The Pittsburgh Steelers have finished as the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 7th seed respectively in the AFC over the last four seasons. So it’s understandable that CBS Sports post-NFL Draft rankings slotted the Steelers in as the 8th best team in the AFC heading into the Summer. Despite a solid draft, they’ve still got major questions at quarterback, and until/if they sign Aaron Rodgers, it’s hard to imagine many NFL media sites predicting the Steelers to finish much better than .500.
“Once again, it’s difficult to judge the Steelers since we don’t know who will be playing quarterback,” wrote CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani. “Will it be Aaron Rodgers, or…Will Howard? Derrick Harmon will make an immediate impact for Teryl Austin, Kaleb Johnson will have the chance to replace Najee Harris and Jack Sawyer is a fun pass-rushing prospect. Pittsburgh has some pieces here, but I want to know who is throwing the ball to [DK] Metcalf and George Pickens.”
Speaking on behalf of Steelers Nation, we all want to know who’s going to be behind center Week 1. Another CBS Sports analyst ranked the Steelers last in terms of their quarterback situation in a recent article. The only reason the Steelers aren’t lower in Dajani’s AFC rankings is because of the widespread expectation that Aaron Rodgers will sign with Pittsburgh. And the respect that the national media has for Coach Mike Tomlin, who as we all know has never coached a losing season.
While quarterback is the most significant position in the game and the Steelers have not done a good job addressing it, they did boost up several other positions of weakness this offseason. Trading for star wide receiver DK Metcalf was one of the biggest moves in the league at the start of the new league year. Now the Steelers have one of the most intimidating pairs of outside receivers in the NFL with Pickens and Metcalf, and they’re one slot receiver (Roman Wilson?) away from being a true top tier receiving corps.
Additionally, first round defensive tackle Derrick Harmon should plug in to help fix a run defense that forfeited 299 yards on the ground to the Baltimore Ravens in a humiliating Wild Card Round playoff loss. Harmon is set up to be Cam Heyward’s apprentice, and he can hopefully spearhead the defensive line for years to come alongside Keeanu Benton.
The Steelers are returning the majority of their starters on what was a top ten defense for most of the season, and their young offensive line should only improve as they get healthier and more adjusted to the NFL level.
While the Steelers being ranked eighth by CBS wasn’t much of a surprise, it was shocking to see the Cincinnati Bengals all the way up at 5th in the AFC, and the Baltimore Ravens all the way up in the top spot. The Bengals probably had the worst defense in the league last year, and they didn’t do nearly enough to address their defensive shortcomings this offseason, instead opting to pay their top two wide receivers an absurd amount of money.
Their offense will be one of the best in the league — and it almost always will be as long as quarterback Joe Burrow is healthy — but defense is just as important as offense.
The Ravens had an amazing draft and they look pretty loaded on offense and defense, but they still shouldn’t be positioned above the Chiefs. Lamar Jackson hasn’t shown the ability to maintain his elite-level play deep into the postseason, and Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs always seem to find a way to win the AFC no matter how improbable.
