In just four days the Pittsburgh Steelers will play a somewhat meaningful game, opening the 2023 preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road at Raymond James Stadium.
Though we won’t learn much about the Steelers overall in that preseason opener, it’ll be good to see the Black and Gold in action in a real NFL game after months of speculation following a busy, exciting offseason.
Real NFL game will put to rest some of the endless offseason talk, but for now there are still a few days left for such talk. That includes a preseason power ranking from NFL.com’s Eric Edholm Tuesday afternoon, which has the Steelers inside the top 20, just ahead of the New England Patriots in the AFC. They are behind the likes of the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars from 10 to 20.
“Some say the Steelers can only go as far as QB Kenny Pickett and a revamped defense will take them. But the supporting staff for Pickett on offense also appears better, starting with the offensive line but also applying to his skill-position talent,” Edholm writes regarding the Steelers landing at No. 19. “For one, WR George Pickens is having a standout camp and appears in line for a big role — welcome news for Pittsburgh fans who griped he was underused a year ago. But two other interesting additions also could make their presence felt. Trade acquisition Allen Robinson is starting to come on after a few seasons where it looked like the veteran wideout had lost his way. And third-round TE Darnell Washington seemed to make his presence felt the minute the Steelers put on pads in camp. His mass, athleticism and blocking/receiving skills make him a fascinating specimen.”
Offensively, the Steelers have certainly gotten better top to bottom, at least on paper.
Pickett appears poised for a significant jump at the position after his rookie season, which has seemingly become a common occurrence for second-year quarterbacks in the NFL.
It helps that Pittsburgh put quite a bit around him this offseason, upgrading the offensive line with the signing of guard Isaac Seumalo and the selection of Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Not only that, Pittsburgh addressed depth at receiver with the trade for Allen Robinson II, who has looked rather good throughout the offseason and in training camp. Pittsburgh also brought in rookie tight end Darnell Washington, giving Pittsburgh a significant matchup nightmare for defenses moving forward.
The success — or failure — of the offense in 2023 will ride on how the offense grows and evolves under third-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who remains under considerable fire for the lack of explosive plays and scoring in Pittsburgh.
But even with a ton of the focus on the offense and the improvements made on paper and needed on the field moving forward, a lot will ride on the star-studded Steelers defense. It’s the highest-paid defense in the league for a reason and will be leaned on to create splash plays, force turnovers and create short fields for an offense that continues to develop.
