The Pittsburgh Steelers were a field goal away from turning a 2-6 start of the season to another playoff berth. For a team that started the season so poorly, it’s almost a miracle that they finished 9-8 and prevented Mike Tomlin from having his first losing season as a head coach.

Now how do you build on that and make sure this team continues to grow into a legitimate playoff team? It has to start with the quarterback. Kenny Pickett definitely lived up to the expectations that the Steelers had when they drafted him in the first round. Now it is all about making sure you can do whatever it takes to protect him; and providing him with the weapons to give him more of a chance to succeed next year.

Free Agents/Personnel

There’s been a lot of talk about the Steelers potentially moving on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada this offseason. While the Steelers offense saw some improvement as the season went along, I don’t think we could attribute it all to Matt Canada. There were various points in this season where the offense lacked a spark and it almost seemed like the opposing defense knew what was being called before the Steelers snapped the ball.

It could be tricky having Pickett learn a whole new offense if the Steelers bring in someone new. However, it could help in the long run finding someone who can keep the defense on their toes, and provide Pickett with a solid system.

Compared to other offseasons, the Steelers have some notable free agents this year that they’ll have to consider. Some of the bigger names include LB Devin Bush, S Terrell Edmunds, CB Cameron Sutton, and DE Larry Ogunjobi. All of the previously listed players were starters that became reliable players for a defense that didn’t allow more than 20 points in their last stretch of games.

The only name that didn’t make a case for himself to stay would be Devin Bush. The 10th overall pick by the Steelers a few years ago hasn’t been the same since his knee injury in his second year. He also didn’t play much towards the end of the year.

Cameron Sutton had one of his best years, but I still think his best position is inside CB for this defense. He finished the year with 3 interceptions, but dropped just as many if not more throughout the season.

Terrell Edmunds has been as solid as anyone on this team over the last two seasons. No one will bring his name up because he is overshadowed by Minkah Fitzpatrick, who just earned a spot on the NFL All-Pro first team again. Edmunds is a solid tackler and can play around the box when they bring in Damontae Kazee. Edmunds and Sutton should be the top priorities for this team to make sure they stick around for a long time.

Draft

I was planning on talking more about the draft as it got closer, but this is arguably one of the most important drafts for the Steelers in a long time. The Steelers have three picks in the top-50 this year after the trade they made with the Chicago Bears for Chase Claypool. That pick has now turned into the 32nd pick after the Miami Dolphins’ pick was voided because of the investigations that the NFL did on them surrounding them potentially losing games on purpose.

So technically, the Steelers have two first round picks and their own second-round pick at number 50. They need to improve in some key areas like cornerback, one or two spots on the offensive line, and finding more talent along the defensive line because Cam Heyward will be 34 in May.

By the time the Steelers pick first at pick 17, there should be some great talent left for them to address their needs. A dream scenario for me would be that Joey Porter Jr. falls to that pick and the Steelers select him. Family ties is something the Steelers are almost known for as they’ve had both Terell and Trey Edmunds, Derek and TJ Watt, and Cameron and recently drafted Connor Heyward on the team at one point. Joey Porter Sr. was one of the great linebackers this organization has had in recent years, and I think that’ll be something the Steelers won’t help but look into. 

It wouldn’t be the NFL playoffs without some teams already talking about next season and how their teams need to improve. The Steelers definitely have their work cut out for them, but if it all goes right, you could be looking at a genuine threat in the years to come.