On Wednesday, Brian Baldinger, a guest with Andrew Lavey on the NFL Total Access Podcast, broke down why each team in the AFC North could potentially win the division. For Pittsburgh, he thinks that the team improved everywhere after a 9-8 record in 2022.
“I think this team is better in every single category than they were a year ago,” Baldinger said. “To see a second year of George Pickens, who looks like he’s going to be a breakout star, to see Kenny Pickett the way he finished the year with wins against the Raiders and wins at Baltimore.”
He specifically cited the offensive line additions and the pass rush as areas where Pittsburgh could stand to improve this season. He added that he expects rookies Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. to be starters by the end of the year.
“It would surprise me if the two corners were not starting corners by the end of the year in Pittsburgh,” Baldinger said.
It would certainly be a bit of a surprise if both Porter and Trice were starters by the end of the year, but it would be a welcome one. Porter could end up starting alongside Patrick Peterson, but for Trice to start he’d have to surpass multiple people on the depth chart.
Regardless, the Steelers did get better across the board in advance of 2023. Signing Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig while drafting Broderick Jones and Spencer Anderson improves the line both in terms of starters and when it comes to depth. Allen Robinson II and Calvin Austin III should improve the slot, while Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts should be an upgrade over Myles Jack and Devin Bush.
The Steelers won nine games with a worse roster last season, so they should be able to improve to a team that can get 10 or 11 wins this season with a roster that almost universally improved. The offense is going to have to expand and be better from the 2022 group, but with Pickett getting more comfortable in the NFL with more weapons and a better line, the offense really should be better.
Plus, T.J. Watt should be fully healthy in 2023 after missing time with a torn pectoral last season, and adding Markus Golden should improve the edge depth. One underrated component of the defense is getting Larry Ogunjobi healthy. That should improve the team’s run defense and pass rush alongside Cameron Heyward.
There’s a lot to be excited about for the Steelers. If they were in a division like the AFC South, I think a lot more analysts would be picking to win the division, but that’s not how things work. The AFC North is going to be brutal, but the Steelers should be able to do enough to come at least close to the top of the division. I would be surprised if they weren’t fighting until the very end.
