Call Willie Colon biased, mostly because he is, but he expects the Pittsburgh Steelers to return to the postseason after narrowly missing out in 2022. Appearing on 93.7 The Fan with Chris Mueller and Andrew Fillipponi, Colon is betting big on Pittsburgh in 2023.
“I got this team going to the playoffs,” Colon told the show. “I love the addition of Kwon Alexander, like we just talked about. [Patrick Peterson’s] gonna be great. Minkah, Cam and TJ’s gonna be them. I think Kenny Pickett is gonna be solid. I think having another year under his belt, having that connection with George Pickens is gonna be great. Najee, I hope, remains hungry and focused which I expect him to.”
The Steelers added to their inside linebacker room by signing Alexander to a contract on Sunday. He immediately joined the team and practiced in full and will be part of the team’s first padded practice on Tuesday. He’s the latest example of Pittsburgh overhauling their inside linebacker room after adding Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Tanner Muse, and Nick Kwiatkoski earlier in the offseason.
Peterson was one of the teams’ biggest free-agent pickups, replacing the departed Cam Sutton. Peterson could have a similar role as Sutton, a chess piece in the secondary, and he’s already played outside corner, slot corner, and safety.
Colon pointed to a more underrated free agent pickup.
“I think a sneaky good pick was Nate Herbig. That kid, he has a lot of Steeler in him. He’s a guy I got to watch a little bit as a Jet. He’s a gritty, downright just play in the mud, let’s go get it type of dude. So I like the addition of him. And the bottom line, man, I got the Steelers going to the playoffs and hopefully making a good run.”
After being drafted by Pittsburgh, Colon spent three seasons playing for the New York Jets from 2013-2015. A native of the Bronx, he got to watch the Jets when Herbig spent the 2022 season with the team. Stylistically, the two are similar; large road-graders with fun personalities. Herbig will start the year as a backup but could be next-man-up at all three interior positions, logging snaps at center during Sunday’s practice.
Pittsburgh will look to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2021 when they were quickly bounced by the Kansas City Chiefs on Wild Card weekend. But the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 when they made it to the AFC Championship Game. Along the way, they’ve been upset at home by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 and the Cleveland Browns in 2020; the latter, one of the team’s worst playoff defeats in history.
There is serious pressure for Pittsburgh to end that drought in 2023 and they have the roster to do it. But they’re facing the gauntlet that is the AFC and the AFC North, accompanied by three division rivals that all have high playoff hopes, too.
