It has arrived. Teams across the country this week will roll up to their respective Training Camps with high hopes and anticipation of a long, grueling season. The Pittsburgh Steelers will start their 2024 season later this week when they attend St. Vincent College in Latrobe.
Excitement for this year is greater than in recent seasons with Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and new Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith all on board. What do we need to see during Training Camp and the preseason? Here are a number of questions we are pondering.
What Will the Offensive Line Look Like by Week One?
Most fans would like to see a starting five of Broderick Jones, Isaac Seumalo, Zach Frazier, James Daniels and Troy Fautanu. Whether that comes to fruition will rely on a lot of things to happen. We don’t even know at this point if Frazier will take ownership of the center spot. Nate Herbig saw a lot of time there in OTAs and isn’t exactly going to hand the job over.
With the Steelers (to this point anyway) not touching the contract of James Daniels, is his spot suddenly on thinner ice? And then there’s the tackle spots. Dan Moore spent OTAs as the starting left tackle. Jones was on the right while the rookie Fautanu got acclimated. Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff like Moore a lot more than the fans do but their opinion matters more than ours.
Whatever shakes out through August, needs to be the best unit they can put out there. Injuries will obviously play a part as they always do but the Steelers cannot afford to wait eight games for the unit to gel as has been the case in recent seasons.
Will Omar Khan Add a Number Two Receiver?
Look, it’s been the biggest question of the Steelers’ offseason and until – or if – it happens there’s not much more that can be said. Brandon Aiyuk continues to be the biggest name out there but his ultimate asking price is just something I can’t see the Steelers doing.
Entering Camp, Van Jefferson will be the odds on favorite for the spot opposite George Pickens but it’s a tenuous position at best. Quez Watkins is another option but his track record is similar to that of Jefferson. One really solid season and a few others that were pretty “blah.”
Roman Wilson, the rookie from Michigan, seems destined to be the slot receiver simply because of his smaller size and quickness. This doesn’t mean he won’t line up or motion to a “number two” spot but he just isn’t the guy in my opinion. The bottom line here is that I believe there will be a move but it’s likely to be less than you’re expecting.
Is the Defensive Line a Concern or Is it Just Fine?
You know Cam Heyward’s situation. He’s 35, coming off an injury-riddled season and he wants to play a few more years. Heyward and the team have yet to do anything with his contract which has a whopping $22.4 million hit in 2024. That number has to get lower. The bigger issue though is his play. Can he return to his Pro Bowl caliber self or is the decline irreversible?
Then there’s Larry Ogunjobi who just turned 30. When healthy, he’s an above average defensive lineman. When he isn’t healthy, he becomes a liability. In other words, the two guys the Steelers depend on most on the D-Line are fairly serious question marks.
The flip-side is that Keannu Benton seems poised to have a breakout season. He had a better-than-expected rookie campaign which saw him improve as the season wore on. The team also signed veteran Dean Lowry who is smart and more than capable of spelling Heyward when needed.
Isaiahh Loudermilk and DeMarvin Leal are both massive question marks in this scenario. It is not a stretch to suggest that both of them are fighting for spots on this roster when just a year ago that would have been silly to consider. Both must pick up their play.
Veterans Montravius Adams and Breiden Fehoko could provide stability in the middle but both are relatively limited in their roles. Rookie Logan Lee out of Iowa is likely headed for the Practice Squad. While there are questions at other spots on the defense, I see the defensive line as the lynch pin for the defense’s success. That success will depend almost entirely on the health of Heyward and Ogunjobi.
How Much Leeway Does Arthur Smith Get?
The Offensive Coordinator position in Pittsburgh is without question the toughest and most ridiculed of all of the coaching spots save for Mike Tomlin’s. It’s likely Smith will get some grace with a young and inexperienced receiving corps while also trying to establish a new identity that isn’t affiliated with Matt Canada.
The advantage Smith has is that he will have Russell Wilson running his offense. That doesn’t mean it will be perfect… but anytime you can have a veteran signal-caller with his resume it’s a massive boost to your system.
Like any offense however, Smith’s will only go as far as the offensive line can take it. As I mentioned above, the Steelers do not have the luxury of waiting for this group to gel later in the season. They have to hit the ground running and progress from there.
If Matt Canada was afforded the time he was then Smith will likely be granted the same. There are always exceptions such as player unrest or just a complete failure across the board but be patient with Smith. He’s a capable coordinator and should make this offense much more of a threat than we’ve seen recently.
