The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Will Javon Hargrave wreck the Steelers’ game plan?
Things have not gone well when the Steelers have had to play DT Javon Hargrave since he left the team as a free agent in 2020. They have played against him twice. He sacked Ben Roethlisberger back in 2020. He sacked Kenny Pickett last year. While they beat the Eagles the first time in the Chase Claypool game, they struggled to contain their former standout defensive lineman.
He has continued to stand out, which earned him a four-year, $81 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, and which puts him up against Pittsburgh yet again, facing his former team for the third time in four years since leaving.
They had no answer for him last year, recording two sacks and eight tackles with a forced fumble. One hopes that it will be easier this year, and perhaps it will be with the offensive line now in a better spot than it was at the time.
C Mason Cole and RG James Daniels were still finding themselves as free agents in the first half of the season a year ago as they and the rest of the line adjusted to new offensive line coach Pat Mayer’s approach. They added Isaac Seumalo at left guard this offseason as well.
After posting 11 sacks and 10 tackles for loss last season in his final year with the Eagles, Hargrave is poised to continue to wreak havoc playing with Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa on the 49ers’ front line. The Steelers, and everybody else for that matter, will struggle to find the resources to commit double teams to him.
If Pittsburgh can’t keep pressure from coming up the middle, it’s going to be a long day for Pickett and the running backs to get anything done. We’ve seen this song and dance before. There is optimism that there will be improvement this year, but the 49ers, now with Hargrave, are a really tough first draw.
