One of the superlatives for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason was the sheer number of moves GM Omar Khan made in his first full season leading the charge as Pittsburgh’s general manager. It was the wildest offseason in team history, the Steelers signing a slew of outside free agents as well as retaining several of their own players. The also acquired WR Allen Robinson II in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams and moved up and down the board during the 2023 NFL Draft, trading up to select OT Broderick Jones in the first round while trading back in the third round to pick up an extra fourth-round pick to take OLB Nick Herbig.
Speaking on The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan with Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson, former Steelers QB Charlie Batch was asked about the changes on the roster and the improvement of depth at several positions. Batch agreed that the depth has drastically improved from last season, particularly in the trenches.
“Yeah, and you have to credit Omar Khan,” Batch said on The Fan Morning Show. “I mean, this is something that he went out and did something that was unprecedented in the offseason. He turned this roster around, and that’s not stuff that you typically see on a Steelers franchise. So, by him doing that, he added the depth on the offensive line, added it on the defensive line.”
When looking at the depth charts on the offensive and defensive lines from 2022 to this season, the talent and depth is a night-and-day difference. To start the 2022 season, the key reserves along the offensive line for Pittsburgh were C Kendrick Green, C J.C. Hassenauer, OL Jesse Davis and OT Trent Scott. This season, it appears that the reserves for Pittsburgh will be rookie OTs Broderick Jones and Spencer Anderson, IOL Nate Herbig, and OG Kevin Dotson, who started last year at left guard. The defensive line boasted DL DeMarvin Leal, Montravius Adams, Isaiahh Loudermilk, and Chris Wormley last season. This year, Pittsburgh returns all those guys except Wormley and added DL Keeanu Benton, Breiden Fehoko, and Armon Watts.
The Steelers are running eight deep along their defensive line, meaning that an NFL-caliber player is likely going to get cut. Batch sees this scenario occurring as well, meaning another team is going to benefit from Pittsburgh’s improved depth post-roster cutdowns.
“But now when you look at this roster, man, there’s gonna be some tough cuts that Omar Khan is gonna have to make specifically on those offensive and defensive lines. And whoever gets cut, they’ll be playing for another team next year, or I’m sorry, this season that will be sitting back at some point saying, ‘Man, that guy’s killing it somewhere else.’”
DC Teryl Austin echoed the same sentiments a few days ago, stating that the Steelers will likely have to cut a defensive lineman they know can play in the NFL. That name could be Adams or Loudermilk, two players who have seen notable time as reserves for Pittsburgh the last two seasons. That speaks to the job Khan and the front office did this offseason adding depth and competition to the entire roster, let alone the offensive and defensive lines. Pittsburgh has come a long way from having to rely on DL Henry Mondeaux and Daniel Archibong just a couple seasons ago.
The best teams in the NFL have depth and talent to rotate fresh bodies on the defensive line as well as players waiting in the wings to step in if needed on the offensive line. We saw that blueprint with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, bullying teams on their way to a Super Bowl appearance. It appears like former Eagles executive and current Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl as well as Khan are implementing that same blueprint in Pittsburgh, prioritizing the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football to build a tough, physical team that can weather the storms and make a playoff push.
