The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a rut and this offseason will be a big test as to how committed they are to getting out of that rut. Steelers GM Omar Khan is in his second season, while the Steelers have lost five straight playoff games and haven’t won one since 2016. Head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing record as a head coach, but he does have a losing record in the playoffs with 8 wins to 10 losses. Tomlin won the Super Bowl in 2008, his second year as a head coach. The players who won that Super Bowl were already with the team for the most part when he was hired.
Tomlin is a great coach, but he now needs to show he can bring this team back from just competing to being a contender in the AFC. This offseason will be critical to how many more seasons Tomlin will be the head coach in Pittsburgh.
3 things the Steelers must do this offseason
Acquire a competent quarterback
Pittsburgh handled the end of the Ben Roethlisberger era very poorly. Tomlin was able to keep the team competitive despite Roethlisberger’s obvious decrease in ability, but that only kept them from securing an early round pick and a chance at a franchise quarterback. Instead, they took Kenny Pickett in the 2022 draft with the 20th pick overall. Pickett had a strong final season at Pitt, but there never really was much upside for the NFL in his game and so far he’s been awful.
The Steelers organization likes to win through the draft and it has worked throughout the years. But, unless they go into tank mode, they aren’t getting a high enough draft pick. That means free agency or a trade are imperative this offseason. Reports say the Steelers will likely stick with their below average quarterbacks heading into the 2024 season. Hopefully, for the sake of the fans, those reports prove to be off-base.
Kirk Cousins or Justin Fields are really the only two quarterbacks who might be available and who would move the needle heading into next season. Cousins through free agency or Fields through a trade. Fields would be my choice, as he’ll turn 25 this offseason, while Cousins will turn 36 and is coming off a ruptured Achilles.
Ryan Tannehill of course makes sense with Arthur Smith coming on as OC, but Tannehill’s recent injury proneness, his age, and fading numbers would likely make for a one-and-done hire.
With the 20th pick, they could possibly move up for one of the quarterbacks in this draft, but they aren’t touching the Top 3, who happen to be the only quarterbacks they should take in the first.
Draft a cornerback
The Steelers pulled a coup by trading Chase Claypool to the Bears for what turned out to be the last pick of the first round. That landed them Joey Porter Jr. and so far he has been great. Unfortunately, he was the one star in the defensive backfield. Someone to pair with Porter is a must move this offseason and there are some strong cornerbacks in this year’s draft.
Add offensive line help, especially at center
The Steelers showed improvement in run blocking toward the end of the season, but they still need help on the interior line, especially at the center position. Mason Cole was a disaster last season and they need a replacement badly. That person may come in the draft or through free agency.