Thanks to a busy offseason that saw GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl add a bunch of talent to the roster, reshaping things on the fly for the Pittsburgh Steelers, things are looking up entering the 2024 season.
The Steelers completed their rebuild of the offensive line, added a star-level player at inside linebacker, shored up the secondary with a pair of moves and seemingly figured out the quarterback position after two tough seasons. Not to mention, the Steelers made a massive upgrade at the offensive coordinator position, too.
Expectations are high for the Black and Gold entering the 2024 season, but there are still two big question marks for the Steelers, at least according to CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin. Both, ironically, reside on the offensive side of the football.
That would be the lack of depth at the wide receiver position, and then the concerns under center with two talented, yet questionable quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
“And then the Steelers both no longer have Diontae Johnson to soak up targets, and are counting on either a Russell Wilson bounceback or Justin Fields taking a significant step. Either of those things feels pretty dicey,” Dubin writes of the Steelers’ biggest question marks for CBSSports.com.
Losing Diontae Johnson in the trade for cornerback Donte Jackson was a tough blow to the Steelers. While the decision makers for the Steelers have spoken highly of Jackson, stating that they got a player they have long coveted, the price of the acquisition was steep.
Johnson was the Steelers’ best route runner and separator. Though he might have been a bit of an issue behind the scenes at times in recent years, coupled with bad quarterback play, the Steelers haven’t even come close to replacing him. The Steelers drafted Michigan’s Roman Wilson in the third round and signed veterans Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller and Quez Watkins in the offseason to add depth and experience.
Those are all solid names overall, not to mention the development of Calvin Austin III, but they have not adequately replaced Johnson’s skill set, which could hinder them in the 2024 season.
Then there are the questions and concerns about Wilson and Fields. On paper, the two are significant upgrades over what the Steelers have had in recent years. Wilson has a Hall of Fame resume. but it’s been hit or miss in recent years for the veteran quarterback.
He had a strong season statistically in 2023 with the Broncos, but Denver took an $85 million dead cap hit combined over the next two years to get rid of him. Fields is an exceptional talent, too, but he has not put it all together on the field and was moved for just a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft just four years removed from being the No. 11 overall pick.
Counting on two quarterbacks with much to prove seems a bit dicey, but they are better alternatives — much better — than what the Steelers have had at the position in recent years.
