Pittsburgh Steelers drop in ESPN power rankings since free agency

The Steelers continue to slip in ESPN’s power rankings. Here’s why the panel of experts has Pittsburgh falling. 

The Steelers had a rough offseason – mostly due to the fact that they had almost no money to work with. Because of the pandemic, Pittsburgh was in a salary cap hole to open the 2021 offseason, and with so many unrestricted free agents this year, several big names walked away.

Mike Tomlin’s team lost some pivotal pieces in Bud Dupree, Maurkice Pouncey, Alejandro Villanueva, Mike Hilton, and Matt Feiler. In addition, veteran cornerback Steven Nelson was released in an effort to free up salary-cap space to keep JuJu Smith-Schuster around for one more season.

The NFL Draft helps their cause, as the Steelers were able to use their nine draft choices to add much-needed depth to several hurting positions. However, every other team was also able to improve their team through the draft, and many experts didn’t believe Pittsburgh did an excellent job seeking value in each round.

ESPN’s panel of experts updated their power rankings recently and noted the teams that helped themselves the most with a quality draft. From their original offseason rankings back during the start of the free agency period, they had the Steelers falling from the 11th ranked team to 15th in their most recent power rankings.

Is Steelers ranking justified?

Many fans would argue that the Steelers should be much higher in these rankings, and after fixing some big holes through the NFL Draft, could argue that their ranking should have improved. But should it really?

While the team did manage to find a quality workhorse running back and a solid number two tight end, there are other positions they neglected in the NFL Draft.

Despite losing both Bud Dupree and Ola Adeniyi in free agency, the Steelers didn’t take an edge defender until the sixth round of the draft, and they remain razor-thin at the position. In addition, Pittsburgh has no cornerback with any sort of relevant experience outside of Joe Haden and Cameron Sutton. After losing both Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton in free agency, most thought the team would have signed a quality free agent or attempt to fix this position early in the NFL Draft. They did neither.

Just looking at the roster on paper, it’s hard to argue that the Steelers are more talented than they were just a year ago. While players like Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth could prove to be very good, it’s unlikely they will make up for the loss of so many quality starters like Dupree, Villanueva, Hilton, Nelson, and Pouncey.

To be honest, I never really mind Pittsburgh flying under the radar in power rankings, as this often seems to give them a chip on their shoulders. With an aging quarterback and an offseason with no money to spare, it’s really not surprising to see the Steelers fall in the latest ESPN power rankings.