With the Steelers’ 2022 season unfortunately now in the rearview mirror, a 9-8 campaign that came up short too late in spite of a strong second half, we now turn our attention to the offseason, and the many decisions that will have to be made over the course of the next several months.
This is now a young team on the offensive side of the ball, though one getting older on defense, and both sides could stand to be supplemented robustly, including in the trenches—either one. Decisions about the coaching staff must also be made, as well as who to prioritize in free agency, and what to look for from the outside, before getting to the draft.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
Topic Statement: The offensive line will have at least one new starter in 2023 who isn’t currently on the team.
Explanation: The Steelers’ offensive line has changed substantially in recent years, adding two new starters in 2022 after changing over four starters the year prior. Whether fans are happy about it or not, this unit will return largely intact next season (everybody is under contract), but that doesn’t mean they can’t find a potential upgrade somewhere, most likely through the draft.
Buy:
Considering the amount of change that we’ve seen from this line recently, it seems like a foregone conclusion. And here’s another thing to consider: while they did sign two offensive linemen in free agency, they didn’t draft any last year. How much input did Pat Meyer have on those free agents? They’ll want to get him some linemen who fit what he wants them to do.
While virtually everybody improved over the course of the season, I think we can say that at least the left side of the line can be reasonably upgraded. Both Kevin Dotson at left guard and Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle failed to provide the sort of consistency of play that lends one a long starting career.
The way the roster is formulated, it seems likely that they will try to draft at least one offensive lineman with their first three picks in the first and second rounds. That player will likely have an excellent chance of starting.
Sell:
The only changes to the offensive line last season were wholly unsurprising. Kendrick Green was clearly in over his head and not comfortable at center, so they signed a center. Trai Turner was an emergency stopgap to replace an injured David DeCastro, which they didn’t learn about until minicamp.
Now they have James Daniels and Mason Cole and Chukwuma Okorafor signed for at least a couple more years. Moore has two more years left on his rookie deal. Dotson is the only one playing out the last year on his contract at the moment.
But in case you missed it, Art Rooney II is all about keeping things consistent with the way they ended the season. They believe in the stability of the offensive line forged by logged time together. That’s one thing they got in 2022, and to their credit, they did get better, both individually and as a unit, over the course of the season.
