The Steelers have some work ahead of them to improve on the 9-8 finish in 2022 and take the next step toward competing for the playoffs.
But, this should be the Steelers' offseason plan on the offensive side of the ball. And frankly, it really isn’t all that difficult to pull off.
Let’s start with the team’s impending free agents on that side of the ball, listing them in order of who matters most. It might startle you just how unimportant this list is: Anthony Miller, Zach Gentry, Mason Rudolph, Miles Boykin, Derek Watt, Jessie Davis, Trenton Scott, and Benny Snell Jr.
JC Hassenauer is a restricted free agent. There is no reason not to bring him back at a very minimal cost and see what Hassenauer can do at training camp as a fallback option at backup center once again.
As for the unrestricted free agents, none are super critical going forward. That is by design by this front office, as the Steelers have constructed a young offense that can grow up and develop together.
Gentry would be fine to retain and if he were to leave, the Steelers would have to find a new blocking tight end. That isn’t difficult to do and frankly, Gentry’s blocking is a bit overrated. It would also be nice to have the blocking tight end offer more as a receiving threat. Connor Heyward’s snaps should continue to go up, but a big-bodied tight end is something this team will want on the roster. But it doesn’t have to be Gentry.
Rudolph is likely to find work as a true No. 2 quarterback elsewhere. Boykin would be very intriguing to bring back as a bottom of the roster wide receiver and valuable special teams player, but only at the right price. Watt is also a key member of the special teams units and has a minimal role with the Steelers offense. That is basically the same situation for Snell, although it might not be a bad idea for the Steelers' third running back to be a player with more big play ability that what Snell brings to the table.
We can also lump Davis and Scott together as veteran depth pieces on the offensive line that we saw very little from in a Steelers uniform. Ideally, these two would be upgraded with more talented players with pedigree on the offensive front.
So, as noted, the Steelers' offensive free agents are really of little consequence to their offseason planning. If a few come back at the right price, fine. If not, so be it. And Miller will be addressed in a minute. But that leads us to the plan for players not currently on the roster.
The goal for this offense should be the continued development of their current players, continuity and greatly improving at creating explosive plays. “Explosive plays” are defined as runs of 10 yards or more and pass plays of 20 yards or more. The Steelers only created an explosive play on 8.75% of their offensive snaps in 2022. Only nine offenses were worse.
Let’s take it a step further and examine runs of 20 yards or more and pass plays of 40 yards or more. Guess what? The Steelers are dead last in such runs and passes combined with 11 total, and just three pass plays all season of 40-plus yards is also the worst in the league. The Steelers produced such a play -- either on the ground or through the air -- on less than 1% of their offensive snaps last year. Only eight offenses produced such a run at a lower rate than the Steelers and only Arizona was worse than the .27% of plays that went for 40 or more yards through the air.
At quarterback, Kenny Pickett is the obvious starter. Mitch Trubisky is a very capable backup and his $10.625-million cap hit really isn’t all that daunting. He has value. But if the right team came calling, trading Trubisky is something the Steelers should consider. If that offer is enough to let him go, the Steelers should then consider bringing back Rudolph or finding a Byron Leftwich/Charlie Batch/Bruce Gradkowski senior mentor for Pickett. But sticking with Pickett, Trubisky and possibly a late-round or undrafted rookie for the third spot probably makes the most sense.
At running back, it will once again be Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, a very capable one-two punch with little tread off their tires. As seen here, the Steelers are set up to have a sustainable running game, but it is one that lacks explosion and big play capabilities. Trading out Snell for a scatback with home run speed and chops in the passing game is something the Steelers should consider, but that also isn’t an expensive acquisition.
Harris rushed for 84 or more yards in six of the Steelers final nine games. Over those nine games, he accumulated 677 yards on the ground and was a much-improved player on tape that helped set the tone for the Steelers offense as a whole. That being said, Harris is a certain type of runner and isn’t going to break off many long runs and just doesn’t run away from defensive players. For the season, Harris averaged just 3.8 yards per carry after averaging 3.9 as a rookie and has never had a run over 37 yards despite carrying the ball 579 times in the NFL.
That leaves two spots on offense to further discuss: Wide receiver and offensive line. And these positions are where the Steelers should dedicate their efforts on this side of the ball.
