Pittsburgh Steelers Team Preview

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  • By Jacob Dunne

     

     

    It’s the end of an era in Pittsburgh. Kenny Pickett, who the Steelers took 20th overall in the 2022 NFL draft, was shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason after acquiring Russell
    Wilson and Justin Fields. On top of the quarterback change, the Steelers traded away Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers after five productive seasons.  There are a lot of questions heading into this season such as: who will start at quarterback? Will Jaylen Warren overtake Najee Harris for RB1 duties? Who will take over the WR1 role? The Steelers barely snuck into the playoffs after ripping off an improbable three-game winning streak to end the regular season, only to get demolished in the first round by the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills. They finished the regular season with a 10-7 record, which was good for third in the stacked AFC North division. Pittsburgh made a laundry list of transactions over the off-season, including releasing CB Patrick Peterson and WR Allen Robinson II, signing Russell Wilson to a one-year contract, and signing LB Patrick Queen to a three-year deal. A day after signing Wilson, Kenny Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, followed shortly by acquiring Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick. These are just a few of the numerous acquisitions made by the storied franchise.

    The Steelers seem perennially stuck on the treadmill, unable or unwilling to rebuild while not being good enough to separate from the herd.  Coach Mike Tomlin has mastered the art of finishing over .500 which is a feat in the current volatility of the NFL, but this team has weapons on both sides of the ball and needs to win now or go back to the drawing board.  The most obvious room for growth is at QB and while the Pickett pick looks pretty disastrous, at least they were able to pivot quickly and reload with two quality starters.  The passing offense was anemic last season, finishing 25th or worse in passing attempts, passing yards and passing TDs.  While having depth at the most important position in sports is ideal, it’s hard to believe this isn’t going to cause chemistry issues at some point this season.

     

    Writer’s Season Win Prediction: 6-11

    The potential instability at quarterback will make it hard to draft a wide receiver early. While George Pickens boasts a ton of upside, both Wilson’s and Fields’ arms don’t instill enough
    confidence to take the 23-year-old early in fantasy drafts. The acrobatic catches that Pickens has made in the past give me hope for a breakout season, but he’s going to need volume to be a true WR1. We also can’t rule out Justin Fields developing into a competent passer. If Fields can take the next step, this would be excellent news for Pickens and TE Pat Freiermuth.  When it comes to the running game, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren power one of the best one-two punches in the league. While this might make it hard to draft either one in fantasy, I would invest in the player with the cheaper ADP, who I assume will be Jaylen Warren. With new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in the mix, you can expect a heavy dose of both running backs, which would give them weekly high-end FLEX appeal in all scoring formats. Smith loves to spread the wealth when it comes to his running back room. Despite the Atlanta Falcons spending a top-10 pick on future superstar Bijan Robinson, the backfield was a near-even split, with Robinson garnering 214 rushing attempts versus Tyler Allgeier’s 186.  If we know anything about Smith, it’s that he doesn’t play favorites and will give the ball to whoever he wants, no matter the draft pedigree or contract. This means both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren will most likely be in a timeshare all season. We also can’t rule out Cordarrelle Patterson getting three to five touches a game, which would further muddy the waters in Pittsburgh.

    The departure of Diontae Johnson opens up a ton of targets for George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth, and newcomer Roman Wilson. Before Johnson’s down year last season, he was averaging 93.7 receptions on 153.3 targets over the previous three seasons. That’s a significant number of vacated targets up for grabs. While I predict this will be a run-first team, the Steelers should find themselves trailing in most games, which bodes well for Pickens, Freiermuth, Warren, Harris, and Wilson in that order.  The schedule also didn’t do them any favors and thus the potential negative game-script bodes well for Pickens and whichever QB grabs the helm. 

    June 5, 2024, 4:42 pm