The Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster get better this offseason. Isaac Seumalo as this team’s new left guard. Markus Golden as key, quality rotational EDGE depth. A stellar draft class with heavy hitters on Days One and Two. None of that should be up for debate.
But in a sense, none of that also really matters. Because Kenny Pickett’s progression will determine how the Steelers’ season will go.
Of course, I’m being a tad hyperbolic here. The strength of an overall roster does, obviously, matter. And regardless of if you have an elite quarterback or a terrible one, a strong 2-52 of a roster plays its role. But it’s a quarterback driven league and the AFC has a bunch of Lambos in it. It’s the conference of quarterbacks with the AFC North as strong a division top to bottom as any.
It’s clear the Steelers have built this roster around taking the pressure off their quarterback. A stronger offensive line. A commitment to the run game. A defense that should remain stout, especially up front.
All of that can and will make this competitive. If they want to go further, if the Steelers want to return to their old standard of winning a playoff game, something they hasn’t done since 2016, and not just hang another “non-losing season banner,” their quarterback will have to win games. Pickett will have to rise to a moment and battle one of those top names, whoever it might be. Burrow. Herbert. Rodgers. The list goes on and on. Pickett doesn’t have to be an A-tier quarterback all season; that’d be unrealistic, but there’s moments where he’ll have to rise up.
That’s how Pittsburgh ended last season, nearly sneaking into the playoffs. Games that came down to the end with Pickett coming up clutch to beat the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, both primetime games with the latter on the road. That’s big-time stuff.
If Pickett can take a serious leap forward, the Steelers should make the playoffs. They should give whatever team they face in the postseason all it can handle. If Pickett can’t make the jump, Pittsburgh’s going to be in a similar spot. A resilient bunch punching above their weight but not a serious threat to do anything in the playoffs, if they even get that far.
I know it’s a simplified conversation. I’m normally one for nuance. Again, improving the roster around Pickett helps Pickett, too. I’m not knocking the moves Omar Khan made. Inevitably, not all of them will work but the Steelers are better off for their upgrades.
If Pittsburgh was in the NFC, it’d be a different story. There’s Jalen Hurts and not much else. The AFC? Fully loaded. It’ll be defined by the quarterbacks who step up or maintain their stellar play.
Look at the Jacksonville Jaguars. What drove them was Trevor Lawrence’s second-year jump. Like Pickett, he had too much on his plate as a rookie (though in a far more chaotic situation under the mess that was Urban Meyer) and threw more interceptions than touchdowns. In Year Two, his completion percentage jumped nearly seven points, he cut his interceptions in half, and he pushed the ball downfield far more often. That’s the blueprint for Pickett. The numbers don’t need to be gaudy. Have a Lawrence-type season, complete 66% of your passes, throw 25 touchdowns, keep it under ten picks, and that’ll be a clear jump. That’ll make Pittsburgh a playoff threat.
It is a lot of pressure? You better believe it. Welcome to being a starting quarterback in the NFL. The good news is Pickett seems up for the challenge. He ran with the chance once given the keys, becoming an immediate leader of football’s youngest offense in football. Now in Year Two, things have slowed down for him, and he can lead all the more effectively.
If you had to fill in the blanket, the Steelers’ season will be dictated by ____, it’s easily Pickett. It’s the duh answer. Quarterbacks drive everything in this league, but it’s good to say it out loud. Accept the pressure, embrace the pressure. This is Kenny Pickett’s team. It’s only right his play determines how far the Steelers go.
