It’s been a few weeks since the 2024 NFL Draft concluded, and in that time frame nothing has really happened from a roster perspective for the Pittsburgh Steelers — or in the NFL in general.
Despite that the Steelers dropped two spots in ESPN’s Power Rankings released Monday morning.
The Steelers fell from No. 13 following free agency to No. 15 now, falling behind the likes of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams, two teams that had strong free agency periods and then put together solid drafts as well. But moving them ahead of the Steelers seems like a stretch.
That’s what power rankings largely are though: a stretch.
In the power rankings, ESPN looked at the most improved unit for each team. For the Steelers, it was rather surprising the selection, as it was not the offensive line.
Instead, it was the quarterback room, which features four new faces in Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Kyle Allen and undrafted free agent John Rhys Plumlee.
“It’s tempting to go with the offensive line here, but the veteran quarterback additions eke out the rookie offensive linemen,” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor writes. “Russell Wilson threw for 26 touchdowns to eight interceptions a year ago, while a combination of Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph threw 13 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
“At the very least, Wilson and Justin Fields should offer a mixture of more stability and a higher ceiling at the position — especially in a run-first, play-action heavy offense that plays to their strengths.”
On paper, the quarterback room in Pittsburgh looks so much better than it has in the post-Ben Roethlisberger days.
While Wilson might not be what he once was, he’s still a good NFL quarterback, and he enters his time in Pittsburgh with a massive chip on his shoulder after being discarded in Denver in rather unceremonious terms. It has to be an ego hit when a team eats an $80-plus million cap hit to not have you play for the team now, but it also has to provide a serious chip.
Hopefully the Steelers’ gamble on Wilson pays off as he returns to his ways as a solid, winning quarterback in the NFL, this time under the guidance of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
As for the addition of Fields, that’s a low-risk, high-reward move as the Steelers gave up a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears to land the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Fields is a player the Steelers have long coveted, and now they get their hands on him, allowing him to take a step back and learn under Wilson for the time being.
The quarterback room in Pittsburgh appears more dynamic overall and has a higher ceiling than with Pickett, Trubisky and Rudolph. The Steelers are banking on that higher ceiling in the quarterback room bringing great success to the franchise as well.
