The Pittsburgh Steelers will open the 2019 preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Heinz Field Friday night. The host squad went 9-6-1 in the AFC North last season and just missed out on the playoffs, which ended their run of four straight appearances (2014-17). The Bucs were one of the worst teams in the NFL, finishing 5-11 and last in the NFC South.
NFL Preseason: Buccaneers vs Steelers
- When: Friday, August 9
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: NFL Network
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
The Steelers had a record eight players in the Pro Bowl last year. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been with the team since they drafted him in 2004 and has guided Pittsburgh to two Super Bowl Championships. Look for wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster (1,426 yards, 7 touchdowns) to have an even more impressive season after Antonio Brown was traded to the Raiders in the offseason.
On the defensive side, defensive end Cameron Heyward and outside linebacker T.J. Watt were both Pro Bowl selections. Hayward had 52 tackles and eight sacks, while Watt tallied 68 tackles and 13 sacks. Fans in Pittsburgh might just be the most excited about rookie Devin Bush. The Steelers traded up for the Michigan linebacker and selected him with the 10th overall pick.
The Bucs are hoping to turn their 2018 misfortunes around with a new coach at the helm. Bruce Arians last served as the Arizona Cardinals head coach from 2015-17 and came out of retirement to coach this team. His tough love mentality and the addition of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles should give the Bucs hope for 2019. Offensively, it’s a make or break year for quarterback Jameis Winston. Running back Ronald Jones has added muscle weight and should provide a 1-2 punch at running back. Winston’s main target will be Mike Evans, who led the team in both yards (1,524) and touchdowns (8) last season.
The focus of the NFL Draft for Tampa Bay was addressing the defensive side of the ball. That started with linebacker Devin White out of LSU, who became the first Buccaneer linebacker selected in the first round since Derrick Brooks in 1995. Upfront, the squad released veteran Gerald McCoy and signed Ndamokung Suh. Expect the starters to play 6 to 12 series on Friday night.
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