5 of the Steelers worst moves during the 2021 NFL offseason

Steelers didn’t commit to the offensive line rebuild

Now, with so many holes on the team and an overall lack of cap space, the Steelers were never going to be in the hunt for some of the top offensive linemen on the market. Likewise, with the number of needs this team had, the offensive line wasn’t going to be fixed completely through the draft. However, despite the team losing three starters along the line, little was done to truly change or better this line from last season.

No, the Steelers didn’t ignore the line this offseason. They brought back B.J. Finney and drafted Kendrick Green and Dan Moore Jr. in the third and fourth round respectfully. That said, none of these players are instant upgrades over what was lost last season. Moore will likely have a redshirt season to develop more while Green and Finney will battle it out for center. While I am high on Finney, there were better center options such as Nick Martin and Matt Skura who cost less than a million in total cap space. As for Green, long term, he has a lot of upside, but to expect a player who mostly played guard and was taken in the third round to anchor your center spot is optimistic.

This leaves the tackles, which really didn’t improve either. While Zach Banner is deserving of the opportunity to start, his contract was a little richer than most expected. On the other side of the line, Chukwuma Okorafor will retain a starting role after an average to slightly below average season at right tackle. The line needed a major overhaul this offseason, and frankly, the Steelers didn’t do enough to make that happen. For a team that was mandated to fix the run, leaving the line in this state will certainly cause some issues for rookie running back Najee Harris.