The Steelers are now in their offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2022, coming up just a game short of sneaking in as the seventh seed. They needed help in week 18 and only got some of it, so instead they sat home and watched the playoffs with the rest of us.
On tap is figuring out how to be on the field in January and February instead of being a spectator. They started out 2-6, digging a hole that proved too deep to dig out of even if they managed to go 7-2 in the second half of the year.
Starting from the end of the regular season and leading all the way up to the beginning of the 2023 season, there are plenty of questions that need answered, starting with who will be the offensive coordinator. Which free agents will be kept? Who might be let go due to their salary? How might they tackle free agency with this new front office? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout this offseason, as we have for many years.
Question: Who benefited the most from spring practices?
This is a rather difficult question to try to address without having any kind of firsthand information about it, but I think it’s one of the top questions that shape this time of year. Who had the best spring? Who, basically, helped their case the most at this time of year? And I think the case could be made for plenty of players, both veterans and rookies alike.
If I were going to put forward any player first, I think it would be quarterback Kenny Pickett. The degree to which he has taken over the primary leadership position of the team has been dramatic. At least in his one department, he is ahead of where Ben Roethlisberger was at the same point in their respective careers—but of course Roethlisberger walked into a very different locker room full of veterans occupying that leadership space.
Regardless of the circumstances, comparisons being irrelevant, the fact is that this is what this current Steelers team needs right now out of their quarterback. Ultimately, Pickett is going to be judged by his success or failure on the field, with his arm talent, his reads, his decision-making, his playmaking ability, but his ability to assume the reins of the offense should not be ignored.
Other players who have a case to make would including the top two rookies, Broderick Jones and Joey Porter Jr., both of whom have seen first-team reps, and perhaps Cory Trice Jr., as well, who based on reports seemed to have had a good spring.
One final player I will offer for consideration is Jaylen Warren. I don’t know what kind of playing time share he might be in for this year, but he seems to have prepared himself well for any eventuality. He has bulked up, for one thing, and is ready to take on any load. If you have any other suggestions I haven’t named, I urge you to offer them below and explain why.
