The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t done enough winning lately. As a result, the team had one of its most active offseasons ever, adding Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at the quarterback position, hiring Arthur Smith as its offensive coordinator, and throwing a franchise-record contract to LB Patrick Queen. Former Steelers running back Merril Hoge believes the moves the Steeler made and how they’ve built their roster are steering them in the “right direction” when it comes to winning.
“Where they are now, from a structural perspective of how you have to win in this league, I think they’re going about it in the right direction. You got a quarterback who has a lot of experience in Russell Wilson. But where was Russell really his best at? He’s best when he’s complementing a great run game and a great defense,” Hoge said on the Like A Farmer podcast. “So they’re building a running game. That’s not gonna be the best in football right off the bat, you got two offensive linemen who are rookies. Five guys working as one, doesn’t happen overnight, that’s gonna take some time. But the overall thought process to run the ball and then do run action, play-action, boot-action off of that, then you get a great complement.”
Hoge added that running the ball and controlling the tempo is going to help set the Steelers up for success and that Wilson is “tremendous” playing that style of football.
Wilson’s best years as a quarterback came with Marshawn Lynch in the backfield and the Legion of Boom backing him in Seattle’s secondary. The Steelers have one of the best defenses in the league, although unlike Seattle, it starts in the front seven with T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith all able to get to the quarterback and the addition of Queen as a do-it-all linebacker. The secondary isn’t lacking either, with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joey Porter Jr. both looking to have big seasons, but the point remains that Pittsburgh’s defense is still extremely talented.
Add Smith and his penchant for building a run game and the talented backfield with Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris, and the Steelers have a roster that complements Wilson and can help him play to his strengths. That should benefit a Steelers offense that needs a spark after years of lackluster play and an inability to put points on the board.
The play-action game is another area where Smith can get creative, and that should help set up defenses to potentially create explosive plays. Especially if the run game excels, the play-action component will be huge. As Hoge said though, with the Steelers likely starting two rookie offensive linemen in Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu, it may take a few weeks for the line to fully jell. Even Isaac Seumalo struggled the first few weeks last season getting acclimated to a new offensive line, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if there were some initial growing pains for the rookies.
Still, the line should be improved from where it was and the run game will benefit and combined with a defense among the best in the league, Wilson and the Steelers should succeed. The Steelers are certainly on a better path to success with how this roster is constructed, and hopefully, it translates to more wins.
