The Pittsburgh Steelers finished their 2023 season with another one-and-done in the playoffs. On one hand, it is frustrating to see the Steelers continue to narrowly make (or miss) the playoffs only to get bounced in the first round. On the other hand, the Steelers managed a 10-7 record and qualified for the playoffs without getting much out of the quarterback position. They have many pieces in place to be a competitive team. Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein discussed each team in the AFC North’s “championship foundation” on their latest episode of Move The Sticks.
The exercise includes them laying out the key playmakers on each side of the ball based on the idea that championship rosters should have a good quarterback, at least three good offensive playmakers, at least three quality offensive linemen, two quality pass rushers, and three quality defensive playmakers. They have been working their way through the league, team by team, applying this template and assessing how close each team is to having a championship roster. Here is what they listed for the Steelers.
They list players that fit into each slot, and then color code those players into categories ranging from blue-chip to unproven/young. You want as many “blue” and “green” players as possible, but the Steelers only have five total players in those categories out of the 12 total slots in the exercise. OLB T.J. Watt and S Minkah Fitzpatrick are the only “blue-chip” players on the roster, according to NFL Research.
Notably, the Steelers have one slot with no player listed under the “defensive playmaker” category that is reserved for ILBs and DBs. One could argue that Cole Holcomb should potentially be in that slot under the yellow “injury” category, but the point remains that the Steelers have some work to do with their skill position players on defense.
Here is what Zierlein had to say of the Steelers’ building blocks of a championship foundation.
“This is one of the youngest teams in pro football,” Zierlein said. “The problem you have here is that you don’t have the quarterback figured out. I think Broderick Jones is gonna be just fine, but you still need an offensive tackle, and you need to find a wide receiver…they could really tighten up some of these areas with this year’s draft. So I actually think the Steelers are still in pretty good shape relative to their age.”
Two of the young or unproven players, CB Joey Porter Jr. and OT Broderick Jones, had fine rookie seasons, and there is every reason to believe they will quickly work their way up into solid building blocks for this team. Diontae Johnson and the tandem of running backs would likely otherwise be labeled “good” but their contract situations are up in the air beyond 2024 as of right now.
The big question mark will remain at the quarterback position, which is obviously the most important one. But the Steelers brought in Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator to hopefully help turn the tide.
For comparison, the Baltimore Ravens were listed with nine total blue or green players, the Cleveland Browns with six, and the Cincinnati Bengals with eight. For the time being, the Steelers are losing the arms race in the AFC North.
