For as effusive as the praise has been at times for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ moves this offseason, whether through free agency, the draft, or even via trade, there still haven’t been a ton of people picking them to actually do much in 2023. Most see them as little more than a borderline playoff team with 10-7 as their ceiling.
Perhaps that’s starting to change a bit after minicamp as we head into the break. Brett Kollman, for example, recently said that he sees a potential 13-win season in Pittsburgh this year, citing the “insane” talent level they have on both sides of the ball.
NFL analyst David Carr has been perhaps one of the most consistent commentators this offseason, however, in talking about the AFC North as a wide-open race. Back in May he said it was “absolutely up for grabs” and that “Pittsburgh’s gonna be right there at the end”.
During a recent NFL Total Access segment, he was asked about which team he believes is the biggest threat to the Cincinnati Bengals, who have won the division title for two consecutive years. In an odd segment, he said, “I really do think it’s the Steelers”, but then proceeded to talk extensively about the Cleveland Browns without adding anything else about Pittsburgh.
The Steelers, it seems, would be his ‘safe’ pick, the team he believes gives the Bengals the biggest challenge with the fewest number of variables. But the Browns, he apparently argues, present the highest upside, largely riding on Deshaun Watson and whether or not he can play like he did a few years ago.
That’s obviously what the Browns are hoping, given what they went through, both in terms of cash, draft capital, and public relations, in order to get him. He didn’t look much like a $230-million quarterback last year, but that was in just six games after having more than a season and a half off.
When it comes to the Steelers, the quarterback position is also the biggest question. How many strides can Kenny Pickett take in his second season? If he can make a fairly significant year-two jump, then you very much can make the argument that they should be right in the mix for the division title this year.
Yes, in anybody’s case, including the Bengals’, a lot of things still have to go right. The offensive line needs to gel and take another step forward this year. The new pieces on defense like Patrick Peterson and the inside linebackers have to pan out.
But the Steelers’ combination of offensive and defensive playmakers can rival anybody else’s in the division. Other teams have great pass rushers, but nobody has a trio as good as the Steelers’ T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Cameron Heyward. I don’t think anybody has an offensive RB-WR-TE trio with as high an upside as Pittsburgh, either.
