3 reasons Steelers offense won’t improve much in 2021

Steelers roster will more or less look the same

Pittsburgh didn’t exactly knock one out of the park in free agency this offseason. This was to be expected as the salary cap situation was obviously very tight. In addition to letting a number of key defensive players walk this offseason, the Steelers lost a few starters on offense and did very little in the way of replacing them.

With most of the quality free agents already picked through and still with very limited funds, we can assume that Kevin Colbert is more or less done spending this offseason, and will use a portion of the team’s remaining money to sign his 2021 draft class. Even if the Steelers hit on some offensive players early in the draft this April, it shouldn’t change the dynamic of the team much.

Assuming Pittsburgh drafts an offensive lineman early, the player they draft may not be much of an immediate upgrade over what they already have, or they may not even be trusted to start as a rookie. While a running back might be able to make more of a difference, we can’t expect them to burst onto the scene with a huge rookie performance when the offensive line is currently in shambles.

Landing a quality skill player like Najee Harris or Travis Etienne could make a difference on offense, but with the Steelers needing several pieces on their offensive line, we can’t expect a big leap in offensive production right away.