It has been one of the busiest offseasons in Pittsburgh Steelers history. It also might be one of the best ever, too.
GM Omar Khan, in his first full offseason in charge of the Steelers, had a rather remarkable debut in free agency and in the NFL Draft, landing a number of experienced veterans to plug holes, while hitting a major home run in the draft, landing a handful of high-end prospects.
Top to bottom, the roster in Pittsburgh got better as Khan addressed seemingly all of the issues the Steelers had entering the offseason, setting Pittsburgh up for a rather intriguing season.
Coming off of a strong offseason, it’s no surprise that the Steelers were ranked inside the top 10 of best offseasons for all 32 NFL teams by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. Where they landed is a surprise though, coming in at No. 10 behind the likes of the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills.
“The offensive line got better. A line that has been a liability for years is working its way back toward adequacy,” Barnwell writes regarding what he believes went right for Pittsburgh in the offseason. “New Steelers general manager Omar Khan imported guard Isaac Seumalo from the Eagles then traded up in the first round of the draft to jump the Jets for left tackle Broderick Jones. Dan Moore has been overmatched over the past two seasons on the blind side; now, in addition to getting a higher-ceiling tackle into the starting lineup, Pittsburgh will have an experienced option at swing tackle.”
The offensive line was a priority again this offseason, and the Steelers did very well with some savvy moves in free agency signing Nate Herbig as a depth guard/center combination before adding Isaac Seumalo on a three-year deal, snagging him away from the Philadelphia Eagles to slot him in at left guard, That gives Pittsburgh a solid interior trio of Seumalo, center Mason Cole and right guard James Daniels, solidifying the Steelers moving forward.
Trading up for Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft was another wise move as Pittsburgh landed a potential franchise left tackle with the move. Once he passes Dan Moore Jr. on the depth chart, Pittsburgh’s depth will be solidified at the position, too, thanks to Moore’s 34 career NFL starts.
Pittsburgh also added wide receiver Allen Robinson II via trade with the Los Angeles Rams to continue a strong offseason, and signed veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson, safety Keanu Neal, and outside linebacker Markus Golden to shore up depth and fill key roles.
However, two moves in the signings of Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts has Barnwell believing the Steelers went wrong at inside linebacker this offseason.
“The inside linebacker cycle churned on. This isn’t supposed to happen to the Steelers, and it’s a product of one or two moments of awful luck,” Barnwell writes regarding the moves at inside linebacker for the Steelers that went wrong in his eyes. “I’m old-fashioned, I guess. [Ryan] Shazier and [Devin] Bush didn’t work out because of injuries — and trading up in the first round for an inside linebacker isn’t a great idea on paper anyway — but isn’t this the NFL equivalent of Linebacker U? The Steelers are impeccable at drafting and developing edge defenders, with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith as the most recent in a series of devastating duos. But this feels like a position they could have addressed in the middle rounds of the draft and put their money toward more significant upgrades elsewhere.”
Inside linebacker was a major need for the Steelers entering the offseason, and Pittsburgh seemingly plugged the MACK and BUCK positions well with Holcomb and Roberts. Pittsburgh completely overhauled the inside linebacker room, letting Bush and Robert Spillane walk in free agency before then cutting Myles Jack after signing Roberts, freeing up cap space.
The Steelers certainly did their due diligence on the inside linebacker position ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, but it’s clear that they didn’t value some of the prospects the way the rest of the league did at the position. Inside linebacker certainly remains a bit of a concern, especially behind Roberts and Holcomb, but it appears as though the two starters fit the defense better than Jack, Bush, and Spillane did in recent seasons.
Overall, the Steelers have had a really good offseason, addressing a number of holes, adding significant experience to the roster on both sides of the football, and landing high-ceiling talent in seemingly every round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh appears to be in really good shape ahead of the 2023 season thanks to a terrific offseason. It should be a bit higher than 10 in Barnwell’s rankings.
