The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the most talented starting lineups in the NFL on paper, at least according to most resources. Perhaps Pro Football Focus wouldn’t be on the top of the list in terms of putting them in the conversation for having the best. The site recently ranked every roster in the NFL, and while the Steelers were included in the top 10, they just made the cut.
The Baltimore Ravens were deemed to have the best roster in the NFL, followed by the New Orleans Saints, the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Unsurprisingly, in their analysis, the Steelers’ biggest strength is their pass rush, after leading the league in sacks for three consecutive seasons. The Steelers had the NFL’s highest-graded pass rush last season, and it was a well-rounded pass rush”, Ben Linsey wrote.
“T.J. Watt was the highest-graded edge defender in the league (91.3 overall). Cameron Heyward was the second-highest-graded interior defender in the NFL behind only Aaron Donald. Bud Dupree put together a career year off the edge, earning a franchise tag for the 2020 season”, he added. “The Steelers might have lost Javon Hargrave, but the return of Stephon Tuitt — who was off to a terrific start last season before going down with an injury in Week 6 — should ensure this remains one of the league’s most dangerous rushes”.
Despite having the 31st-ranked offense last year, however, they also determined that the team’s biggest weakness is also on defense, in the form of third-year safety Terrell Edmunds, their first-round pick that year.
“The additions of Steven Nelson and Minkah Fitzpatrick last year gave the Pittsburgh secondary a boost, but safety Terrell Edmunds still sticks out as the weak link among the starters”, the entry reads. “There just haven’t been many signs of growth to this point. At only 23, Edmunds will get another chance to show that growth this season, but his time might be running out”, noting other players emerging to compete for snaps.
As I like to remind, of course, Edmunds has dealt with a lot of change in his first two seasons, and expectations beyond where they should have been. His 2019 season was disappointing, but he also had a mid-season change in who was starting next to him. I still believe he can be a solid starter. He has the physical talent.
