The Pittsburgh Steelers made it back to the playoffs in 2023 despite a three-game swoon that put their hopes on life support. After a first-round exit at the hands of the Buffalo Bills, the organization has turned its eyes to the offseason and preparations for the 2024 season. That means identifying and filling needs.
The Steelers have already filled the biggest need on their coaching staff with the reported hiring of Arthur Smith as their next offensive coordinator. The move has certainly received a mixed reception. However, we encourage everyone to take the time to learn more about Smith and what he does both in terms of scheme and overall vision when it comes to his offenses. So what’s next on the priority list for Pittsburgh?
Former NFL OL Ross Tucker was asked that very question when he joined Mark Bergin on Bleav on Tuesday. He ran through some options, but it came back to the most important position on the football field.
“I still think it’s figuring out the quarterback position,” Tucker said. “Maybe that’s too obvious…but if you look at the AFC, until they have a top-15 quarterback, they really don’t have much of a chance. It’s like you’re in a boxing match, but you got one hand tied behind your back.”
The Steelers averaged 17.9 points per game in 2023, fourth-worst in the league. They threw for 13 touchdowns in 17 games compared to rushing for 16. Heck, they had two defensive touchdowns, the reason why they won the first matchup against the Cleveland Browns back in Week Two.
Leaguewide, NFL teams averaged almost 22 points per game (21.8.) That’s almost four points a game more than the Steelers averaged. Then you get a more accurate quarterback representation of that scoring when you consider that NFL teams averaged 1.4 passing touchdowns per game. That’s not a lot, but over a 17-game season, that’s almost 24 passing touchdowns, 11 more than the Steelers had across three quarterbacks.
If the Steelers had scored 22 points in each of their seven losses in 2023, they would have won three more games for a 13-4 record. That would have made Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens a lot more interesting. The Ravens were 13-3 entering that game and were locked into the first seed in the AFC playoffs. The Steelers would have been 12-4 entering that matchup, meaning they would have not only had a shot at winning the AFC North but being the first seed themselves.
Would it all have worked out that way? Probably not. After all, we are looking at averages versus specific results. It just serves to show that the Steelers could have won more games with even average quarterback play.
That’s why Tucker (and countless others) points to the quarterback position as being the top priority, especially to genuinely compete in the AFC. After all, the Kansas City Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, the Buffalo Bills have Josh Allen, and the Houston Texans seem to have found their franchise quarterback in C.J. Stroud. Then there’s Lamar Jackson in Baltimore and Joe Burrow with the Cincinnati Bengals. While the Steelers seem to have Jackson’s number overall, the Ravens still win a ton of games and are a threat to win the AFC North year in and year out.
What do the Steelers do? Tucker has been listening to what the organization has been saying, but he thinks something else still needs to happen.
“It sounds like they want Mason Rudolph back,” Tucker said. “It sounds like Kenny Pickett will be in on the conversation. I’m just not sure either of those guys can move the needle. I’d like to think that they would get somebody else involved as well.”
You can watch the entirety of Tucker’s answer plus some speculations about who could be brought in below.
