Things have gone quite well this offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, seemingly on all fronts, in free agency, the trade market, and via the NFL Draft. The roster looks quite good — on paper.
But one major question remains for the Steelers, one that won’t be answered until the actual games get underway. How much will the passing game provide the offense under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and new starting quarterback Russell Wilson?
The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo has that question for the Steelers in a piece Monday morning looking at the outlook of Pittsburgh following the draft. That makes sense considering the Steelers seemingly aced the draft, addressing the offensive line in a major way, adding another passing-game weapon to the receiver room, and building a draft class that matches the personality and play style Pittsburgh wants.
“The Steelers’ highly compensated and opportunistic defense lugged an anemic and dysfunctional offense into the postseason last year, even with Kenny Pickett’s inconsistencies and Matt Canada’s incompetence. This offseason, Pittsburgh has focused extensively on upgrading the offense,” DeFabo writes, according to theathletic.com. “By bulking up on the offensive line during the draft, the Steelers should have a reliable running game that takes the pressure off of the quarterback and keeps him upright.
“Now the question is how much Russell Wilson — with his trademark deep ball and effective play-action passing — can add a spark through the air.”
As DeFabo pointed out, the Steelers’ passing game last season — until the final three weeks of the year with Mason Rudolph under center — was a mess. Kenny Pickett took a major step backwards in his second season and never really took off like many believed he would, especially after a great preseason.
Former offensive coordinator Matt Canada dragged down the offense overall with his scheme and play-calling struggles, and the defense had to step up time and time again, helping the Steelers win low-scoring affairs. While that play style matched what the Steelers wanted, which was limiting turnovers and mistakes offensively, leaning on a star-studded defense and winning low-scoring games, the way they were doing it was unsustainable.
So, they went to work this offseason on that side of the ball. In comes Arthur Smith as the coordinator, Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback, and plenty of side and attitude added to the offensive line. Though the Steelers traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, creating a major hole at receiver, they have largely upgraded everywhere else on offense.
That’s quite encouraging.
Now, it will be up to Wilson to give the Steelers that spark in the passing game, providing a balance to the ground-and-pound style the Steelers are undoubtedly going to play moving forward, hammering away at defenses with a rebuilt offensive line featuring two rookies in Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier and a dynamic running back duo in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
If Wilson can continue to hit some deep balls, play within the structure of Smith’s scheme and get back to playing good football like he once did in a similar setup in Seattle, the Steelers could really be in business when it comes to competing for a Super Bowl.
The pieces, again on paper, are largely there after a whirlwind of an offseason. That’s rather encouraging for the Steelers.
