It seems to be that as time passes along this offseason, pundits are starting to take a closer look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and just what they have to offer on paper. While a lot of things have to fall into place—particularly a significant jump from the quarterback position—they actually do have a pretty impressive set of weapons on offense, for example.
That’s what cornerback Patrick Peterson has seen through four weeks of spring practices, having to go up against these guys. That includes two players that have already been to the Pro Bowl in Pittsburgh, a potential future Pro Bowler or two, and another who had been to the Pro Bowl earlier in his career.
“What’s gonna be crazy is when we see Pat [Freiermuth], when we see Diontae [Johnson], when we got doggone [George Pickens], then we got Najee [Harris], that’s like, five homerun hitters, guys that can move the chains, guys that you need to account for”, Peterson said on his All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden.
Starting with Harris, he went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2021, and during the second half of the 2022 season when he started to get over a foot injury, he was looking like one of the most physical runners in the game. Diontae Johnson was a Pro Bowler in 2021 as well with Ben Roethlisberger, and George Pickens certainly has that potential. The Pro Bowl room is crowded at tight end, but Freiermuth could potentially have Mark Andrews-like numbers if targeted enough, and Allen Robinson II has a Pro Bowl in his resume as well, with a few 1000-yard seasons.
“When defenses see that, they’re gonna have to pick their poison”, Peterson added, “and having an opportunity to go up against those guys, go up against the offense over the last month, it’s gonna be quite the show to watch. I just pray and hope that everybody can stay healthy”.
Robinson of course is coming off of a season-ending foot injury last season with the Los Angeles Rams, but should be up to full speed by the time training camp opens. Freiermuth is reportedly overcoming some minor injury right now, but also stated himself he will be ready. Nobody else has any known injuries in that group.
Outside of the starting five, they also have some other compelling potential contributors all over the place. What dimension can wide receiver Calvin Austin III add to the offense? Jaylen Warren is another complete back behind Harris. Connor Heyward can do a little bit of everything, including receiving, and as for Darnell Washington, well, he’ll be contributing in his own ways.
Again, it comes down to how well everything comes together, though. That’s not just from the quarterback position but also with the offensive line. Things look pretty exciting on paper, but as always, things have to fall into place in order for the Steelers to be able to get the most out of the ingredients they’re cooking with.
