After the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers watched the starting offense put together a near-pristine preseason, it seemed like the 2023 campaign would be a smooth ride. However, the hype ended almost before it began with a Week 1 thrashing at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. Ahead of the final game in the 2024 preseason, the Steelers seem to be on the other side of the spectrum compared to 2024, but they still have more questions than answers.
The 2023 Preseason Hoodwinked Steelers’ Fans
Coming off a 2022 season in which the Steelers narrowly missed the postseason, the city of Pittsburgh was eager to watch Pickett take a big step forward after a rookie year that could be classified as just okay. For three preseason games, it seemed as though the 2023 Steelers would be an unstoppable offensive juggernaut, with Pickett showing a Midas touch as he went 13-15 for 199 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Everything seemed to go Pittsburgh’s way as the starting offense looked well-prepared to handle whatever the upcoming regular season could throw at it.
As impressive as the offense looked in the 2023 preseason, the results were the polar opposite, and then some against San Francisco during the opening game of the 2023 season. Things went from bad to worse as the offense consistently hung the $121-million defense out to dry, leading to the historical, in-season firing of then-Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada. After Mason Rudolph gave the team a burst of life down the stretch, Pittsburgh wilted in the Wild Card Round against the Buffalo Bills.
Steelers Took Steps To Get Better
The Steelers recognized the need to improve in several key areas on both sides of the ball following the 2023 debacle. General Manager Omar Khan and Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl were coming off their first season in the front office and understood what was necessary to get the Steelers back among the elite in the NFL. In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Steelers traded up to select Broderick Jones at offensive tackle, and in 2024 that trend continued.
Pittsburgh followed that up by drafting three offensive linemen in the first four rounds of 2024; Troy Fautanu at offensive tackle, Zach Frazier at center, and Mason Mccormick at guard. With veteran James Daniels leading the way at right guard, the Steelers boast four, young, high-potential players on the offensive line.
Along with getting bigger and better in the trenches, the Steelers brought in former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator and Atlanta Falcons head coach, Arthur Smith, to take over the vacant offensive coordinator position. The quarterback room also underwent a complete overhaul, with Pickett, Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky all on different teams and Russell Wilson and Justin Fields joining the team.
Patrick Queen, after four years as a standout middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens, signed with the Steelers for the largest single free-agent signing in franchise history. It is one thing for a team to recognize what changes are needed, but it is something else entirely for that to be put into legitimate, change-producing moves, despite the cost of doing business. However, improving on paper doesn’t always translate directly to the field, which is a concern already as the Steelers continue preparing for the 2024 regular season.
Offensive Line Issues Flaring Up
For most of the NFL, the final preseason game of 2024 represents a chance to get a look at the fourth, and fifth-string players while starters got a day on the sidelines ahead of the regular season around the corner. However, that isn’t the case for the Steelers. Even though both Wilson and Fields represent an immediate upgrade over having Pickett under center, the preseason performances in 2024 have been underwhelming and have made it practically impossible to judge where the offense is in its growth. Neither Wilson nor Fields have led touchdown drives, they have been sacked a total of six times, and there have been enough self-inflicted wounds to stall any drives that may have had potential.
The issues are not only at the quarterback position, though, with the offensive line raising some eyebrows after Pittsburgh’s first two preseason games. Before the preseason started, though, the Steelers had raised concerns by changing players around on the offensive line, including some high-profile young standouts. The 2024 first-round pick, Fautanu, suffered a sprained MCL during the first preseason game, and Jones – the 2023 first-round selection – looked awkward, unsure, and slow during the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. With
Dan Moore Jr., one of the more polarizing players on Pittsburgh’s roster, filling in at tackle depending on where he is needed, and Nate Herbig on Injured Reserve (IR), depth is becoming a concern for the Steelers. Fautanu has already been tapped as the starting right tackle, but that won’t happen until he is healthy. With one more preseason opportunity before the games count, the Steelers offensive line will have a spotlight on them, and every error is sure to be magnified.
A Lose-Lose Preseason Finale?
Considering how much the Steelers did during the 2024 offseason to improve the roster in many vital spots, it is frustrating for the fans and media to see these kinds of issues happening with only one preseason game remaining. For franchises like the Steelers, who consider themselves a proud, loyal team, the expectation was to enter the regular season with a squad that was fully prepared and looked like it.
After nearly three years of Canada’s offense, two years of Pickett at quarterback, and no postseason victories since the 2016 Divisional Round, the fanbase has minimal tolerance for anything that could hold up the comeback tour the city is aiming for. However, preseason injuries are always seen as a waste, especially when they happen to high-profile players, which is why most teams won’t be playing their starters much or at all in the final preseason week. The Steelers don’t have that luxury, though, and may have backed themselves into a corner.
The Steelers must see more from the starting offense – including both quarterbacks – and that means playing the starters as long as it takes for the coaching staff to be satisfied. The best-case scenario is for Pittsburgh to emerge unscathed because any injuries whatsoever to any starter will be put directly onto Tomlin and staff unable to properly prepare the team in the time allotted. The only way the Steelers can put all of the preseason nonsense behind them is to hit the ground running in Week 1 of the 2024 regular season and let winning erase everything else.
At the moment the quarterbacks look subpar, the offensive line is bruised, injured, and struggling, the wide receivers lack depth, and it seems as though everything hangs, once again, on the highest-paid defense in the league. All eyes will be on the health of Pittsburgh’s starting offense as they travel to close out the preseason against the Detroit Lions. The margin for error is incredibly thin, putting the Steelers in the unenviable position of a preseason finale that suddenly holds much more meaning than it should.
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