The Pittsburgh Steelers were no match for the Houston Texans when they dropped the Wild Card game in overwhelming fashion. Pittsburgh was unable to deliver any kind of threat on the offensive end, and it’s clear that multiple moves will have to be made in the offseason if the team is going to return to the playoffs next year and perform in a way that will allow the team to have a legitimate chance of advancing once they get to the postseason.
The Steelers will no longe be a reflection of head coach Mike Tomlin. He stepped down from his post about 24 hours after the loss and the team will have a new leader.
They may or may not have a new quarterback since Aaron Rodgers is 42 years old and he has slowed dramatically. He can still be effective throwing the ball, but he no longer has the ability to buy time in the pocket and he can’t be counted on to escape the pass rush.
That means the Steelers will go through a transition this offseason and figure out a new direction. That does not necessarily mean the team will endure a losing season as the organization goes through major changes. If general manager Omar Khan and player personnel vice president Dan Rooney Jr. make the right choices, the Steelers can once again contend in the AFC North and become a playoff team.
The Steelers were consistent winners under Tomlin, but they have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. The Steelers have 6 Super Bowl titles to their credit, and they would like to get back to putting a dominant team on the field. The right free-agent moves could help them.
Steelers have to become more of an offensive threat
The Steelers may have won the AFC North with a 10-7 record, but the offense struggled most of the season. The team needed a solid contribution from the ground attack, but Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell did not get enough support from the offensive line to make more than occasional contributions.
The Steelers ranked 25th in offense with an average of 305.6 yards per game. The running game averaged just 103.3 yards per game, and opponents knew that big plays were going to be few and far between.
The acquisition of an anchor on the offensive line like Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum could go a long way to giving the Steelers a much more productive offensive front. Linderbaum has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last 3 seasons and he provides a powerful presence as well as leadership from one of the most important positions on the offensive line.
Linderbaum can not only open holes on the interior for the running game, he can also provide security for the quarterback because the interior pass rush is going to be stopped in its tracks on a majority of the snaps.
Improvement at the RB slot is needed
While Warren and Gainwell are both honest backs who lay it on the line in every game, the Steelers could use a running back who can hit the home run. Breece Hall of the Jets could be an ideal fit for the team.
Hall has the speed to break long runs, and he has demonstrated his ability even though he has been stuck on a Jets team that is often buried in the second half of games. Hall is coming off his best season, as he rushed for 1,065 yards while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He scored 4 rushing TDs and he also caught 36 passes for 350 yards and 1 touchdown.
Hall has the strength to bust through arm tackles at 5-11 and 219 pounds, and he is capable of wearing down defenses in close games. He caught a career-high 76 passes in the 2023 season and he could clearly serve as a dual threat for the Steelers if they can sign him to a free-agent contract.
Improvement at the LB spot would help the defense
Defense has long been a calling card for the Steelers but they were below average in that area, giving up 356.9 yards per game. That ranked 26th and that’s not good enough.
Linebackers Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen led the Steelers in tackles with 126 and 120, respectively. However, fellow LB T.J. Watt is the dominant force on defense as he had 55 tackles, 7.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 8 passes batted down, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.
The Steelers may want to go after Packers linebacker Quay Walker during free agency. Walker had a team-leading 128 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 8 TFL and 5 passes batted down.
The combination of Watt and Walker would make the Steelers a far more dangerous defensive team.
Upgrading the WR position is another area to consider
The Steelers have a go-to threat in wideout DK Metcalf and a top 3rd-down target in Pat Friermuth. Bringing in a big-play deep threat like Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts would give the passing game an element that is missing.
Pierce is coming off the best of his 4 years in the league with the Colts. He caught 47 passes for an impressive 1,003 yards and 6 touchdowns. He led the league for the second consecutive year with an average of 21.3 yards per catch.
Adding a big-play performer like Pierce would help Rodgers or the next Steelers quarterback immensely.
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