The offensive line was a major letdown on Saturday in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, with Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks absorbing four sacks and the team running for just 74 yards on 24 carries against a run defense that’s struggled this season. Former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw said on Fox NFL Kickoff that the Steelers have to improve their offensive line to find success on offense.
“They have got to draft offensive linemen and protect their quarterback. Kenny Pickett is the answer at quarterback, and you’ve got running backs who can run with the football but you’re not giving them a crease. You’ve gotta improve that offensive line,” Bradshaw said.
The team spent a first-round pick on offensive tackle Broderick Jones in the 2023 NFL Draft, trading up to acquire him. Jones has been decent and has helped spark Pittsburgh’s run game since entering the starting lineup in Week Nine at right tackle, but he still has some issues in pass protection. Dan Moore Jr. has struggled a bit at left tackle this season, and it wouldn’t be a surprise for Pittsburgh to again target the tackle position early in the draft.
Center is also one of the Steelers’ biggest needs, with Mason Cole struggling as a blocker and with snaps at times this season. It’s a position that Pittsburgh will likely look to target early in April.
Bradshaw also doesn’t think Mike Tomlin will leave the Steelers this offseason.
“I don’t think he’ll do that,” Bradshaw said in response to Michael Strahan saying Tomlin’s only leaving if he wants to. “Just simply because he wants to make sure he gets it back.”
One of the best things you can do is a leave place better than you found it. If Tomlin was to leave the Steelers this offseason, the organization would not be in a better state than it was when he took over in 2007. The team is coming off its worst stretch in his tenure, but Pittsburgh more than likely won’t move on from him. If he wanted to leave, the team could look to trade him, but Bradshaw doesn’t think that he’s going to look elsewhere.
The Steelers are a mess right now with questions lingering at quarterback. Bradshaw thinks Pickett is the answer, but he hasn’t shown a whole lot to prove that thus far. With the aforementioned offensive line issues and an offense that’s been broken for almost three seasons now, there are more questions than answers with the Steelers.
If Tomlin left, it would be someone else’s mess to clean up, but if Tomlin wants to get some goodwill back and prove he’s a better coach than he’s shown over the last few weeks, he can stay and build this team back up. But it’s a fair question to ask whether he’s capable of doing so.
And whether he deserves that chance.
