One of the areas the Pittsburgh Steelers prioritized this offseason was the offensive line. While they will never be able to please their staunchest critics who want to devote every available resource to the trenches, they have conceivably rebuilt the left side of the offensive line in one offseason while also bolstering depth.
And a pair of analysts, Adam Caplan and Scott Ferrall, agree that it will be pivotal in whatever success the team has this year. Collaborating for SportsGrid Radio earlier this month, they discussed the AFC North and highlighted this area of the roster for Pittsburgh.
“Isaac Seumalo came over from Philly. That was a good move”, Caplan said. “They got Broderick Jones, their first-round pick out of Georgia, he’ll be their left tackle. [Chukwuma] Okorafor, of course, is the right tackle. They’re really deep. I like this roster”.
He did conclude it might not be enough, competing in arguably the deepest division in the league, as did Ferrall, but while the latter felt the Steelers wouldn’t come out on top, they would get close, and I would imagine be good enough to get into the playoffs.
“I think the Steelers will lose out to the Bengals, but I think the Steelers end up doing better than the Browns and the Ravens when it’s all said and done based on their depth on offense, based on their depth on that offensive line”, he said. “That was their biggest problem last year. That’s solved. The left side of that line is vicious”.
That left side, at least at some point in the near future, will feature Jones at left tackle with Seumalo at left guard. Seumalo is a very smart, seasoned veteran with a nasty streak. Jones is a very physical and physically gifted athletic offensive tackle, but he will first have to earn the starting job from Dan Moore Jr.—who, to his credit, does have a mean streak of his own.
The rest of the offensive line projects to be run back from last season, with Mason Cole at center, James Daniels at right guard, and the aforementioned Okorafor at right tackle. This might not be a starting five you write books about, but it should coalesce into a much improve and potentially very good group.
Still, a good or even great offensive line can only do so much. We’ve heard a number of other analysts this offseason ultimately conclude that the brunt of the team’s fate falls on the progression of second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Caplan and Ferrall also cited offensive coordinator Matt Canada as well as the cornerback position as potential Achilles’ heels this year, which is certainly fair. The former. really doesn’t need to be elaborated upon. As for the latter, you’re dealing with a 33-year-old new to the team and either a rookie or a journeyman-level number two on the other. With a new starting strong safety behind him on top of that.
