ESPN put on an article this morning ranking every position group, and the Pittsburgh Steelers roster finished at 11th overall, while their outside linebacker unit was named the best in the NFL and their quarterback room was named a “unit to watch.”
The Steelers quarterback room was ranked No. 23 in the league, but Mike Clay thinks Kenny Pickett could impress this season.
“Year 2 is the breakout season for quarterbacks and Kenny Pickett was the only QB selected in the first round in 2022. The Pitt product underwhelmed as a rookie, but that’s been the case for many QBs who went on to emerge as good-to-great pro starters. The Pittsburgh offense was better than the scoreboard suggested last season (18th in offensive EPA) and added some upgrades during the offseason, including guard Isaac Seumalo and WR Allen Robinson II.”
The expectation is that, in addition to the playbook opening up more on offense, Pickett will take a bit of a leap. The offensive line is improved, he has a legitimate slot receiver in Allen Robinson II and Calvin Austin III adds a speed element the team lacked last season. Pickett feels he’s improved his footwork and his mental game, and his development will be crucial in determining what type of season the Steelers have.
We already wrote about the Steelers having a top-two EDGE unit, but Clay has since decided to bump them up. He went into more detail as to why.
“T.J. Watt missed a chunk of last season, but the 28-year-old remained an impact player when healthy, with a 22.1% pass rush win rate, and leads the NFL with 70.5 sacks over the last five seasons. Running mate Alex Highsmith finished sixth in the league with 14.5 sacks last season and was rewarded with a four-year, $68 million extension in July. Underrated veteran Markus Golden (who has three 10-plus sack seasons) and youngsters DeMarvin Leal and Nick Herbig provide solid depth.”
Outside of getting Watt back, Pittsburgh did a good job to attack that room and add depth after the disastrous results sans-Watt in seven games last season. Herbig has impressed in camp thus far, while Golden is a steady veteran and a good mentor for Herbig. Highsmith has a chance to really shine with team’s needing to focus on Watt, and he’s confident he can beat the 14.5 sacks he got last season.
In the extremely unfortunate scenario Watt or Highsmith need to miss any amount of time, the Steelers are now well-positioned to replace them. While Golden or Herbig obviously aren’t at the Watt-Highsmith level, Golden at least has a history of NFL production and both should be big upgrades from where Pittsburgh was last season.
The team’s next highest-rated position group was tight end, which ranked No. 7 in the league. Interior defensive line came in at No. 8, with safety just sneaking in the top ten at No. 10. The offensive line and wide receiver room both ranked at No. 15, with running back ranking in the dead middle at No. 16. Pittsburgh’s cornerback room finished ranked No. 19, while their revamped off-ball linebacker group slotted in at No. 20.
That means the quarterback room at No. 23 was their lowest-rated room. But Clay seems optimistic about Pickett, and an overall rating of No. 11 is right where Pittsburgh probably belongs. But soon enough, Pittsburgh’s going to have to leave it all on the field and ignore the rankings and any outside noise, and that starts tonight with their preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
