Omar Khan and the Steelers brass have been working overtime this offseason, adding several new faces to the roster while parting ways with several more.
Most feedback from the consensus media has been positive, but with all this wheelin’ and dealin’, where does Pittsburgh now sit amongst the league’s best? According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, somewhere in the middle.
“While they did not get the same bump as the Falcons, the Steelers did get an on-paper boost to their quarterback room, but it does come with some caveats,” wrote Sharp in his post free agency power rankings article. “Russell Wilson has not been a quality quarterback for a while, and Justin Fields has had his own struggles thus far in his career. Pittsburgh had to take a swing, but there is a decent chance they find themselves once again in quarterback purgatory at this time next year.”
The concerns at the quarterback position landed the Steelers at 17th on Sharp’s power rankings list, and that might be a fair spot.
It’s no secret that the Russell Wilson to Denver experiment didn’t end with roses. The Super Bowl winning quarterback stumbled in his two seasons with the team, never making the playoffs and becoming public enemy number one for head coach Sean Payton.
Instead of “Letting Russ cook,” he looked fried in a stagnant Broncos offense.
Justin Fields, on the other hand, definitely had highs during his time in Chicago, but inconsistent play and the prospects of landing Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft made the Bears feel comfortable with letting him go. And you know what they say, if you’re getting traded, there’s a reason for it. For Fields it was simply too much variance in the highs and lows of his play.
Now, let me put on my optimistic hat. Wilson still has a very live arm on tape. Plus, he’s hopefully back to the underdog mentality that fueled him to success in Seattle after signing a veteran minimum contract with Pittsburgh.
Fields is still oozing with rare talent and athleticism that the Steelers frankly haven’t had since Kordell Stewart. The flashes in his game should have fans daydreaming about their version of Lamar Jackson. In Pittsburgh, he should have the best supporting cast of his career, which in turn, could cut down on the bad plays.
Most importantly, each quarterback has a skill set that fits well with what Arthur Smith wants to do on offense.
This seesaw of good and bad is why the Steelers sit in the middle of the league after seemingly upgrading the quarterback position. There’s simply too much variance in what could go wrong or right this season that it’s tough to hedge your bet either way.
However, if the team can answer a few more questions along the offensive line and at receiver expect them to slowly make their way up the rankings come the season opener.
