Steelers could be trying to mimic Ravens’ offensive game plan

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of a transition phase. Here’s why Mike Tomlin could be stealing a page from John Harbaugh’s playbook. 

When the Pittsburgh Steelers were on the clock back in the 2018 NFL Draft, I was banging the table for Louisville quarterback, Lamar Jackson. I knew this wasn’t a real possibility. Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert didn’t show one ounce of interest in him during the pre-draft process, but he was the best player on my board at the most important position in football.

Long story short, the Steelers used the 28th overall pick on Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds (who remains in the free agency wasteland four years later). Two picks after Pittsburgh opted for the safety, the Baltimore Ravens snatched up Jackson.

John Harbaugh has been very innovative with Jackson since he entered the league. He was able to build an offense around his lightning-fast QB that optimizes his skill set. By just his second NFL season, Jackson led his team to a remarkable 13-2 record that included 43 total touchdowns and 9 interceptions en route to MVP honors.

While fans have varying opinions on whether or not Lamar Jackson will be able to win a Super Bowl with his playstyle, the young quarterback has the highest win percentage since entering the NFL back in 2018.

Now, the Steelers could be trying to mimic the very offense they’ve been watching and playing against over the past five years. All signs point to Pittsburgh selecting a quarterback in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and they seem to be pretty dialed into Malik Willis as their guy.

Are Steelers trying to copy Ravens offensive game plan?

Obviously, there are a lot of assumptions here. Perhaps Mike Tomlin’s interest in Willis has nothing to do with Lamar Jackson. However, I sincerely doubt the Steelers head coach is unaware of the success Harbaugh has had with his athletic quarterback.

Over the past three-and-a-half years with Lamar Jackson leading the charge, the Ravens have played a ball-control offense and have relied on an elite running game and a strong defense to do the heavy lifting. In Jackson’s 49 career starts, he has thrown the ball just 27 times per game.

This is significantly fewer pass attempts than the Steelers have seen through this same span (and that includes a season with Mason Rudolph Devlin Hodges at the helm).

There may not be a head coach out there who cares as much about keeping his team above .500 than Mike Tomlin, and — counting the games Lamar has been healthy — his team hasn’t come close to falling below this mark. The league’s best dual-threat quarterback has a remarkable 37-12 record as a starter.

The Steelers currently have the most expensive defense in the NFL ($124 million invested in the 2022 season), and that is before Minkah Fitzpatrick’s new deal. In addition, they spent the 24th overall pick on Najee Harris in the 2021 NFL Draft.

By drafting a player like Liberty QB Malik Willis, I believe Tomlin would be trying to mimic the success Baltimore has found during Lamar Jackson’s tenure. Though Willis is raw and probably wouldn’t be ready to play right away, the plan would be to rely on a heavy dose of the run game and a good defense to keep Pittsburgh competitive in every game.

Malik Willis is certainly the player the Steelers would love to get their hands on during the NFL Draft this year. John Harbaugh paved the way with the success he has shown with his dual-threat QB, and I would wager that Pittsburgh would love to follow suit.