The Pittsburgh Steelers have their work cut out for themselves if the end of last season is an accurate measurement. Finishing the year on a five-game losing streak, they clearly have a roster full of holes in need of repair. While the Super Bowl hasn’t even happened yet, 30 teams are focused on the future.
That includes the Steelers, though they have yet to make any major moves. No major coaching staff changes are likely coming, but perhaps one or two more moves will. More than that, though, is the roster, and Steelers president Art Rooney II provided a preliminary road map of sorts.
“We’ll have several priorities going into free agency and the draft”, Rooney told WTAE’s Ashley Liotus. “Defensive line, wide receiver—we may need a running back. We’re probably gonna need some defensive backs. There’ll be a number of positions that we’re looking to address, either in free agency or the draft, or both”.
One glaring omission from Rooney’s list is quarterback. The only one the Steelers have under contract for 2025 is Skylar Thompson. But this omission isn’t surprising, given Rooney’s claim they intend to re-sign either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. They still likely need a second quarterback, but that is of much less importance.
The positions Rooney did list are hardly a surprise. The Steelers have an obvious problem at wide receiver, as he acknowledged. It seems they had a plan last offseason that never came together, including rookie Roman Wilson. Perhaps they’ve learned that they can’t afford to expose themselves that much again.
The defensive line is a position the Steelers haven’t invested heavily in for years. At least not to the extent that they should based on results. In a perfect world, Larry Ogunjobi and Keeanu Benton would have been more impactful additions, but they haven’t been. Ogunjobi, many feel, is a likely cut candidate, which will make the position an even bigger need.
The mention of running back is also notable, since the Steelers have two backs who are pending free agents, one restricted. Reading the tea leaves of Rooney’s comments, it seems the Steelers expect to move on from Najee Harris.
In the defensive backfield, the Steelers traded for Donte Jackson last year, but now he is a pending free agent. They also lacked a sufficient answer in the slot. The rest of the starting lineup seems set, but they need to replenish their depth. And hopefully that includes 2024 sixth-round pick Ryan Watts.
