Thanks to the work done by Omar Khan and the front office during the offseason, the Steelers have a revamped roster that's expecting to improve on a disappointing-yet-encouraging 9-8 record in 2022. Regardless of all of the work done in free agency and the draft, the Steelers have to see improvement under center in order for the team to get back into the playoff picture in 2023.
Welcome to the first edition of our 2023 Steelers positional preview, in which we will break down and preview each position on the roster to get you ready for that wonderful first training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
Throughout this series, we'll take a look back at how each position fared in 2022, how that position was addressed in the offseason and wrap up with how it looks heading into 2023. Of course, the roster can still go through some changes between now and when the roster is cut down to 53 players. But, this will help give you a better understanding of how the team is shaping up heading into the season and how realistic it is for them to get back to a playoff chase or maybe even a division title.
We're starting with quarterback because, well, it's obviously the most important position on the field. And, in order to succeed in today's NFL, the quarterback has to be productive and efficient.
2022 IN REVIEW
After signing a free-agent contract in the offseason, Mitch Trubisky began the year as the starting quarterback. He went through the entire offseason ramp up and preseason as the unquestioned starter with incumbent Mason Rudolph and rookie Kenny Pickett vying for the backup job. Pickett ultimately won the backup role prior to the start of the season, but it was Trubisky's offense to start things off.
However, Trubisky didn't hold the job for long. Simply put, the offense sputtered with him under center. The only reason Pittsburgh defeated the Bengals in Week 1 was because of the defense's outrageous performance, taking the ball away five times and sacking Joe Burrow seven times. Not to mention Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepting Burrow's first throw of the game for a pick six, then blocking a PAT near the end of regulation to force overtime. Then, the offense mustered only two touchdowns in a loss to a beatable Patriots team, and they couldn't get anything done in the second half against the Browns in Week 3, ultimately falling to 1-2.
After the offense fell flat once again in the first half of their Week 4 matchup against the Jets, Mike Tomlin made the switch to Pickett. Seeking a jolt of energy, Pickett provided that by scoring the first two touchdowns of his career (both rushing) to turn a 10-6 deficit to a 20-10 advantage. However, Pickett's performance also came with rookie growing pains as he threw three interceptions (though, at least two were hardly his fault) and the team blew the lead to fall to 1-3.
In the first three and a half games of the season, Trubisky completed only 59.5% of his passes for 653 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and posted an abysmal 5.6 yards per attempt. He played far too conservative, whether that was out of fear of turning the ball over and losing the starting job to Pickett or because Matt Canada put handcuffs on him to prevent said turnovers.
Either way, the offense simply wasn't productive under Trubisky. And while there were going to be growing pains with Pickett, it was worth it for two reasons: The rookie's development and a much needed spark.
Pickett's first start was against the high-flying Bills, and it went about as expected. There were flashes of Pickett's potential, especially with how he could use his legs to open up certain throws. However, there were plenty of moments in which he learned what throws simply aren't going to work when facing the best of the best:
The following three games continued with growing pains, in multiple ways. Pickett was knocked out of a win over Tampa Bay with a concussion, then threw one touchdown to four interceptions over back-to-back losses to the Dolphins and eventual NFC Champion Eagles.
But, after a bye week in which the Steelers took part in all kinds of self reflection, Pickett turned things around. He found a better balance between being aggressive while also being conservative, protecting the ball much better than he had when he threw only two touchdowns to eight interceptions in his first five games. From Week 10 until the end of the season, Pickett threw only five touchdowns and completed only 59.4% of his passes, but threw only one interception in 224 attempts. What's more, he earned a 88.9 grade on Pro Football Focus -- an endeavor that tries to separate the quarterback from the results -- from Week 12 through the end of the season, the best mark among all quarterbacks.
Pickett's growth might not have been more evident than how he lead the team in two critical game-winning drives against the Raiders and Ravens, keeping the Steelers' slim playoff hopes alive until the final week of the season, despite the team starting the season with a 2-6 record. And, he made some big-time throws in the process:
In today's day and age in which analytics rules everything, I'm still a believer in intangibles. Him coming through in big moments such as these is huge. Period. Pickett proved he's a gamer and rises to the challenge when all of the chips are down. And, he recently admitted on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long that he really felt like down the stretch he fully took the reins of the offense.
"Those last four games of the season, it felt like to me that I was running the offense and on my way to where I wanted to be," Pickett said. "Having those fourth-quarter wins, those come-from-behind wins, those are big moments that kind of validate all the hard work and everything we were putting into it to get back into that playoff chase. I think over those four games is where I kind of started to feel that it was becoming my offense and I was running the show."
Pickett's trajectory was cut short as the Steelers failed to make the playoffs. But, it gave the Steelers and the fans hope that he could become a legitimate franchise quarterback.
THE OFFSEASON
Khan didn't have much to do to address the quarterback position in the offseason. Pickett is under a rookie contract for at least another three seasons, and Trubisky -- who bought into his role as Pickett's backup -- was under contract for 2023. The Steelers needed a third quarterback, but that was far down the list of roster priorities. Even with Pickett suffering two concussions in 2022, Rudolph only had to dress in one game.
