The first half of the offseason is mostly concluded with three weeks of free agency now in the books. Things will continue to change with the 2024 NFL Draft in three weeks from today and free agents will be added throughout the rest of the offseason, though probably not the same caliber of players that have already been added. With all of the changes around the league comes a changing landscape of which teams are projected to take a step forward and which teams could be in trouble for 2024. In a recent post-free agency power rankings posted by Conor Orr on Sports Illustrated, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t moved the needle much being listed at 17th.
Here is what Orr wrote about the Steelers:
“I don’t think a single team’s profile changed more significantly than the Steelers. And while I am clearly not bullish on Russell Wilson as a full-time starter, if we’d have transplanted Wilson’s numbers and efficiency onto the Steelers’ roster, we’d have a team that could potentially contend for the conference title game. Kenny Pickett threw for 13 touchdown passes in two seasons. Wilson is clearly an upgrade, albeit an acquired taste.”
The Steelers have experienced a pretty radical shift this offseason. The decision to move on from Pickett is the clearest example of that as they brought in what they reportedly view as two starting-capable quarterbacks in Wilson and Justin Fields. They also have a new offensive coordinator who is likely to have a vastly different offensive system than the one that Matt Canada installed.
In hindsight, the two biggest things holding the Steelers back in 2023 were quarterback play and the overall structure and creativity of the offense. Seemingly upgrading both of those things should make a large difference to the product they put out on the field.
It is important to keep in mind, however, that the Steelers had one of the easiest strengths of schedule in 2023 and now face one of the hardest. And their 2023 schedule was made even easier by the number of quarterback injuries that their opponents suffered. The Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and New England Patriots all started different quarterbacks against the Steelers than they entered the season with.
Still, the Steelers seem to be underrated slightly being in the bottom half of the league. They suffered several key injuries on the defensive side of the ball last year and their offense didn’t help them much for half of the year with possessing the ball, yet they still finished sixth in points per game allowed. They will enter the season with a healthy Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cameron Heyward, and they added an impact player in the middle of the defense in ILB Patrick Queen while losing very few significant players in free agency. If anything, the defense should be able to improve on its 2023 performance.
With a new-look offense anchored by the two-headed backfield of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, and the still dominant defense, I am optimistic that the Steelers can see a meaningful improvement over their 2023 season in which they finished 10-7 with a first-round loss in the playoffs.
