For the past few years, it seemed like the talk around the Pittsburgh Steelers offense was that they had talent but not the quarterback play that was needed to unlock that talent. Players such as WR Diontae Johnson and George Pickens oozed talent, but the quarterbacks could not consistently get them the ball, and RB Najee Harris has not played up to a first-round talent up to this point in his career, even if he is still a good running back.
However, Pittsburgh recently traded Johnson leaving Pickens as the only wide receiver who can objectively be claimed “good.” Entering the 2024 season, the weapons on the Steelers’ offense don’t seem very threatening, with their strength seemingly being in the running game. While many are high on the Steelers running game with a dual threat of Harris and Jaylen Warren, Nick Wright is not, taking shots at Harris and Warren on First Things First the other day.
“The Steelers do not have good weapons,” said Wright. “I think Najee is below average, flatly. I think Jaylen Warren, every team’s got a Jaylen Warren, a guy who, if you get six carries a game, looks dynamic. If you in today’s NFL don’t have a Jaylen Warren, what have you been doing…Their wide receivers, they have one guy that is talented and a total malcontent (George Pickens)…In that division, Brou (Broussard), do they have the worst weapons by far? Obviously.”
Harris is an interesting case because his stats don’t look all that impressive. He averages only 3.9 yards per carry, yet each season, he has rushed for over 1,000 yards. Harris is a workhorse whose numbers significantly improve as the season goes along.
The shot at Warren is weird because Warren is very effective when he plays. Yes, he only sees 8.8 carries per game compared to Harris’ 15, but that makes sense. Warren is there to spell Harris. Warren averaged 5.3 yards per carry last season, which was second-best for running backs behind Christian McCaffrey. You have to be a good running back to do that. Additionally, in the five games Warren saw over ten carries, he averaged 5.7 yards per carry. Most teams don’t have a second option who averages over five yards per carry when they see a decent chunk of carries.
However, Wright is correct in saying the weapons in Pittsburgh aren’t the best. The Steelers offense likely has the worst weapons in the AFC North, given they do not have a WR2. Pickens has shown he has immense talent, but they need to pair someone with him. Hopefully, they address wide receiver in the draft because there have been games where he has been completely shut down. Without Johnson, the Steelers really don’t have another option at wide receiver, and in the modern NFL, you need two strong options for receiver if you don’t have an elite tight end.
The weapons on the Steelers’ offense this season aren’t great, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to win. The game plan is to pound the rock and play good defense. At quarterback, Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields will be an upgrade over last season, and with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s run game, Harris and Warren could have career years.
