Have you ever watched a player have a great preseason, only to go on to have an unremarkable professional career? If you’re a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, you’ve seen this more than a few times in recent years, even if the jury is still out on some, with players like Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, Tuzar Skipper, Matthew Thomas, and Ulysees Gilbert III being among the most high-profile examples.
They’re all linebackers, a position at which perhaps it’s easier to flash in the preseason. That’s why head coach Mike Tomlin is scaling back his admiration for what he’s seen some of his young linebackers do up to this point, as he told reporters after Monday’s practice.