At this point leading up to the start of the 2023 season, if you aren’t on the bandwagon of the Pittsburgh Steelers from a national media perspective, the wagon is running out of seats.
Following an offseason of some incredible hype and overall praise surrounding the Steelers and second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett, not to mention a star-studded defenses, the noise is only getting louder, thanks to the comments from an anonymous longtime NFL personnel executive to the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora Monday morning.
In a piece for the Post, the longtime executive called the Steelers his “sleeper” in the AFC, stating that he believes the Steelers might be the best team in the AFC North, and that the offense under offensive coordinator Matt Canada and Pickett is going to “be a problem” for the NFL in 2023.
Talk about high praise.
“That’s my sleeper in the AFC right there,” said one longtime NFL personnel executive who has scouted the AFC North, according to original reporting from La Canfora for the Washington Post. “I love what they’re doing. They’re building a deep football team, man. They had another great offseason. They overhauled the offensive line, and I think that’s the best defense in the AFC North.
“They found five more starters in the draft, and I was talking to some of their [scouts] and they really like this lineman they got from Maryland [seventh-round guard Spencer Anderson], and I’m not even counting that kid because I didn’t see him much. Look out for the Steelers. They are going to make noise.”
Noise is something that the Steelers already made this offseason, thanks to a tremendous job by GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl in free agency, through a savvy trade, and with an outstanding draft class haul.
Adding the type of pieces in names like Patrick Peterson, Isaac Seumalo, Kwon Alexander, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Markus Golden and Allen Robinson II via free agency and a trade was outstanding in building up the depth for Pittsburgh and addressing key areas of need on the roster. Then, in the 2023 NFL Draft, Khan and Weidl nailed it again, putting together a remarkable class overall, headlined by names like Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton.
That doesn’t even touch on Anderson, the player the longtime executive highlighted. Anderson has been quite a find, stepping in to play four of the five positions on the offensive line in training camp and the preseason, earning a spot on the 53-man roster as key depth for Pittsburgh.
Everything revolves around the quarterback though in today’s NFL. Fortunately, Pittsburgh seems to have a guy in Pickett who came on strong down the stretch as a rookie in 2022, leading the Steelers to a 7-2 record in the second half, putting together some consistent late-game magic to win games.
The magic carried over into training camp and the preseason this summer as Pickett lit it up. The buzz around Pickett is at an all-time high now with the longtime executive among the latest to heap praise on him.
“He is going to be a franchise quarterback,” the executive said to La Canfora for the Washington Post. “You already know I liked what I saw a year ago, and he’s building on it. This year, I think [Matt Canada] has a real coming out party with the quarterback. I could see it coming last year. This offense is going to be a problem.”
On paper, it certainly seems like the Steelers’ offense could be a problem in 2023 — in a good way. Pickett certainly looks the part at the most important position in sports. He’s a natural leader and has guys buying in around him with his confidence and overall comfort in the offensive scheme.
Add in a rebuilt offensive line with the addition of Seumalo at left guard solidifying the entire unit, the growth and development of wide receivers George Picks and Diontae Johnson, along with tight end Pat Freiermuth, and the strong 1-2 punch in the backfield with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, and the firepower is in place for Pittsburgh offensively.
After going five-for-five in the preseason, scoring touchdowns on drives the starters played offensively, which featured the ever-elusive explosive plays in 2022, the offense looks to be in a great spot entering 2023. Consistency will be the key.
If the offense is consistent, the defense stays healthy and plays as good as many believe that they are, the Steelers will find themselves pushing for not only an AFC North division title in 2023, but putting themselves into the conversation as a legitimate contender in a tough AFC overall.
