Though it was the Buffalo Bills who drew most of Colin Cowherd’s ire Tuesday, he made sure to mention the Pittsburgh Steelers as a team with – in his view – the wrong team-building approach. It’s not the first time Cowherd’s made the point and it’s doubtful it’ll be the last.
Cowherd criticized the Bills for spending money on pass rusher Leonard Floyd, recently signed to a one-year deal. As he’s discussed with Pittsburgh, Cowherd believes using cap space on defensive upgrades is the wrong approach.
“They can’t fix their o-line. Neither can Pittsburgh,” Cowherd said. “What do they have in common? A defensive coach. Do you know the four teams in the league who lead the NFL in spending money on the defensive side? Chargers, Bills, Seahawks, Steelers. All four defensive coaches. Last five years, they’re 6-12 in the playoffs. Eight years, they’ve missed the playoffs completely.”
Cowherd went on the same rant almost exactly one year ago, criticizing the Steelers after making Minkah Fitzpatrick the highest-paid safety in football. He offered a similar view, saying teams who spend money on offense with offensive-minded head coaches are the ones that are most successful.
“They have a defensive coach in clearly an offensive league,” he said.
Some of what Cowherd says has merit. It is an offensive-driven league and offensive-minded head coaches have had the most success in recent years. Andy Reid in Kansas City, Zac Taylor in Cincinnati, and Nick Sirianni in Philadelphia are recent examples. To make a serious Super Bowl push, you must have an offense that can score.
But Cowherd’s insistence on using money spent on defense as the sole metric is a narrow view of things. It doesn’t take into consideration high draft picks on economical rookie deals. Pittsburgh has invested heavy draft capital in its offensive line the last three classes, including trading up for OT Broderick Jones in 2022. The Steelers have spent draft picks and free agent dollars on improving the offensive line, adding Mason Cole, James Daniels, Isaac Seumalo, and Jones over the last two years.
For the Steelers, it’s fair to say they’re not going to compete with the Bengals or Chiefs step-for-step. They won’t win offensive shootouts if it’s Kenny Pickett versus Patrick Mahomes, winner-take-all. The Steelers are running counter to that, literally, with a ball control type of offense designed to keep guys like Mahomes off the field. That’s how Pittsburgh is building its team.
Still, Cowherd’s point still holds weight and it’s something we’ve discussed here. Pittsburgh’s model may make them a competitive team for the playoff race, a high-floor squad that should be in the hunt, but it’s fair to wonder if it’ll carry them far in the playoffs. Frankly, it’s a fairer point to make for the Steelers than the Bills, who have weapons in QB Josh Allen, WR Stefon Diggs, and went out and traded up to draft uber-athletic TE Dalton Kincaid.
And if you are going to spend defensively, adding pass rushers to slow down those top quarterbacks is the best approach. Pittsburgh’s defense has done similar, always with a revolving door of high-end rushers and interior linemen who can collapse the pocket.
You can watch the whole clip below.
