The Pittsburgh Steelers, by and large, got better this offseason, with upgrades to their quarterback room and defense, but their wide receiver room took a hit with the team trading away Diontae Johnson.ESPN looked at their projected ceiling and floor and had Pittsburgh’s ceiling at 11-6, a one-game improvement over their 10-6 finish last year, while the team’s floor was 5-12.
Brooke Pryor wrote that the team’s wide receiver depth is the biggest X factor in determining whether they hit their ceiling or floor. Pittsburgh’s wide receiver depth will get immensely better if the team is able to land WR Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers, but if that doesn’t happen, then the team will roll with Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, and Scotty Miller as their top options behind George Pickens.
Pryor writes that the Steelers will be in good shape if Jefferson can carry over his training camp play to the regular season.
“If his preseason productivity translates to the regular season — or if Aiyuk lands in Pittsburgh — the Steelers will be in good shape. If not, the offense could struggle as defenses look to take away Pickens.”
Pittsburgh’s second-half schedule doesn’t help, with six of their final eight games coming against the AFC North and their other two matchups being on the road against the Eagles and at home against the Chiefs. That’s going to make it tough for the Steelers to exceed their 10-7 record last season by much, but the fact that they got better with the addition of Russell Wilson and Patrick Queen defensively while also rebuilding their offensive line.
It’s a harder schedule, but a better team and an 11-win ceiling makes sense. Anything above that would mean the Steelers really played well and probably overperformed, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but it’s hard to see them doing much better than 10 or 11 wins this season. But 10 or 11 wins should still be enough to get them in the playoffs, and this season is about finding success in the postseason. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, and they brought in a quarterback with a pedigree of winning in Wilson, but he’s going to need to build a rapport with this receiving group.
That’s why moving Pickens around and giving him different looks to keep the defense guessing or another receiver stepping up to serve as a true No. 2 will be important. Pat Freiermuth is going to be a big piece for Pittsburgh too, with how much Arthur Smith likes using tight ends in his offense, but a successful passing attack will be needed for the Steelers to reach their ceiling. That’s where the onus will fall on someone like Jefferson to put up a strong season, similar to what he did in 2021 when he had 50 receptions for 802 yards and eight touchdowns.
If that can happen, Pittsburgh will be the 10—or 11-win team it should be. But if the room struggles, it might be an uphill battle for Pittsburgh to make the playoffs.
