Although in recent years many Pittsburgh Steelers fans would label Colin Cowherd a “hater” of the team, this offseason he is becoming one of their biggest supporters. Despite over the last few years saying he was not a fan of the way the Steelers were being built, Cowherd has now shifted his tone. Today on The Herd he said the Steelers have one of the best rosters in the NFL.
“I will argue this all day, they have a top-five roster in the league,” Cowherd said. “I think their roster is loaded except for corner, I like it everywhere. I think their o-line could be an OC problem, not a talent problem.”
Pittsburgh does have a good roster and even Steelers Depot’s own Jonathan Heitritter pointed out that this year may be the best roster Pittsburgh has had since 2020. The Steelers have a strong running back duo in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren while also boasting a big-time playmaker in George Pickens and an elite route runner in Diontae Johnson at wide receiver. On defense, they have three of the best players in football in T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Cameron Heyward.
The Steelers are poised to make noise this season, especially after beefing up their offensive line with the additions of guard Isaac Seumalo and left tackle Broderick Jones (especially if he wins the starting job). There are two big question marks though: their cornerbacks and QB Kenny Pickett.
Starting with the cornerback room, Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace are the projected Day One starters and that is a bit frightening. While Peterson had a good year last season, he is not in his prime by any means, and Wallace is a good cornerback but not a great one. Rookie Joey Porter Jr. could end up becoming a superstar. Lord knows there is that potential there, but you can’t bank on that. The Steelers will need to rely on their pass rush to mask their weakness at cornerback.
Pickett has to take a step forward this season. While he ended last season on a high note, that high note is still not good enough to compete with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen. Three of the best quarterbacks in the NFL play in the AFC, and while Pickett does not have to be better than them, he has to prove that he can hold his own if he faces off against them in games that become a shootout.
Cowherd isn’t the only fan of this year’s Steelers team. His co-host, Jason McIntyre, has been very outspoken about his Steelers support this year as earlier this offseason he predicted them to make the AFC Championship Game. Today, McIntyre continued his praise.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to call them a team of destiny yet this year, but they’re definitely on the short list,” said McIntyre. “The problem is their division, man. Ravens, Bengals, Browns.”
Pittsburgh certainly has potential to make a run this year, but the AFC is loaded, and especially the AFC North. But, with a roster as strong as the Steelers’ is and if Pickett does make a jump who is to say the team can’t make a run? Once you get into the playoffs anything can happen and I am a believer that this Steelers team can win 11 to 13 games. That should be enough to at least snag a wild card spot and then who knows what could happen. Defense wins championships and the Steelers should have a great defense if they stay healthy.
There are obviously question marks on the Steelers’ roster that Cowherd pointed out, but almost every team has some sort of question mark. Other than how much Pickett will improve, the question marks around the roster are not that serious. While the cornerback room isn’t amazing, it isn’t horrendous either. The team has good safeties and an elite pass rush. These two things combined should be able to mask a bit of the lack of talent in the cornerback room.
Hearing Cowherd praise the Steelers is kind of weird, but Steelers fans will certainly be happy about it. Even with the praise about the strength of the roster, the team has to show up. How many times have we heard about how good the Cleveland Browns’ roster is only for them to end the year with a losing record? The Steelers have to show up on the field, and if they do there is serious potential for this team to mark some noise.
