The various projection models for win-loss totals may not be high on the Pittsburgh Steelers entering 2024, but the roster sure seems to pass the eye test on paper. It is easy to get carried away this time of year during football in shorts and expect big things from your team. But the Steelers have undoubtedly made themselves better this offseason and one former NFL GM expects them to be highly competitive this season as a result.
“I’m very bullish on the Steelers, and I think they’re gonna continue to play great defense, which they’re known for, and their offense could be a lot better,” Mike Tannenbaum said on an episode of Theoretically Speaking on YouTube. “I think both quarterbacks are better than Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett. So I’m really intrigued by what Justin Fields could do with Arthur Smith…I think the Steelers are gonna be one of those teams that absolutely no one’s gonna want to play.”
Tannenbaum was a longtime member of NFL front offices, beginning his career in 1994 and working his way up to being the general manager of the New York Jets from 2006 to 2012. He oversaw the team when it went to back-to-back conference championships, including the 2010 season when the Steelers defeated them on their way to a Super Bowl loss against the Green Bay Packers.
He knows a thing or two about what a competitive roster looks like, and he seems to have an overwhelmingly positive outlook for the Steelers this season.
It is hard not to if you think about the totality of what they have lost this offseason versus what they have gained. The defense lost Markus Golden, Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan, and Armon Watts most notably, but none of those four played a vital role to the 2023 defense’s success. Meanwhile the Steelers added Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, bolstered their DL depth with Dean Lowry, and added Donte Jackson, Cam Sutton, and DeShon Elliott to their secondary. They should also be getting Cole Holcomb back at some point to make an already deep ILB room even more insulated to injury.
The defense gave up the 12th-most yards last season, but it also surrendered the seventh-fewest points per game at just 18.6. There is no reason to think the Steelers aren’t capable of improving on both numbers with their upgraded defense, and there are very low chances of suffering quite as many injuries as they had to deal with in 2023.
Just on the basis of their defense, not many teams would be looking forward to playing the Steelers. A great defense can keep the score down and give the team a chance in almost any game. But the offense saw some pretty significant overhauls of its own.
There is a completely new offensive system with an offensive coordinator who has a track record of NFL success. The quarterback room was entirely overhauled with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields now in the picture. Perhaps most significantly, the offensive line had two top draft picks invested in it.
It may take time for the unit to jell, but it can afford to experience some growing pains with the defense that the team has. And if the offense puts things together at any point in the season, then we could be talking about a very competitive team on both sides of the ball. When is the last time that has been the case?
“This is probably the best team since [Ben] Roethlisberger, and again, I think this is one of those teams that absolutely no one’s gonna wanna play,” Tannenbaum said.
This is probably the best Steelers group since 2020 when the team went 12-4 and backed its way into the playoffs. And frankly, it could be one of the most competitive rosters in Pittsburgh since 2016 and 2017. If the Steelers want to achieve their goal of winning some playoffs games, it is going to need to be.
