid time considering his size. His college production in a run-heavy offense doesn’t jump off the screen, but he was a 5-star recruit who started immediately as a freshman at an SEC powerhouse. The Steelers have already penciled him in as a starter in an offense that should allow him to see plenty of targets in his rookie season.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 16% Target Share, 93 Targets, 56 Receptions, 698 Yards (12.5 YPR), 6 Touchdowns
#11 Chase Claypool
Age: 24 HT: 6’4 WT: 238 College: Notre Dame Draft: RD2 Pick 49
Contract: 2 years / $1,654,159 per year (101st at position) – Expires 2024
Chase Claypool will play the big-slot role, which should give him a lot of room to work in the middle of the field. He finished with over 100 targets in each of his first two seasons and there is no reason to believe he shouldn’t challenge that mark again in year three. We should see some positive touchdown regression after finishing last season with just two touchdowns. In his rookie season he found pay-dirt nine times, which is another indication of just how bad it was with Big Ben last season.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 17% Target Share, 99 Targets, 59 Receptions, 777 Yards (13.2 YPR), 5 Touchdowns
TE Room
#88 Pat Freiermuth
Age: 23 HT: 6’5 WT: 258 College: Penn State Draft: RD2 Pick 55
Contract: 3 years / $1,507,045 per year (45th at position) – Expires 2025
Pat Freiermuth enters his second season in the NFL coming off the heels of a rookie campaign that saw him snatch 60 receptions on 79 targets for 497 yards and seven scores. All the hype was centered around Kyle Pitts heading into the NFL Draft, but Freiermuth finished as the TE13 after his rookie season. Not bad for a guy that started the season as the TE2 on his own team with Eric Ebron on the roster. When Ebron went down with an injury, Freiermuth slid right in, and the offense never missed a beat. There are more mouths to feed in this offense this season, but “Muth” has become a trusted target and will provide value on a weekly basis.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 14% Target Share, 81 Targets, 61 Receptions, 599 Yards (9.8 YPR), 4 Touchdowns
**Advanced Stats & Metrics provided by Yards Per Fantasy, Player Profiler, Sharp Football Analysis, Fantasy Pros, Team Rankings, Pro Football Focus, Over the Cap and Pro Football Reference**
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