The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the busiest teams when it came to reshaping their roster this offseason, bringing in two new quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and adding Patrick Queen to their defense. On top of that, the Steelers addressed the trenches in the draft, bringing in three offensive linemen, including first-round pick Troy Fautanu at offensive tackle and C Zach Frazier in the second round. Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski thinks the Steelers vaulted themselves back into Super Bowl contention, naming them one of five teams that reignited their Super Bowl hopes this offseason.
Sobleski gave the Steelers credit for moving on from Kenny Pickett after just two seasons.
“The Kenny Pickett first-round selection flopped. To Pittsburgh’s credit, the organization didn’t fall prey to the sunk-cost fallacy,” he wrote. “Instead, general manager Omar Khan immediately pursued Russell Wilson after the Denver Broncos released the veteran quarterback. Khan doubled down at the game’s most important position by flipping a conditional 2025 sixth-round draft pick to the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields.”
He also believes that the Steelers did the most in the AFC North when it came to bettering their roster.
“The AFC North will be a dog fight this fall, especially with Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson expected to be healthy,” Sobleski wrote. “The Steelers have closed the most ground throughout this offseason, though.”
Even with three AFC North teams making the playoffs last season, the Steelers managed to go 5-1 against the division, although they did have the benefit of facing the Bengals twice without Joe Burrow and the Ravens without Lamar Jackson in Week 18. But their roster undoubtedly improved this offseason, and it needed to after sub-standard quarterback play for most of the season and depth being tested due to injuries on defense.
Adding Wilson and moving on from Pickett was the first step, and Wilson represents an upgrade over what the Steelers had in the quarterback room last season. Signing Queen to the richest free-agent deal in team history gave the defense another All-Pro and a true three-down linebacker that it has been lacking for years. By addressing the trenches in the draft, the Steelers improve their line in the short- and long-term as they look to become a more physical team under Arthur Smith, whom the team brought in as their offensive coordinator this offseason.
The Steelers are in win-now mode and have admitted as much. Art Rooney II said the front office is getting impatient with not having won a playoff game, a feat the Steelers haven’t accomplished since 2016. It’s been far too long since the Steelers have experienced playoff success, and the moves they’ve made this offseason reflect that they’re ready to win.
With upgrades across the board, the bare minimum expectation for the Steelers in 2024 should be to win a playoff game, even in a loaded AFC. While they might not quite be on the level of Super Bowl contenders like Sobleski has them, they’re a good enough team to advance when the games count in January. If that doesn’t happen, the season will be a disappointment.
