The busiest offseason in Pittsburgh Steelers history just might be the best one ever, too.
In the first full offseason with GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl in charge, the Steelers wheeled and dealed their way through free agency and the 2023 NFL Draft, adding a number of impact players to the roster, reshaping the depth chart in the Steel City in impressive fashion.
Names like Patrick Peterson, Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig, Keanu Neal, Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts were added to the roster in free agency, while Allen Robinson was acquired via trade. That doesn’t even touch on the strong draft class that saw the Steelers land Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington, Nick Herbig, Cory Trice Jr. and Spencer Anderson, capping off a very strong offseason for Khan and Co.
That strong offseason earned the Steelers an overall grade of “A” from CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin Friday, becoming one of just eight teams in the NFL overall to earn an “A” grade for the offseason.
“These teams have hit home runs. No, they’re not perfect. But they’ve done a commendable job putting their resources in the right places, and/or filling major needs in major ways,” Benjamin writes for CBS Sports highlighting the criteria to earn an overall top grade for the offseason.
Along with the Steelers, the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Denver Broncos earned “A” grades from Benjamin for the offseason.
Pittsburgh ranked sixth overall in the CBS Sports offseason rankings.
“They probably could’ve matched what the Lions gave Cameron Sutton to keep an ascending starter at corner. But Patrick Peterson is a plug-and-play consolation prize after a Vikings renaissance; he should thrive alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick,” Benjamin writes regarding the Steelers’ offseason. “Ex-Eagles OG Isaac Seumalo is maybe their smartest bet, bringing a quietly sterling piece of Philly’s vaunted line to Kenny Pickett’s defense. They also netted some good values in the draft in OT Broderick Jones, CB Joey Porter Jr.and TE Darnell Washington, who should pair with ex-Rams WR Allen Robinson to give them quite a red-zone team.”
The Steelers very clearly had a plan in mind for how they want to play in 2023 and beyond, and they leaned into that heavily in the offseason, landing Seumalo and Nate Herbig in the trenches along the offensive line to shore up the interior, before then adding Jones in the draft to address the need for a high-end offensive tackle, whether that’s on the left or right side.
The additions of Holcomb and Roberts reshaped the inside linebacker room, while Neal shores up the hybrid safety/linebacker role that the Steelers needed to fill after losing Terrell Edmunds to the Eagles in the offseason.
The draft was largely a home run for Khan and Co., landing talents like Porter, Benton and Washington on Day 2, giving Pittsburgh potential starters in 2023 at cornerback, nose tackle and tight end, which fits perfectly with that bully ball mentality the Steelers are leaning heavily into.
After an up-and-down 2022 season that saw the Steelers finish 9-8 but have many questions remaining ahead of the 2023 season, the Steelers have seemingly answered all of those questions, setting the franchise up for a strong 2023 season.
