The Steelers spent the offseason building depth. It's given them a boost during their 3-1 start

PITTSBURGH — Kenneth Gainwell wants the ball more. Why wouldn't he?

All the Pittsburgh Steelers running back did last weekend in a 24-21 victory over Minnesota in Dublin was run for a career-high 99 yards and score a pair of touchdowns after starter Jaylen Warren was scratched with a knee injury.

Asked if he would like more touches, Gainwell nodded.

“Most definitely,” said the fifth-year pro, who spent four seasons with Philadelphia before signing with the Steelers in March. “But at the same time, it’s team before self, and we just got to continue to grow.”

Pittsburgh's offseason included uncharacteristic splurges designed to give the roster more depth all over the field. As a result, the Steelers are asking players to keep their egos in check, something that's been an issue in recent years, particularly at wide receiver (see George Pickens, among others).

So while Gainwell was encouraged after his best statistical outing as a pro, don't expect him to make his pitch to coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith during the Steelers' bye week that he should be more involved.

“I’m willing to take my role in whatever this role is and just grow from it," he said.

It's a mindset echoed throughout the locker room, particularly in the secondary, which has been a revolving door during Pittsburgh's 3-1 start. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. hasn't played since the opener due to a hamstring injury. Safety DeShon Elliott missed two weeks with a knee issue. Jalen Ramsey, who has been used all over the place, has played through a balky hamstring.

Enter guys like Brandin Echols, who signed with Pittsburgh the day before Gainwell and collected a pick in the end zone in a win over New England. Free safety Chuck Clark signed in late July and was waived a month later, only to be immediately brought back.

Safety Jabrill Peppers was a surprise cut by the Patriots at the end of training camp. He waited a couple of weeks for the phone to ring, then raced to Pittsburgh when an opportunity popped up. And there he was against his former team in Week 3, forcing and recovering a pivotal fumble.

That list doesn't even include cornerback James Pierre, a special teams ace who successfully moonlighted in the secondary during his first four seasons. He was supposed to play more sparingly this season, yet he was on the field for 23 snaps against the Vikings and nearly came up with a pick (it was overturned on replay).

“Usually if you go down one guy or two guys, you always panic sometimes,” said safety Juan Thornhill, who's in his first season with the Steelers after coming over from Kansas City. “But I don’t think we panic at all here, because we know the guys that are second, third (string) guys, they can be just as good as the first (string) guys. I’ve never been a part of anything like it.”

Still, all that shuffling comes with its challenges. Communication, particularly in the defensive backfield, has been an issue. It cropped up during against Minnesota when receiver Jordan Addison took advantage of a breakdown for a long gain in the final minutes that set up a touchdown.

“We were struggling with (which receivers were) in the game, and I probably made a call that probably wasn’t simple enough for everybody, and so that’s on me,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said.

All involved expect things to smooth out as the season wears on. It has certainly looked that way along the defensive front, which recovered a bit against Minnesota after getting pushed around over the season's first three weeks.

The return of rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon from a preseason knee injury has helped. Harmon got his first career sack against New England, then swatted down a pass by Carson Wentz last weekend. Rookie fifth-rounder Yahya Black has gotten up to speed quickly.

Aaron Rodgers and the offense have been healthier, though that may change with wide receiver Calvin Austin III dealing with a shoulder injury that forced him to get checked out at a hospital in Ireland.

The Steelers haven't overwhelmed opposing defenses, but they have been able to keep them off balance. Ten players have caught passes, and five have somewhere between 10 and 15 receptions.

Tight end Pat Freiermuth is not in that group. Pittsburgh's leading receiver a year ago, Freiermuth has been a secondary option behind DK Metcalf and tight end Jonnu Smith, acquired in a surprise trade with Miami that also brought in Ramsey.

Yet Freiermuth is hardly complaining, even after being held without a catch for just the fourth time in five seasons.

Instead, he praised the game plan and the play of fellow tight end Darnwell Washington (who is built like an offensive lineman) and reserve tackle Spencer Anderson (who actually is an offensive lineman). The two saw plenty of playing time as the Steelers used bigger personnel packages in an effort to improve the running game.

As far as Freiermuth is concerned, that's fine. Pittsburgh won. He figures that's kind of the point.

“It was a great game plan,” he said. “It was a great execution by all of the offense and defense, and it was great team football.”