Snap counts are just one statistic, but they do provide some clarity on the real hierarchy of a team’s depth chart when coaches tend to play coy in press conferences.
After just one game, the Steelers’ depth is sure to change over the upcoming weeks of the season — and when facing teams that aren’t the Cooper Rush-led Falcons.
Still, there are some lessons we can learn from Pittsburgh’s snap counts Week 1.
T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward getting more rest
This was one of the biggest
takeaways from defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s new Steelers scheme: workhorse veteran defenders T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward actually had time to catch their breath in-game versus the Falcons.
Watt actually played the least amount of defensive snaps of the Steelers’ big three at outside linebacker with 38, but he was in the same range as Nick Herbig (39) and Alex Highsmith (41). Jack Sawyer contributed another 23.
The increased rotation seemed to work, with Watt and Highsmith each recording two-sack games. Herbig (who played some off-ball linebacker versus Atlanta) and Sawyer weren’t left off the stat sheet either, combining for six total tackles.
Heyward had an even larger reduction in snaps. After being the top-snapped defensive lineman in the entire NFL last season at age 36, the now-37-year-old played just 32 snaps (53%) defensively. Across the rest of the defensive line, Keeanu Benton logged 35 snaps, Derrick Harmon 24, and Yahya Black and Sebastian Joseph-Day had 18 each.
Like Watt, Heyward responded with a monster game, still making an impact as a rusher and run defender, but recording an impressive three batted passes.
Jalen Ramsey, Payton Wilson are every-down players
Veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey is set to count $17.2 million against the cap this year — it’s no surprise the Steelers want him to earn that on the field. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, but the Steelers took advantage of Ramsey’s versatility quite a bit against the Falcons, lining him up in the slot when in nickel defense, and moving him to safety opposite Jaquan Brisker in base.
The end result was Ramsey playing all 61 of the Steelers’ defensive snaps on Sunday, with free agent addition Rayshawn Jenkins only recording 32 at safety.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Steelers do with Ramsey after starting safety DeShon Elliott returns from injured reserve. Will the Steelers still pull a starting safety off the field for Ramsey in formations without a slot defender? Or will Ramsey start seeing more rest alongside Watt and Heyward?
Slightly more notable was inside linebacker Payton Wilson playing 58 of the team’s 61 defensive snaps. Wilson struggled late in 2025, losing snaps to Malik Harrison, but seems to have returned to the role of an every-down linebacker.
That trust from Graham was rewarded against Atlanta, where Wilson was all over the field, recording a team-best 13 total tackles.
Germie Bernard still has work to do
One player who was barely featured on Sunday was rookie second-round wide receiver Germie Bernard, who logged just three of the team’s 67 total offensive snaps.
Roman Wilson, on the other hand, showed a clear lead in the team’s WR3 role with 37 snaps.
After spending such high draft capital on Bernard, the Steelers still clearly have big plans for the rookie down the road. But for now, it looks like the WR3 job is Wilson’s to lose.
Darnell Washington still a big part of the offense
After being an extremely tight end-heavy team in 2025 under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the Steelers have shifted in a more 11 personnel-friendly direction under head coach Mike McCarthy.
Still, the Steelers have two of the NFL’s top-15 highest-paid tight ends, and the team made sure to use both against the Falcons, playing Pat Freiermuth for 49 snaps and Darnell Washington for 43.
Freiemuth had a bit of a bounce-back performance after a quiet 2025, recording five catches for 46 yards and a score against Atlanta. Washington had just two grabs for 18 yards, but managed a highlight-worthy stiff arm and remained a key run blocker for the team.
One of the biggest departures from the Arthur Smith era, beyond Freiermuth once again looking like a TE1, was a lack of heavy TE3 usage. Robert Tonyan logged just two offensive snaps Sunday, although Riley Nowakowski did see eight in a fullback/H-back role.
Core special teamers emerge
As expected, the Steelers have a new group of primary special teamers this season. However, standouts such as Carson Bruener (24 snaps — 80%), Ben Skowronek (18) and Jack Sawyer (24) remained big pieces of the third phase of the game.
Rookies Robert Spears-Jennings (23 snaps), Daylen Everette (16), Riley Nowakowski (17), Eli Heidenreich (13) and returner Kaden Wetjen (10) were also contributors.
Interestingly, Nick Herbig isn’t off special teams duties yet despite signing a big contract this offseason. He logged 11 special teams snaps on Sunday, while T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith each had zero.
While some veteran backups such as Rayshawn Jenkins (10 snaps), Cole Holcomb (17) and Brandin Echols (20) were big parts of Pittsburgh’s special teams, Tonyan (three) did not see many snaps in that phase of the game.
