The Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions will square off in Detroit in Preseason Week 3, and while some fans might think there is nothing to watch in these games, there are plenty of players to keep an eye on. Keeping in mind this is still preseason, and a very small sample size for these players, here is a list of players Dave Schofield and I are looking forward to watching in the game.

Take a look at the lists below, and let us know who you are excited to watch in the game Saturday in the comments below:

Jeff Hartman

Russell Wilson

Why: This should be an obvious answer, but getting to see what Wilson can do in the Steelers offense, hopefully with some time, continues to be something to watch. It might just be for a couple drives, but this hopefully will give fans a true taste of what Wilson can bring to the team in 2024. Wilson doesn’t have anything to prove at this stage of his career, but he certainly has a lot to prove to the Steelers fan base after his performance in Week 2 of the preseason. A good performance would certainly help ease the concerns of the fan base to the theory of if you have two quarterbacks, you have none.

Justin Fields

Why: This past week we reported how there was a stronger chance that Fields starts the regular season, and for that percentage to go up any more Fields would have to perform well enough to calm some of the criticism surrounding Fields at this stage of the preseason. Fields is dynamic, but can he provide a level of consistency which would ease the nerves of the coaching staff and fan base if they choose to go to Fields when the game start to count? There is a lot on the line for Fields in Week 3.

Zach Frazier 

Why: Frazier got his first start in Week 2 vs. the Buffalo Bills, and hopefully that start relieved some nerves surrounding his first professional start. It was a good start for Frazier, but can he keep it going? Can he go out and continue to prove his worth as the anchor in the middle of the offensive line? Something to keep an eye on Saturday in Detroit.

Tight Ends

Why: The Steelers have some versatile tight ends on their roster, but how have they impacted the offense to date? Not much at all, but that can change with the team starting to use the tight ends as two-way players. Darnell Washington can be a receiving threat, and others can be more in-line blockers. Arthur Smith was touted as a tight end friendly coordinator, but we have yet to see it. It might be due to the fact the Steelers offense has been extremely vanilla this preseason, but it would be nice to see them doing a bit more with the tight ends.

Beanie Bishop

Why: Bishop missed the last preseason game with an undisclosed injury. I want to see Bishop succeed, but if I had to predict what will happen, it would be the Steelers bringing in a veteran free agent to at least be another option for the defense in case things don’t workout with the undrafted rookie free agent out of West Virginia. When Mike Tomlin was asked if he’d seen enough from Bishop to be the team’s slot corner, his response was, “Absolutely not.” If he can lock down the position, that’s the best possible situation imaginable, but he still has a lot to prove.

Dave Schofield

Broderick Jones

Why: I don’t like having to put Jones on this list again, but I would like to see him bounce back and show that he’s the kind of tackle that I believe he can be. Will it be this game? Will it not be for a while? It’s hard to say. But I will be watching.

Donte Jackson

Why: Because he hasn’t seen much action this preseason, I’m hoping to get a look at Donte Jackson in his final preseason game just to feel a little bit better. He has been more than I expected when the trade was made, so I would just like to have a little bit of better feeling about things in a game setting.

Cordarrelle Patterson

Why: When the NFL announced they were implementing the new kickoff rules, the Steelers signed Patterson right away. But I want to see him actually return a kickoff. I don’t know if the Steelers will put him back there this game, or if they’ll put him in the backfield to see if he can get the job done there. But seeing anything would be better than what I’ve seen so far.

The slot cornerbacks

Why: Whether it’s Beanie Bishop or Thomas Graham, the Steelers have to get a better idea of what they have at the position in order to know if they need to be shopping in the next couple weeks. It would be great if either one of these guys could show he can be the man at the position, but we’ve got to see it in-stadium.

The collective offensive unit

Why: I know I listed an offensive player or two already, but I’m not going to focus as much on individuals as I am the unit in this game. Why? Because the unit needs to show something. I don’t care who’s doing great or who’s doing bad, the Steelers offense needs to show they are capable of moving the football and finishing drives.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steeles as they finish up their preseason action.