With the Steelers playoff hopes crushed after the Ravens loss, here are four things the team needs to remain focused on for the 2022 season.
The loss to the Ravens was truly a season-ending one for the team. Even if the Steelers were to win out, they would be staring at a 9-8 record with little hope of making the playoffs. With postseason aspirations off the table, the team has to shift its focus. Winning every week will still be everyone’s goal, but the outlook for the season has shifted.
No, Pittsburgh isn’t going to roll over and allow the rest of the schedule to steam roll them. That doesn’t happen in the NFL, as players would never want to willingly lose. That said, winning and losing should no longer be the focus of this rebuilding team that is now out of the playoffs. Here are four things the Steelers need to focus on now that their season is over.
Who makes up the Steelers offensive line?
It has been a tale of two halves for the Steelers offensive line this season. The first half of the year featured a lot of growing pains and a lack of cohesiveness from the group. After the bye week, the line has played substantially better. That said, upgrades will still need to be made to this group.
While center and right guard are pretty secure, the other three positions are up in the air. I would say Kevin Dotson is the obvious choice as a player the team will try to upgrade from. Chukwuma Okorafor has been okay, but he has quite a cap hit next year and could be cut. Dan Moore has flashed as a run blocker but has been too hot and cold as a pass protector. Changes will be coming, and the three players aforementioned are playing for their future on this line.
Who Steelers retain in 2023?
2023 will likely be another year of heavy roster turnover for the Steelers. This team is riddled with holes, and a lot of their current roster is underperforming or overpaid. Some names are already essentially locked to not be with the team next year. Ahkello Witherspoon has been benched for James Pierre and Devin Bush is unlikely to be brought back, for example.
That said, there are a slew of names that are still up in the air. Terrell Edmunds is an impending free agent, but he has continued to grow as a player and has looked good this year. Myles Jack has been consistently average but has a high price tag. Levi Wallace has been steady but will also see his pay bump up in 2023.
All of those players, and quite a few more, are fighting to get looks in free agency or just to retain their job next season. The Steelers won’t be hurting for cap space either, so most of these names won’t have to be cut for financial reasons. Despite the season not being for much anymore, there are still a lot of Steelers playing for their jobs in 2023.
Who can ascend for the Steelers?
To me, this is a perfect time for the Steelers to start playing some younger talent that hasn’t had the chance to see the field much. With the playoffs out of the question, getting a good look at some players who could be factors next season would be a huge win. This doesn’t mean they should start over established veterans, but fringe guys could be sat down in favor of some of these players.
Mark Robinson is the poster child for this. He looked great in the preseason for a seventh-round pick, but the experience ahead of him has kept him on the weekly inactive list. It would be beneficial to have some game tape on him, especially with linebacker being such a big need next year. DeMarvin Leal is in a similar position, and he needs to see his snaps increase over the final few games.
Pierre has already had this chance, and while he hasn’t been perfect, he has more than held his own. At worst, he can be penciled in to be the fourth cornerback again next season. You can’t bank on a player that hasn’t played a lot though. Getting some snaps to younger players should be one of the primary focuses of the team going forward just to see what they have in these players.
Can Kenny Pickett improve?
At the end of the day, this has to be the primary focus of the Steelers for the remainder of the season. Kenny Pickett has had a rough rookie season. He was very mistake-prone early in the year, but even after he settled in and committed fewer turnovers, his play wasn’t dynamic. He has lacked a truly remarkable game this year.
While any rookie will struggle in their first year, you really wanted to see more out of a prospect that was considered pro-ready as a rookie. Pickett is struggling to connect on deep passes and has failed to progress through reads. He has flashed good pocket presence at times and an accurate arm on shorter passes, but he hasn’t made the case that he can be the guy moving forward.
If Pickett continues to fail to progress, the Steelers won’t cut bait with him. They won’t really be in the position to and they tend to give their rookies time to develop. That said, if his season continues as is, I will be further convinced that Pickett isn’t a viable starter long-term. He doesn’t need to be perfect, but he must make some more strides and have some better performances.
The Steelers playoff hopes are essentially washed, but the team still has plenty to play for in 2022. Their goals have shifted though, as they need to be looking at the future of this team as opposed to just what gets them another win in a lost season. These four areas should be the main focus points for the team moving forward.