It’s been a rather exciting offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers so far, the team adding a number of experienced players with intriguing skill sets to the roster.
Adding the likes of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, linebacker Patrick Queen, safety DeShon Elliott, cornerback Donte Jackson and punter Cameron Johnston has helped the Steelers plug some key holes.
But now, the biggest question surrounding the Steelers so far this offseason is: is it enough in the AFC North?
Just one week ago, Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt stated that the Steelers needed to be bold after the signing of Wilson because that alone wasn’t enough. Now? The Steelers might not have moved positions in the AFC North based on the building of the rosters in the loaded division, but Brandt says what he normally says about the Steelers: don’t count them out.
“Don’t underestimate the logo, guys. This is why it’s complicated with the Steelers. I agree with everything you’re saying, and you sit here in March and you say, ‘Well, these other teams have these quarterbacks and there’s a different deal with the Steelers.’ They beat the Ravens last year with Kenny Pickett. They beat the Browns last year with Kenny Pickett. The Steelers win, and they have better quarterbacks now. Two of them, I think,” Brandt said regarding the Steelers and the debate of where they rank in the AFC North one week into free agency. “They’re more talented. So it’s like I’m with you and you think, well, [Joe] Burrow and Lamar [Jackson] and Deshaun [Watson]. I get it. I totally get it. I feel the same way. Been through this enough times to know the Steelers have a different magnitude of winning.
“They have a different way of doing it. They were in the playoffs last year, too. They were in the playoffs without their best player, T.J. Watt. They’ll be in the playoffs next year. I don’t know who the quarterback is gonna be, but they deserve the right to get the consideration. I know the roster doesn’t add up, it’s just they find a way and now they’re gonna find a way with better quarterbacks. Two of them.”
Time and time again, the Steelers do find a way to be in the playoff picture, that much is true.
Though they haven’t won a playoff game in seven years under head coach Mike Tomlin, he consistently has them playing meaningful football in late December and January.
After signing Wilson and trading for Fields, it shouldn’t be any different for Pittsburgh in 2024.
Sure, there is going to be a transition period for Wilson and Fields in a new system under first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, but all the pieces seem to fit together relatively well in the Steel City. Pittsburgh still needs to address wide receiver, the defensive line and cornerback in free agency before the NFL draft in late April, but it’s hard to not feel good about the roster currently thanks to the moves at quarterback, finding upgrades in Wilson and Fields compared to what the Steelers have had in the past.
While they might not match up with the likes of Jackson, Watson and Burrow right now, at least on paper, the Steelers have found a way time and time again to beat those quarterbacks head-to-head.
Hard to expect that to change anytime soon.
