The Pittsburgh Steelers won 10 games in 2023 with a quarterback room of Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph. None of those quarterbacks are in Pittsburgh anymore. Instead, the Steelers have Russell Wilson and Justin Fields (with Kyle Allen as the third-stringer). So why are so many people predicting the Steelers are going to have their first losing season under head coach Mike Tomlin?
Will Brinson of CBSSports.com shared why he thinks the Steelers will win only six games in 2024. He highlights problems on the offensive side of the ball as the main reasons for his pessimism.
“The quarterback concerns are pretty big in Pittsburgh,” Brinson wrote. “The Steelers upgraded to Russell Wilson/Justin Fields, but Wilson hasn’t even been on the field during much of training camp. That throws things into severe flux at the position. Fields could be a fantasy darling, but I don’t know if his athletic style of quarterbacking will necessarily translate to a bunch of wins. The departure of Diontae Johnson means the Steelers are lacking on the wide receiver depth chart.”
Brinson goes on to praise WR George Pickens, saying he “has unlimited upside with his skill set.” However, he questions the depth behind Pickens.
Both of those concerns are completely valid. There is a reason why the Steelers have been a part of the Brandon Aiyuk saga dating back to the week of the 2024 NFL Draft. You could argue that, outside of pursuing Aiyuk, the Steelers opted for a quantity-over-quality approach to the wide receiver position this offseason. After trading Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers signed Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, and Quez Watkins along with selecting Roman Wilson in the third round of the draft.
Now Jefferson has impressed during training camp, wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni praising him profusely. If nothing changes between now and Week 1, Jefferson is likely the second wide receiver opposite Pickens. But that doesn’t exactly fill defenses with an impending sense of dread. Jefferson has only had more than 369 yards receiving once in his four-year career.
But the main crux of Brinson’s argument begins with the quarterback position. He fully acknowledges that the Steelers upgraded there by bringing in Wilson and Fields. It was hard not to upgrade the spot considering the production that room put up over the last two seasons.
Unfortunately, the Steelers’ plans for the summer got thrown out the window the day the team arrived in Latrobe, Pa., for training camp. Wilson hurt his calf during a conditioning test before the team even set foot on the field for practice. That led to Fields getting all the first-team reps through the early stages of training camp.
Fields responded well and showed plenty of growth. However, people like Gerry Dulac will tell you that there is still no debate about Wilson being the Steelers’ starting quarterback. So Fields didn’t get a true chance to capitalize on the extended practice. It just put Wilson and the offense behind the eight-ball even more.
It’s not all doom and gloom from Brinson, though. He highlights a way for the Steelers to buck his prediction. Unsurprisingly, it has everything to do with the defense.
“Defensively, if the Steelers are the top-five unit they can be, this might end up looking like a foolish projection,” Brinson wrote. “Fifteen-plus games of T.J. Watt is an absolute must because of how this defense drops off when he’s out of the lineup.”
Watt and fellow pass rusher Alex Highsmith can absolutely destroy an opposing offense’s game plan. The two essentially beat the Cleveland Browns themselves in Week 2 of the 2023 season. Second-year OLB Nick Herbig is clawing at their heels to get more playing time after a super-efficient 2023 season and tying for the league lead in sacks during the preseason this summer.
The Steelers also invested this offseason in bolstering parts of the defense. They added Patrick Queen to the inside linebacker room to start opposite Elandon Roberts. They also continued the emphasis on rotational flexibility at the position by drafting Payton Wilson in the third round this year.
The team also addressed shortcomings at the safety position in 2023 by signing DeShon Elliott. Their hope is that Elliott and Queen will allow S Minkah Fitzpatrick to get back to being a playmaker deep. If those moves come together, the Steelers could definitely be a top unit in the NFL.
That would allow them to be competitive in every game despite the brutal schedule they’re playing this season. That schedule is why DraftKings only predicts the Steelers to win 8.5 games. Then when Brinson factors in the other concerns on offense, it’s why he only sees six wins for the Steelers.
