The Steelers 2019 season may be over with, but the offseason marks a new start. Here are three things Pittsburgh will look to improve in 2020.
The Steelers have had their share of disappointments during the 2019 season. Despite boasting one of the best defensive units in all of football, Pittsburgh offensive woes could not be overcome.
With the marking of a new year comes the beginning of a fresh start. The Steelers are set to get back Ben Roethlisberger and Stephon Tuitt in 2020. They have a defense that is already established and a group of young players like Devin Bush, Diontae Johnson, and James Washington who are stepping up to the plate.
Here are three New Year’s resolutions for the Steelers in 2020:
Establish the passing game
With Big Ben sidelined, the Steelers struggled more than any other team to move the ball through the air. Opposing teams were constantly stacking the box against Pittsburgh and forcing Mason Rudolph of Devlin Hodges to beat them down the field.
However, neither proved capable of being able to do so. It’s unclear how Roethlisberger will look when he returns to the field, but he will be a most welcome addition to an offense that desperately needs to start moving the ball through the passing attack.
Maintain a top-notch defense
The bright spot on the team this year was Pittsburgh’s remarkable defense, and a little help on the offensive side of the ball could have taken them a long way this year. While the Steelers won’t be able to repeat the unreal amount of turnovers they produced this season, it will be critical to keep this defense intact.
One way the Steelers can do that is by re-signing edge defender, Bud Dupree. Dupree proved to be an excellent counterpart to T.J. Watt this season. If Pittsburgh can retain their core defensive players and play with the same level of intensity next year, things will be looking up.
Find a way to put points on the board
An incredible bounce-back season by kicker Chris Boswell was waisted on a team that often failed to get into scoring range. Devlin Hodges’s offense managed just 10 points per game over the last three contests of the season.
The Steelers were the only team who failed to score at least 30 points in a game in 2019, and their 20-game drought without scoring at least 30 points is the longest in the league. The return of Roethlisberger will obviously help, but Ben will be 38-years old and a year removed from football. It will take a joint effort by the running game and the offensive line if the Steelers are to return to form in 2020.
The Steelers have a plethora of things they need to work on this offseason, but these three are crucial to the success of their football team next season. If they can fix their offensive woes and maintain a defense close to the one they had this year, we could be in for a treat next season.