The Pittsburgh Steelers are receiving varied reviews as to how they’ve handled the offseason so far. They showed some aggressiveness just before free agency began, swinging a big trade for DK Metcalf. Aside from that move, though, they’ve been rather passive, especially at quarterback position. Their clear need for a QB has many pundits thinking their offseason has been something of a failure.
Former NFL GM Doug Whaley feels the opposite way.
“To me, I do like what they’re [Steelers] doing,” Whaley said, via 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday. “Obviously, it’s not gonna be jet-setting as a great offseason, because they’re really getting hung up by Aaron Rodgers and his decision. But when you look at how this is setting up for their next decision, I think Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers are nailing this offseason.”
Whaley makes a good point that the Aaron Rodgers situation is the biggest thing holding the Steelers’ offseason back, so far. The Steelers aren’t the only party having to put their offseason on pause, either. The New York Giants are also a big player for Rodgers. They have no choice but to wait, either. Even Russell Wilson finds himself having to wait on a destination, as teams wait for the carousel to stop spinning.
The biggest stain on the Steelers’ offseason would be if they lost out on Rodgers. Then, they could head into the draft with only Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson in their QB room. If they can bring the 41-year-old in, though, it’s hard not to feel optimistic as a whole.
The Steelers upgraded their receiver room in a big way with Metcalf. On defense, although he’s 34, Darius Slay has played a lot of good football throughout his career. The Steelers signed Brandin Echols as well. They’ve retained some depth on the defensive side of the ball in general.
The Steelers aren’t a perfect team by any means. They could still use some additions, most notably at running back and defense tackle. However, as long as they land their QB, they’ll be able to head into the draft looking for the best player available, rather than being pigeonholed into addressing positions of need.
Rodgers is the biggest domino to fall. If he comes to Pittsburgh, it will be most recent of a series of solid moves from the Steelers this offseason.
