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Pittsburgh Steelers Stock Watch: Risers and fallers following 20-12 loss vs. Houston Texans

By Rob Gregson,

4 hours ago

The Pittsburgh Steelers fell 20-12 against the Houston Texans on Friday night, starting off their 2024 campaign on a sloppy foot.

Bad football in all three phases, Pittsburgh will have to make some considerable changes before hitting the field come Week 1 of the regular season.

Luckily for them, however, it's only preseason and the games that actually count are still a month away.

But just because these games are exhibitions doesn't mean we can't learn anything, with this group of players seeing either a rise or fall in their stock after the opening contest.

Risers

EDGE DeMarvin Leal

Finally coming into his own in year three of the program, Leal approached this offseason and training camp with a make-or-break mentality and it is paying off.

Struggling to find his fit along the front line of the defense, Leal embraced his Tweener frame after the 2023 season, dropping a few pounds and showing how explosive he can be, which was put on full display against the Texans.

With Markus Golden opting to retire ahead of the game, Leal may fit in well as the team's fourth pass rusher.

DT Montravius Adams

Adams is a veteran depth piece along the interior of the defensive line and all is but guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster. But you can never tell by the way his effort. Constantly playing every rep like it's his last and just finding a way to win, the big nose tackle had a nice sack against Houston to help carry on the momentum of his strong camp.

WR Calvin Austin III

Austin lead the team in receiving yards on Friday, catching two passes for 49 yards, inclduing the best route and separation of the game on a terrific seven cut.

With Roman Wilson still nursing an ankle injury, Austin has helped serprate himself as the starting slot WR in both camp and through Week 1 of the preseason.

Fallers

C Nate Herbig

Herbig was off to a stellar start through the first three weeks of camp, but the same can't be said for Friday. He had bad center-QB exchanges on back-to-back drives when Pittsburgh opened the game, and was quickly pulled for rookie center Zach Frazier.

Coach Tomlin was visibly upset in his postgame presser, comparing the mishap to J.V. football.

WR-PR Quez Watkins

Watkins was mainly used as a returner on Friday, only that didn't go to plan on his first two drives before he too was replaced. After a questionable fair catch, Watkins then muffed his second return attempt, setting up Houston with favorable field position that they would use to help them win the game.