The Pittsburgh Steelers offseason has gotten praise rather universally this offseason, with the team making an effort to plug it’s biggest holes with new additions at offensive line, cornerback and inside linebacker. Pittsburgh’s offseason was ranked among the best in the league by Sports Illustrated, who had the team No. 3 on their list of the ten best offseasons in the NFL.
“It won’t be a surprise if the Steelers post double-digit wins in 2023, judging from their offseason moves—and because Mike Tomlin has never had a losing record in 15 seasons as coach. The Steelers improved Kenny Pickett’s offensive line with Seumalo and first-round pick Jones. And perhaps Robinson will have a bounce-back season playing alongside Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. Washington could be a steal for the Steelers as a third-round pick, and even if he doesn’t reach his upside, he’ll probably have a safe floor as a 6’7″ red zone target and stout blocker. Peterson and Porter Jr., on the other hand, will fill needs in the secondary to give a stacked defense more playmakers,” Gilberto Manzano wrote.
The addition of Isaac Seumalo gives Pittsburgh two of the better guards in the NFL, as him and James Daniels should prove to be an impressive tandem. Adding Broderick Jones in the first round of the NFL Draft gives the Steelers another athletic mauler who’s a monster out in space and should make a big impact in the run game, provided he can beat out Dan Moore Jr. for the team’s starting left tackle job. The Steelers passing offense also improved with the addition of Robinson II, a former Pro Bowl receiver who should prove to be a great mentor to George Pickens as well as potentially having a bounce-back season playing the big slot role for the Steelers. Third-round pick Darnell Washington has size and can be a red zone threat as Manzano mentioned, but he’s going to make the most noise as a run blocker.
For Pittsburgh to reach double-digit wins, which is a very attainable number for the level of talent this team has, especially when considering they won nine games last season, the run game is going to have to be solid. This team is built to ground-and-pound their way to victory, and Najee Harris is going to need to take a step up from his career 3.9 yards per carry number. While there should be more trust in Kenny Pickett as he enters Year Two and hopefully an expanded playbook along with it with more diverse route trees for his receivers, the primary focus of this team is going to be winning with the run between Harris and second-year back Jaylen Warren.
All that doesn’t even touch on the team’s defensive additions. Losing Cameron Sutton is a blow, especially due to his ability to play inside. But Patrick Peterson and Joey Porter Jr. are good additions, and if Cory Trice Jr. stays healthy and gets a chance to play, his length could disrupt receivers similar to Porter Jr. If Peterson is to be believed, Chandon Sullivan could be a good fit in the slot, although that’s Pittsburgh’s weakest position on paper right now. The inside linebacker room should be at least slightly improved, provided Cole Holcomb is healthy. Holcomb and Elandon Roberts may not have been the flashiest additions, but they’re both proven veterans who should hopefully be an upgrade over what Pittsburgh got out of Myles Jack, Devin Bush and Robert Spillane last season. The other big loss this team had was Terrell Edmunds at safety, but the combination of Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal is intriguing, as Kazee is better in coverage than Edmunds while Neal can replicate the dime backer role that Edmunds occasionally played. It’s going to be fun to watch this Pittsburgh defense.
All-in-all, the Steelers got better this offseason. That’s all you really can ask. Now it’s time for them to put it together on the field and show how much better they got. The 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers should be a playoff team. Let’s see if they can prove it on the field.