Wide receiver isn’t a massive need but finding an explosive slot player should be a priority. First off, you never want to leave a young promising quarterback high and dry in terms of weapons and the Steelers could do exactly that if Diontae Johnson or George Pickens were to miss a big chunk of games next year.
Yes, the Steelers do have Calvin Austin waiting in the wings and that is very exciting. He should absolutely be in the mix here as that explosive slot option, but a Day Two pick to further enhance this position also could be wise. Let’s be a little greedy at wide receiver. The Steelers really need to add explosion, and this is really the only spot to do it. Once the dust clears on free agency, grabbing a Day Two wide receiver in the draft to team with Johnson, Pickens and Austin would be wise.
I didn’t forget about Miller either. Miller was very impressive in training camp and could be a starting slot option, though he isn’t super explosive. But, Miller also should be very cheap considering his injury status and recent history in the league. He is someone that should be brought back, but also shouldn’t prevent the Steelers from adding a downfield option at the position. So, a wideout group of Johnson, Pickens, a draft pick, Austin, Miller and maybe a guy such as Boykin would be outstanding -- and very easy to pull off as the Steelers go into next year.
Maybe you are thinking something along the lines of, “Why not go get a veteran wide receiver in free agency that could also bring leadership to this side of the ball?” That sounds great in theory, but this is a very poor free agent wide receiver class, and such players are very likely to be overpaid this offseason. And such a player would likely be more of a route runner type rather than a downfield home run hitter.
As anyone can see, Austin is an electric playmaker with rare speed. What he could do for the Steelers next year is also extremely enticing. Even with that in mind, Austin is still an unknown at the NFL level and counting on him, only him more or less, to handle the Steelers' third wide receiver duties just isn’t wise and is too risky with a second-year quarterback.
Now what about that offensive line? The starting five is fine. In fact, it is an above average starting offensive line in the NFL right now. Trust me, I didn’t see that coming either, but it's the truth. And all five starters will be back.
But, should the Steelers rest on their laurels and just run it back with the same five? Yes, but reinforcements are certainly needed and the best way to attack that need will be via the draft. Spending on offensive linemen in free agency is almost always an overpay. They are just too much in demand. But grooming a talented left tackle and/or center via the draft works out very well in this instance.
That left tackle could come via the 17th overall pick. Passing on a future starter or possible star at this position would be very difficult to do in the middle of the first round, but it is difficult to say if such a player will be on the board.
It is very likely that there will be a “project” tackle in the second round though. Dan Moore could open the season as the left tackle while the Steelers groom a highly-talented youngster that might need a little work with his technique or in the weight room or just lacks experience. In the meantime, that young player would get action as the Steelers' sixth offensive lineman and heck, he might even shine in training camp like Pickens did last year and push Moore to the swing tackle job or even to guard, which best suits Moore’s skillset. Drafting a tackle early should certainly be a priority.
A center also should be strongly considered, but not in the first round. Day Two centers are usually plug-and-play starters and if the right guy is available in that neighborhood, that should certainly be on the table on Friday of the draft.
Such a move would bump Mason Cole to guard or as the role of the Steelers' first guy off the bench at any of the interior spots. Cole doesn’t absolutely need to be upgraded -- a left tackle is much more of a priority and a position that is more difficult to find -- but if the Steelers could go into camp with their current starting five, a high pedigree rookie left tackle and a center prospect that was drafted somewhere in the range of the second to fourth round, that would give this team seven valuable members of their offensive line and enviable youth at that position overall.
They could also bring back Davis, Scott or someone similar that has been in the league for a bit for even more depth for game day. But, that shouldn’t be a player that eats up much cap space.
And remember, it is extremely unlikely that the Steelers have the injury luck up front as they had in 2022. The Steelers' starting five missed a total of 46 snaps last year. That isn’t happening again and planning accordingly as well as potentially upgrading for the future is of great importance.
The Steelers have many resources to improve their roster right now. As you will see in my article next week, spending in free agency should be concentrated on the defensive side of the ball while the Steelers should bring in more talented youngsters to surround and grow with Pickett via the draft.
Pulling off the plan on defense won’t be as easy as what was laid out here for the offense.