However, Khan was very open with local reporters at the Combine in early March that he wanted to keep Trubisky in Pittsburgh beyond 2023. That inevitably came to fruition as Trubisky signed a two-year extension this spring, opting to buy into the backup role through the 2025 season.
With the No. 1 and No. 2 guys locked up and giving him a chance to survey the free agent market, Khan brought back Rudolph to be the team's third quarterback once again, keeping the same quarterback room intact.
"It's awesome," Pickett said during OTAs. "I spend every day with those guys. It's crazy how much time we spend together. We got really close over just one year. To have both of those guys back, it's awesome. It's special. It's a special group. Those guys have become really good friends of mine."
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2023
Pickett's growth down the stretch last season definitely showed a lot of people what he's capable of. He showed he's very good at eluding pressure, and may even be one of the best in the NFL in making plays work outside of the pocket.
He also showed that he doesn't need a bazooka on his shoulder to make accurate throws to all levels:
But, Pickett's biggest strength is undoubtedly how he uses his legs to open up plays. He was one of the highest-graded quarterbacks by PFF when throwing under pressure or outside the pocket, ranking third in the NFL in both categories. Rookie quarterbacks often get rattled by pressure, but not Pickett. That's a great strength to have, especially when playing in a division in which all teams prioritize sacking the quarterback.
All of that being said, there is still a lot of room to grow. In fact, where Pickett needs to improve the most is in the pocket. He abandoned a clean pocket far too often throughout his rookie campaign, even in the latter stages of the season when he was playing his best football.
Take this play against the Raiders, for example. We all know that Pickett eventually leads the team to a game-winning drive, capping a Christmas miracle on a frigid night in Pittsburgh. But, this play shows Pickett abandoning a clean pocket far too early:
If he stays in the pocket for another second -- an eternity in the NFL -- he could have seen a wide open Diontae Johnson (bottom) streaking across the middle of the field on a rare in-breaking route.
In order for Pickett to truly take a big leap in Year 2, these are the types of plays that need to be made much more often. Nobody can blame Canada for that. These are easy layups that move the ball down the field, even when the field is shorter, such as in the play above.
If Pickett becomes a better, more efficient and patient passer in the pocket, and couples that with his elite ability to throw outside of the pocket, the sky is the limit for him. Khan put a lot of work into reinforcing the offensive line this offseason. That doesn't just bode well for a running game that averaged 146 yards per game down the stretch. That was also done with the intention of Pickett making more throws from the pocket, and having more time to do that more often. If we see him continue to abandon the pocket early, it's on him and not anyone else.
As far as production, some of that is out of his hands. How do Canada and he better execute in the red zone? That was the offense's biggest struggle in 2022, even after the offense became a much better product during the 7-2 finish to the season. And, even if you take his production during that second half of the season and project it to a 17-game performance, he would only throw for 3,064 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Of course, only two picks in 17 games would be phenomenal. But, barely 3,000 yards and only 11 touchdowns isn't going to cut it in today's NFL. There has to be much more than that, even if the Steelers' defense is as formidable as it possibly can be.
Maybe there will be if Pickett becomes a better pocket passer and Canada draws up better schemes in the red zone. Again, some of that is out of Pickett's hands.
Keeping Trubisky as the backup in 2023 and beyond could prove to be very beneficial for both Pickett and the Steelers. With Pickett's tendency to run stands a higher risk of him missing time here and there. Thus, having a strong backup is critical, just as it was when Charlie Batch backed up Ben Roethlisberger.
Trubisky was a different quarterback after he became the backup last season. He was much more assertive and aggressive, and that helped the offense move the football up and down the field. They did it against the Buccaneers, and even in the home loss against the Ravens. The latter is where he learned he can't be too aggressive, and dialed it down to a more ideal amount when he started in place of an injured Pickett in the road win over the Panthers.
Trubisky knows the system, and he a Pickett are attached at the hip. It's as healthy of a quarterback duo as can be. That's only a good thing. And, having Rudolph back as the third quarterback keeps a tight-knit group together at the position.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
• Starter: Kenny Pickett
• Backup: Mitch Trubisky
• Third-string: Mason Rudolph
This is the easiest depth chart to project, perhaps even easier than last year's when there was some hope/expectation that the order would change from the start of training camp to when the season kicked off -- which it did. This time around, it's Pickett's offense. Trubisky is completely bought in as the No. 2, and Rudolph willingly came back as a free agent to be the third quarterback.
There's no quarterback controversy here.
2023 STEELERS POSITIONAL PREVIEW SERIES
• Quarterback (duh, you're here)
• Running Back (July 18)
• Wide Receiver/Tight End (July 19)
• Offensive Line (July 20)
• Defensive Line/Edge Rusher (July 21)
• Inside Linebacker (July 24)
• Secondary (July 25)
• Special Teams (July 26)
