Buy Or Sell: Offensive line coach Pat Meyer should stay in Pittsburgh on the coaching staff.
Explanation: The Steelers are in the process of hiring a new offensive coordinator. They have already interviewed three candidates, most recently Arthur Smith. Smith previously had success running a more zone-run scheme with the Tennessee Titans. Meyer has had more success with gap schemes. His units have started slow in each of his two seasons in Pittsburgh but picked up in the second half of the season. He has a large hand in organizing the run game. The Steelers have also thrown a lot of different personnel at him.
Buy:
I don’t really know why Pat Meyer gets as much grief from fans as he does. Does he get the offensive line playing perfectly? No, he doesn’t, and he clearly has a lot of work to do with Broderick Jones. But people seem to forget his successes.
The Steelers have been among the best rushing offenses in the second half of each of the past two seasons. Running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren deserve a lot of credit for that. But so do the blockers. Isaac Seumalo and Jones in particular have been assets in that area. While not exclusively, the biggest issues in pass protection remain an issue of talent.
Sell:
The first thing we have to establish is whether Meyer fits with the Steelers’ next offensive coordinator. There is a mixed record among the candidates the Steelers have already interviewed. We don’t know what the proclivities of additional candidates will reveal.
And we can’t ignore the slow starts entirely. They were abysmal to start each of the past two seasons. And that affected a good chunk of each year. It wasn’t as bad in 2023, but it was bad enough. And the inconsistencies remained.
Frustratingly, Meyer’s offensive lines do not have the most glittering track record defending stunts. And it remains to be seen how he develops talent. Jones, their 2023 first-round pick, seemed to plateau and then regress once he entered the lineup. And if Meyer has anything to do with Jones staying on the right side, I’ll pack his bags for him.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and the draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
