With new faces at quarterback, wide receiver, along the offensive line, and even offensive coordinator, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ biggest 2024 challenge can be summed up in one word. Identity. That’s the obstacle the Steelers must overcome, says NFL.com’s Eric Edholm, who outlined each team’s singular biggest task as training camps get underway.
Edholm went into more detail about how the Steelers can find it.
“The Steelers have a quarterback battle unlike any other around the league. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are a decade apart in age, but they’re both at a career crossroads,” Edholm writes. “How Pittsburgh plans to use the two signal-callers will be fascinating. Is Wilson the clear Week 1 starter? Is there a Fields package in the offense? Will Fields fully usurp Wilson at some point? That all remains to be seen. If there is a Fields package, it’ll be run by new Steelers OC Arthur Smith, whose handling of the Falcons’ quarterbacks over the past few years was suboptimal, even if the QB talent in Atlanta was lacking.”
Nationally, the “battle” between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will take center stage. Locally, it feels like a formality for Wilson to win the job, assuming he has even a passable summer performance. Fields could excite with physical talent flashing against backups, but Wilson is viewed as the steadier leader with a Super Bowl-winning resume. His play in Denver last year was also head and shoulders above what Pittsburgh got from their overall quarterback play the past two seasons.
Reporting indicates the Steelers will use Fields in some capacity, likely short-yardage and specialty packages. We’ll see if Pittsburgh’s camp action hints at any of those packages or if they’ll be kept under wraps until the regular season. Smith himself has plenty to prove, showing he can still successfully coordinate an offense as he did in Tennessee before faltering in Atlanta.
While quarterback is the natural focus, there’s plenty to examine up front and at wide receiver.
“Smith also must contend with OL changes and a WR corps that lost one of its big playmakers when Diontae Johnson was traded to Carolina,” Edholm writes. “Mike Tomlin played quarterback roulette last year and lost, despite Pittsburgh making the playoffs. The AFC North is a bear. How the offense materializes is the obvious, No. 1 issue for this team right now.”
For those who cover the team daily, the No. 2 receiver battle will be one of the most watched and discussed. Pittsburgh’s yet to find a true successor for Diontae Johnson, adding a third-rounder in Roman Wilson and a slew of veterans. First-round pick OT Troy Fautanu won’t be handed a starting job as he transitions from left to right tackle.
Edholm doesn’t mention Pittsburgh’s defense, still the stronger of the two units. But there are questions there, too. How well will CB Donte Jackson play in a new system opposite Joey Porter Jr.? Who will work in the slot? And how will the Steelers handle their inside linebacker rotation?
Still, Edholm’s biggest and broadest concern is accurate. What is Pittsburgh’s offensive identity? They’ve struggled to match vision with personnel for several seasons, and their offense has paid the price. They haven’t finished above average in scoring since 2020 and haven’t placed Top 10 since 2018. But with a clear focus on the o-line and run game this year, they have a real shot at being clear-eyed about the kind of offensive they’re building.
