The Pittsburgh Steelers underwent a lot of changes offensively this offseason. They lost players like Najee Harris, Dan Moore Jr., and George Pickens, while also adding ones like Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf. There was an effort by the Steelers to make their team a Super Bowl contender. However, Greg Jennings, a former NFL wide receiver and Rodgers’ former teammate, doesn’t have much faith in the Steelers this year.
“I’m not really that high on the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Jennings said Friday on FS1’s The Herd. “Matter of fact, I’m not high on them at all. A lot of it has to do with the fact that [Rodgers] doesn’t have what he needs to be successful.
“Number one, within himself, from a skill set, and where he is in his own physical ability right now, he’s declined. When you have offensive line struggles, when you don’t have extensive depth at the perimeter in the skill positions, and you don’t have a true identity of someone that can take games over.”
Those are fair concerns. At 41 years old, Rodgers isn’t the same player that he used to be. Father Time tackles everyone eventually. Last year, Rodgers looked less athletic, and he dealt with a lot of bumps and bruises. His body might not be able to hold up over a full season.
However, it’s important to note that Rodgers hasn’t looked like a shell of his former self during training camp. In fact, his arm talent has continued to impress. While he’s near the end of his career, he can still deliver the ball with great velocity.
Despite that, Jennings isn’t convinced that Rodgers will play well for an entire year.
“It’s not that he’s a terrible quarterback. There’s gonna be splashes in the pan where we see Aaron Rodgers this year and we’re like, ‘There it is. That’s the guy we’re used to.’ And it’s gonna be just that,” Jennings said. “It’s not gonna be something that can consistently be done.”
Last season, Rodgers played every game for the New York Jets. After tearing his Achilles and missing basically all of the 2023 season, Rodgers started 2024 off slowly. However, once he knocked the rust off, he started to look more like himself. Over the last 10 games of the season, Rodgers only threw four interceptions.
Therefore, another year removed from his Achilles tear, Rodgers could continue to bounce back. It’s not like the Steelers’ offense is devoid of talent, either.
Jennings points out their offensive line and receiver depth as weaknesses, but that hasn’t been proven yet. The Steelers have a young offensive line, and there’s a lot of promise surrounding those players. Even Broderick Jones, who has struggled, has looked better in recent practices.
Rodgers is developing better chemistry with players like Roman Wilson, too. While the Steelers don’t have great depth at wide receiver, they’ve got a solid tight end room that could make up for that. Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith are good pass catchers, and Darnell Washington has been improving in that department, too.
Could the Steelers’ offense fall flat on its face? Yes, that’s entirely possible because of all the new pieces that they have. However, that’s not guaranteed. That group has looked better and better throughout training camp. It could prove Jennings wrong.
