This offseason has been quite an exciting, movement-filled one for the Pittsburgh Steelers under GM Omar Khan.
New faces like Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Patrick Queen, Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott came in via free agency and trade, while familiar faces in Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and Diontae Johnson departed.
The Steelers also seem to have hit a home run in the 2024 NFL Draft, doing so for the second straight season under Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl, creating quite a bit of buzz surrounding the Black and Gold.
For the Pro Football Focus NFL Show featuring Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson, the Steelers are one of the most improved teams in the NFL, period.
“…I think they upgraded the quarterback situation without spending a lot of money. And then you look at the overall roster, I think they added a ton of potential impact players and rebuilt an offensive line that’s been sort of churning itself in the right direction anyway,” Monson said of the Steelers as one of the most improved teams. “The draft, in particular, obviously, was where they did the heavy lifting there. Troy Fautanu at left tackle, Zach Frazier at center. Both of those guys could start day one and then even Mason McCormick lower down. He’s more of a long-term thing, but as a developmental guy that could eventually find his way into the starting lineup.”
The Steelers certainly upgraded their quarterback situation from last year, bringing in Wilson, Fields, veteran Kyle Allen and undrafted free agent John Rhys Plumlee, completely redoing the quarterback room. On paper, the Steelers look like they’re in a much better situation at that position.
That they did it relatively cheap, too, makes it all that much better. Landing Wilson on a one-year, $1.21 million deal is a major steal. So is trading a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for Fields and signing Allen on a veteran benefit deal late in free agency.
It’s one of the cheapest quarterback rooms in the NFL now, but it has quite a high ceiling due to the talent in the room.
The Steelers also really upgraded their offensive line thanks to the 2024 NFL Draft, going heavy on offensive lineman with the selections of Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier in the first two rounds. They also landed Mason McCormick in the fourth round, marking the first time since 1976 that the Steelers drafted three linemen within their first five selections.
Like the quarterback room, the offensive line looks strong on paper. Hopefully that translates to the field.
For Palazzolo, he wasn’t quite ready to say that the Steelers were one of the most improved teams in the NFL, but he was comfortable saying he’s loved what the Steelers have done the last two seasons.
“I don’t know if the Steelers are gonna be most improved from last year to this year, but they’d be on the list for me as far as two years worth of really like what they’re doing,” Palazzolo said. “And as I’ve said before, I think they’re making the right move at quarterback given their circumstances. I just don’t know if it’s actually gonna make an impact.”
That’s certainly an interesting take from Palazzolo. He likes what the Steelers have done at quarterback with Wilson and Fields, but he’s not sure if it makes an actual impact?
Odd.
How can one like the moves in Wilson and Fields but then on the other hand question if it makes an impact? That doesn’t make much sense.
But liking what the Steelers have done the last two years in free agency and in the draft under Khan isn’t much of a surprise. The Steelers have seemingly come out of the Stone Age from a roster-building perspective and have been very aggressive and calculated, rebuilding the roster on the fly, giving head coach Mike Tomlin a talented roster that could compete at a high level in 2024 and beyond.
After the last few years of scraping by, going .500 or slightly better and getting into the playoffs as the final seed, the Steelers have a shot at aiming higher this season and potentially fulfilling that.
We’ll see if they’re one of the most improved teams when the games count. But right now in the offseason, the Steelers undoubtedly are an improved team top to bottom.
