I’m a realist.
I call things like I see them.
Not everyone likes that but I’m not apologizing for it.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had a great draft this past weekend in Kansas City. With seven selections, the team may very well have found three or four starters and this has some fans thinking Super Bowl. While I understand the excitement over additions like Broderick Jones, Joey Porter, Jr and Darnell Washington, I also understand that A LOT more has to happen in order for this team to make such a jump. Am I peeing on your parade? Please accept my heartfelt apologies but let’s look at why patience is still the order of the day.
The Guy Calling the Offense Hasn’t Changed
The Steelers’ offense could see as many as three or four new starters along the offensive. It could see an improved number of offensive threats in second-year Calvin Austin III and the aforementioned Washington. It’s likely to see improvement from Kenny Pickett who may I remind you threw seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in his rookie campaign. Somehow, fans already believe that Pickett will lead this team to the promised land one year removed from that.
I would love that but I’m also not forgetting that Matt Canada still runs this offense. Can we expect his passing game concepts to get drastically better? Will his overall play-calling be better? Will he utilize his personnel better than he did last season? Until I see the proof of his giant leap forward, I have nothing to go on other than what I’ve already seen. And by the way, if Canada can’t make this offense better and get more out of Pickett then he should have his bags packed.
There are Still Holes Yet to Be Filled
There is a serious lack of depth at outside linebacker. The drafting of Nick Herbig is nice, but I’m not sure he can be counted on for more than some ‘for sure’ passing situations. He is going to need time to add weight and strength before he can be fully relied upon to be the third OLB.
Who is the slot receiver? Newly acquired Allen Robinson provides the “big slot” guy the Steelers often like and if he stays healthy, then he could be legit. But the Steelers also need speed there too and Austin remains a complete unknown after missing his entire rookie campaign.
I’m not sure the Steelers are all that comfortable with Keanu Neal as their only strong safety, capable of playing in the box. Many thought that would be addressed in the draft and it wasn’t. Like Robinson, Neal has had an injury history that cannot be overlooked. To add to that, are they 100% comfortable with Arthur Maulet as the nickel corner? We know he does many things well, but consistency in coverage isn’t one of them.
Have You Looked Around the Conference?
Kenny Pickett is currently the fourth-best quarterback in his division. The AFC East features Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers. The AFC West has that Patrick Mahomes guy who is pretty good, not to mention Justin Herbert and what is sure to be a revitalized Russell Wilson under Sean Payton.
The good news is that Mike Tomlin is building this team so that Pickett doesn’t have to have everything on his shoulders. It seems pretty obvious to me that Tomlin wants to run the ball, set up play-action and shorten games as much as possible. I totally get it and I’m supportive of the direction but he knows better than me that best laid plans… Well, you know.
Allow Me to Summarize
I see what I see and I evaluate. What I see with the 2023 Steelers is a team still coming off a 9-8 season buoyed largely by wins over average to below average teams in the final half of the season. That doesn’t mean this team can’t be great or even better than last season but I struggle to see how anyone can make any predictions when we haven’t gotten to Spring mini-camps yet.
Allow this team to come together. There are guys who will play important roles who probably aren’t even on the roster yet. There are guys we think will be important who won’t be around come September. I’ve never understood the need to make such proclamations so far from when the process even starts. Is there an award one receives for tweeting out that your favorite team will do this or do that way before the season starts? If there is, good luck with that.
For me, I’ll wait until I see what this group looks like in August. At that point I’ll tell you what I think because to do it any sooner just isn’t realistic.