It’s hard to find any holes on the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers entering the 2023 season after a whirlwind offseason from GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl.
The offensive line is in great shape, wide receiver depth is solid, outside linebackers might be a team strength now and the safety room looks relatively deep. Cornerback and inside linebacker remain question marks, but the Steelers certainly have proven options there.
Despite a strong roster, a burgeoning, young second-year quarterback in Kenny Pickett and a Hall of Fame coach in Mike Tomlin, the Steelers seem to be overlooked ahead of the 91st season in franchise history, especially in a loaded AFC and AFC North.
Touchdown Wire’s Jarrett Bailey highlighted the Steelers as one of the three “most slept on” teams in the NFL — and the only one in the AFC — Thursday morning and said picking the Steelers to finish last in the division and miss the playoffs is a major mistake far too many seem to be making.
“It’s truly astonishing to see the amount of respected media folks who are penciling the Steelers into the fourth-place slot in the AFC North. The last time Pittsburgh finished at the bottom of their division, ‘So Emotional’ by Whitney Houston was the No. 1 song in America,” Bailey writes regarding the Steelers being a slept-on team. “The Steelers were winners in seven of their final nine games in 2022, and they added a ton of talent this offseason. The left side of their offensive line was addressed by drafting Georgia left tackle Broderick Jones and signing former Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo. In addition, they also added cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Joey Porter Jr, and tight end Darnell Washington. And, of course, the three All-Pros on defense- T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Cam Heyward– are all returning, and are still performing at a high level.
“Pittsburgh has the best coach in the division, a roster that got better, and a favorable schedule. As long as Kenny Pickett is a respectable NFL starter, the Steelers will be a playoff team.”
Yes, Pittsburgh might not have the quarterback to compete — talent-wise — with Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson in the division, and names like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen within the AFC. But they don’t need Pickett to be a star-level quarterback to be a very good team.
With Pickett still on a rookie contract, the Steelers were financially able to go out and load up around him, bringing in a number of proven veterans to plug holes on both sides of the football. In the process, that made the Steelers not only better, but deeper.
Players like Isaac Seumalo, Allen Robinson II, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Keanu Neal and Patrick Peterson will provide tremendous veteran leadership at major areas of need, while also being serviceable players on the field helping fill key roles overall.
Khan and Weidl nailed the draft, too, landing rookies Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig, all of whom should contribute immediately in 2023.
Based on the way the Steelers closed the 2022 season in strong fashion — going 7-2 down the stretch — and with an impressive offseason that saw the roster get better on paper, the 2023 season looks like a promising one for the Black and Gold. They’re certainly slept on though within the division and the conference.
That might end up being a major mistake when it’s all said and done this season.
