Checking the Steelers offensive player grades in preseason Week 3 vs. the Panthers

The Pittsburgh Steelers came up short in a big way in their final preseason action vs. the Carolina Panthers. The 34-9 final score was every bit as bad as the actual game. Although the Steelers were playing their reserves against the Panthers’ starters, it is still the expectation for players to play up to the standard regardless of the situation.

But how did these players grade out?

To get a better grasp on the individual performances by the Steelers, we turn to Pro Football Focus (PFF) to see their individual grades. Before going any further, it’s time for the disclaimer as we are all aware many fans cannot stand PFF’s grading system. It is up to each individual as to how much they trust the process which goes into PFF grades, but we will report on the grades for you to make the decision.

Nonetheless, even if you don’t like PFF it does give a baseline to allow fans to see who played well, and who might have been “below the line”, as Mike Tomlin would put it.

Below are the grades for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense from their preseason Week 3 game vs. the Carolina Panthers Friday night. For reference sake, the Steelers played 48 offensive snaps. All offensive players were listed regardless of the number of snaps played as long as it was at least one.

Overall

Top 5 (regardless of position)

G Rashaad Coward: 75.1 (15 snaps)
WR Chase Claypool: 72.4 (18 snaps)
OT Chaz Green: 70.2 (26 snaps)
RB Jaylen Samuels: 69.1 (9 snaps)
TE Marcus Baugh: 68.8 (13 snaps)

Bottom 5 (regardless of position)

TE Kevin Rader: 48.2 (18 snaps)
RB Kalen Ballage: 41.1 (9 snaps)
OT Dan Moore Jr.: 38.0 (22 snaps)
RB Tony Brooks-James: 36.8 (2 snaps)
TE Zach Gentry: 29.4 (10 snaps)

Quarterbacks

QB Dwayne Haskins: 63.6 (30 snaps)
QB Joshua Dobbs: 50.3 (18 snaps)

Despite a drop in QBR from 83.0 to 71.9 from Week 2 to Week 3, Haskins’ PFF score actually went up from the last game. It would be interesting to see how he would have finished up had he not had come in for the injured Dobbs.

Running Backs & Receivers

WR Chase Claypool: 72.4 (18 snaps)
RB Jaylen Samuels: 69.1 (9 snaps)
TE Marcus Baugh: 68.8 (13 snaps)
WR Anthony Johnson: 64.0 (23 snaps)
WR Ray-Ray McCloud: 60.5 (42 snaps)
RB Derek Watt: 59.2 (1 snap)
WR Cody White: 57.9 (18 snaps)
TE Eric Ebron: 55.4 (8 snaps)
RB Benny Snell Jr.: 54.4 (29 snaps)
WR James Washington: 53.8 (19 snaps)
TE Pat Freiermuth: 53.5 (5 snaps)
WR Mathew Sexton: 49.4 (16 snaps)
TE Kevin Rader: 48.2 (18 snaps)
RB Kalen Ballage: 41.1 (9 snaps)
RB Tony Brooks-James: 36.8 (2 snaps)
TE Zach Gentry: 29.4 (10 snaps)

It was good to see Chase Claypool come back from missing the previous game due to injury and have a solid performance. What ultimately dropped a lot of these grades were some of the lowest pass blocking scores I have seen on PFF. Some of the guilty culprits were Benny Snell (15.7), Kalen Ballage (10.5), and Zach Gentry (0.5). Although the scores really brought them down, none of them had more than three snaps pass blocking in the game. In fact, several low scores came from players who would not have met the 15-snap minimum usually instituted by PFF.

Offensive Line

G Rashaad Coward: 75.1 (15 snaps)
OT Chaz Green: 70.2 (26 snaps)
C John Leglue: 67.6 (26 snaps)
OT Chuks Okorafor: 63.4 (22 snaps)
G Kevin Dotson: 61.0 (22 snaps)
OT Joe Haeg: 60.1 (26 snaps)
G Malcolm Pridgeon: 59.6 (11 snaps)
C J.C. Hassenauer: 57.3 (26 snaps)
C Kendrick Green: 56.5 (22 snaps)
G B.J. Finney: 55.2 (22 snaps)
OT Dan Moore Jr.: 38.0 (22 snaps)

Although rookie fourth-round pick Dan Moore Jr. as well as veteran B.J. Finney had scored well throughout the preseason, getting the start on the right side against the best the Panthers had to offer caused their scores to dip quite a bit. Moore’s pass blocking score of 11.2 on 13 snaps is what completely tanked his grade. Other players making a push for the 53-man roster and practice squad came through in the top three spots, and Chuks Okorafor, although still not overly impressive, did have his best game of the preseason.

So, what do you think of the above grades? Were they close, or way off? Let us know your thoughts on the Steelers’ offensive grades in the comments below.