What “necessary changes” can Mike Tomlin and the Steelers make at this point in the season?
Once again, Mike Tomlin has watched a Steelers season spin off-course in the final turn. Dropping three games in a row, they no longer control their destiny for the AFC North. While they are bound for the playoffs, it will likely be as a Wild Card team.
After controlling the division since the beginning of the season, that is a tough pill for Tomlin to swallow. After the Steelers’ most recent loss, he promised he would evaluate where things stand and make the “necessary changes”. But what are the changes he can possibly make?
If this conversation feels familiar, that’s because it is. And if we’re being honest, that’s hardly unique to Tomlin and the Steelers. Almost every team hits a rough patch from time to time and needs to take stock of what’s going on.
For the Steelers, it is admittedly becoming annoyingly regular, though. And with each time, it seems there are fewer and fewer things they can do about it. At least back in 2013, for example, there were changes they could make. Getting Le’Veon Bell healthy as a rookie was nice, and inserting Cameron Heyward into the starting lineup—an utter stroke of genius that should have struck long before. But what can Tomlin do now?
Hey, I know. They can get Roman Wilson practicing this week and let him start the season finale. I’m kidding, of course. They long ago squandered any opportunity the rookie receiver might have of contributing this year. But that is reflective of the position in which Mike Tomlin finds his Steelers.
Now, the team did have some injuries, and even this week were without Joey Porter Jr., whose absence was certainly felt. Health is always a welcome thing, but the Steelers need more than just what they already have. What they have isn’t working, and what can Tomlin do about it at this point? Play Jaylen Warren more? Throw to Pat Freiermuth more? Super Bowl, here we come.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
