Who's rising and who's falling after Steelers' first preseason game against Texans?

PITTSBURGH —The Steelers lost to the Texans 20-12 on Friday night at Acrisure Stadium. Let's take a look at the Steelers who are rising and falling as the preseason rolls on:

Rising

— The Steelers might have scored just one touchdown through the air, but the receivers put on a nice showing. George Pickens didn’t play long, but he had two catches for 25 yards. Both were short passes, and Pickens made the first defender miss on both to get yards after the catch. Van Jefferson had a 20-yard catch, while Calvin Austin III and Scotty Miller led the Steelers in receiving yards. Austin had two receptions for 49 yards, and Miller three catches for 47 yards.

— Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren didn’t play beyond the first quarter, but the Steelers got some nice runs from Jonathan Ward and Daijun Edwards, who are trying to make the team as a third running back. Edwards had a 24-yard run, and Ward had a 20-yard run. Edwards scored the only rushing touchdown of the game for the Steelers.

— It was a good night for the backup defensive linemen. Montravius Adams and DeMarvin Leal each had sacks. Adams also batted down a pass on third down that forced a punt. The Steelers need quality depth behind their starting trio of Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton and Larry Ogunjobi. The production from Adams and Leal is a positive sign.

Falling

— If No. 1 pick Troy Fautanu has designs on winning a starting job, he has some work to do in pass protection. Fautanu gave up two sacks in the first quarter, both on third downs, and both forced the Steelers to punt. The first came against Danielle Hunter, one of the best edge rushers in the game who had 16 1/2 sacks last season for the Vikings. The second came against veteran Jerry Hughes, who has 70 career sacks. Hunter went around Fautanu to get to Justin Fields, and Hughes went through him. There is still plenty of time for Fautanu to win over the coaches, but he’s not off to a good start.

— Fields and Nate Herbig had two fumbled quarterback-center exchanges. They didn’t lose either, but the second sabotaged a promising drive after the Steelers penetrated Texans territory. Herbig was replaced by rookie Zach Frazier after two series, while Fields played a third series. Fields was 5 for 6 for 67 yards, but he failed to lead the Steelers to any points.

— If Quez Watkins is trying to make the roster as a punt returner, he might want to try another avenue. He misjudged two punts from Texans punter Tommy Townsend, the second of which he fumbled. The Texans recovered in Steelers territory and scored their second touchdown a few plays later. Watkins better start making some plays at receiver or his days in camp could be numbered.

— The punt return team is not in regular-season form. Steven Sims had an 18-yard return, and Tank Dell had a 22-yard return in the first quarter. The 22-yard return set up the Texans’ first touchdown. Undrafted free agent corner Beanie Bishop Jr. missed a tackle inside the 10-yard line against Sims, the former Steeler.

Up next

The Steelers are off Saturday. They return to training camp at Saint Vincent College for their final week in Latrobe with practices scheduled for Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. They have a joint practice scheduled against the Bills on Thursday at Acrisure Stadium. Their next preseason game is against the Bills at home on Saturday, Aug. 17.