The Pittsburgh Steelers completely overhauled their quarterback room during the offseason. With that, hopefully the team will be able to produce more offensive touchdowns in 2024. Especially many more in the passing game as well, after a brutal 2023 season in that statistical category.
Last season, quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph combined to throw just 13 touchdown passes in the regular season for the Steelers. Only one other team, the New York Jets, registered fewer than the Steelers did. As far as air yards go on those 13 touchdown passes last season, the Steelers registered just 191 total yards, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis on Twitter on Friday. Only six other NFL teams had fewer air yards on touchdowns last season than the Steelers did, per his Friday tweet.
Curiously enough, one of those six teams with fewer air yards on touchdown passes in 2023 than the Steelers registered was the Kansas City Chiefs with 101. However, the Chiefs registered 28 total touchdown passes during the 2023 regular season. They obviously went on to become Super Bowl champions last season as well.
In case you’re curious, of the 6 touchdown passes that Pickett threw in 2023, 103 air yards were registered on those throws. As for Trubisky, his 4 touchdown passes in 2023 included a total of 51 air yards. Finally, the 3 touchdown passes that Rudolph threw in 2023 included 37 total air yards being registered.
With Pickett, Trubisky, and Rudolph all now gone from the team, the Steelers current quarterback depth chart now includes Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen. Last season with the Denver Broncos, Wilson threw 26 total touchdown passes, and those included 307 air yards, according to my charting. The Broncos, according to Sharp’s tweet, registered 326 total air yards on touchdowns in 2023 as a team. Last season with the Chicago Bears, Fields threw 16 total touchdown passes, and in those he totaled 194 air yards. Sharp has the Bears down for 259 air yards on touchdowns as a team in 2023.
If you want to depress yourself a little bit on this Friday night or Saturday morning, below are the videos of the 13 total regular season touchdown passes that the Steelers registered. I also previously contextualized the touchdown passes thrown last season by Wilson and Fields if you missed those two posts.
Steelers 2023 Touchdown Passing Plays
