Whether Russell Wilson holds the job all year or Justin Fields eventually gets the nod, the Pittsburgh Steelers should have better quarterback play this year. Wilson and Fields both bring better skills than any of the quarterbacks the Steelers had last year. However, some people still don’t think that will make them a playoff team. Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker sees the Steelers winning fewer games this year but is not totally counting them out.
On his personal YouTube channel, Tucker, who played in the league from 2001 to 2007, gave his opinion on the Steelers.
“They feel like an eight- or nine-win team,” Tucker said. “If you’re a Steelers fan, you’re probably starting to feel like every year the Steelers are an eight- or nine-win team, and you’re almost kind of getting sick of it. I understand that mindset. However, they keep making the playoffs. Did they win ten games last year with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph and make the playoffs? It’s pretty impressive.”
The Steelers do feel like they’ll win a similar number of games as they have the last few years, but that’s mostly because their schedule is so tough. They improved their team, but they just have a tough late-season stretch. However, injuries happen, and it’s likely that some of those teams won’t be as fearsome as they were in Week 1.
Tucker is correct that fans are getting a little frustrated at the Steelers’ mediocrity. They haven’t been Super Bowl contenders for quite some time and have not won a playoff game since 2016. However, he’s also correct that it’s impressive that they can still stay competitive. Some teams have their franchise quarterback and still struggle to make the playoffs.
Part of that frustration is that the Steelers’ standard is winning championships, and just making the playoffs isn’t good enough. The team knows that, though. That’s why they made so many drastic changes this offseason: They hired an experienced offensive coordinator, overhauled their quarterback room, and gave Patrick Queen a big contract.
The Steelers even tried to pursue Brandon Aiyuk. They want to make some noise in the playoffs this year. Based on the way Tucker is talking, he also feels like this team will be better on the field than they look on paper. That’s a credit to Mike Tomlin’s coaching because he tends to wring the most talent he can out of his roster.
If the Steelers make the playoffs this year, it will mean they managed to weather the storm late in the year. That would be a step in the right direction for the Steelers to eventually make it back to the Super Bowl. If they do put up another mediocre season, though, they could make more changes next offseason similar to the ones they made this year.
