The Steelers offense had many problems throughout the season, but they began to clean up some of their issues at the end of the year.
Most assumed that the Steelers offense would not be perfect entering the 2022 season, but it seemed to underwhelm even those small expectations. This year brought many different scrutinies and people calling for both players’ and coaches’ jobs to be taken away. Neither of those things happened even though there were some alterations to the starting lineup.
Changing the starter at quarterback was always the main domino that people were waiting to drop. Kenny Pickett was the first-round pick, and most fans were excited to see what the rookie could bring to this offense. There were a lot of downs, but this group was able to come together after the bye week and find ways to win.
Steelers offensive coordinator grade: D-
Matt Canada might be one of the most disliked offensive coordinators that the Steelers have ever employed. He did not have a great chance to succeed with the type of talent that he possessed on the field to call from. No matter if he had the talent or not, Canada only pressed the issues that this inexperienced group carried with them. He did not find ways to put his players in the best position possible to succeed and that is why so many are calling for him to be fired.
Finding a new person for the job would be the best option for Pittsburgh if they want to help Pickett and his development moving forward. They need an experienced play caller from outside the Steelers organization to come in and help Pickett along. This is a young unit that has a lot of potential, but they need the right person to make those calls and Canada is not that person.
Steelers quarterback grade: C+
Mitch Trubisky started the season at quarterback and things did not play out nicely. The mix of him and Matt Canada only magnified many different issues that created a lethargic offense on the field. Other than the game against Carolina and Tampa Bay, Trubisky did not produce much when he was throwing passes for this offense.
Kenny Pickett was a brighter spot, but he showed that there is still a learning curve for him before he can be counted on at a high level. He was able to play well in big moments down the stretch that helped the Steelers get to a winning season. Pickett had a decent rookie year that showed Pittsburgh should feel comfortable moving forward with him.
Steelers running back grade: B
Something was off with Najee Harris at the beginning of the season. It seemed like he was still dealing with a lingering injury from training camp and that gave Jaylen Warren an increased role. Warren produced at a high level, which is even more impressive since he was an undrafted rookie coming into this year.
Harris would rebound around the mid-point of the schedule where he showed his health came back to earth. He was able to bulldoze over opposing players and create runs that looked like an encore performance of his rookie season. Both Harris and Warren showed some great abilities and could be a great tandem for the years ahead.
Steelers receiver grade: C+
Receiver is one of the toughest positions to judge because there were a lot of issues caused by the poor quarterback play. Many of the signal callers struggled to find open receivers during games, especially in the first half of the season. This poor play limited both Diontae Johnson and George Pickens from fully letting loose and showing what they got.
Pickens looks like a stud and should be the number one guy moving forward for the Steelers offense. He made splash plays during his limited targets. Johnson had a solid year statistically, but he continues to drop or fumble the ball during crunch time. That cannot happen, especially for a player that you are paying that much money towards.
Steelers tight end grade: B+
Pat Freiermuth carried high expectations with him entering this season, and he somehow bypassed most of those hopes. He was able to cement himself as one of the top players at his position and become one of the most reliable targets for these streaky quarterbacks at different points during the year. Freiermuth graded out as one of the best offensive players this season for Pittsburgh and it shows up in every way.
Zach Gentry is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason, and he would be missed if he decides to leave. He is a great run blocker and has been able to chip in when he gets a pass thrown his way occasionally. Connor Heyward has started to slowly grow his role on offense, and he had a promising rookie year when he got a chance to play.
Steelers offensive line grade: C
Whelp, the quick retool of the offensive line this past offseason did not work out perfectly, but it was not a complete disaster either. This group started to play better in the second half of the season, especially in the run blocking department. They helped the Steelers finish around the middle of the pack in both rushing yards gained and sacks allowed this year.
None of these players should consider their jobs completely safe moving forward. Dan Moore Jr. and Kevin Dotson seem like the two biggest positional needs across the starting front. If the Steelers can secure those two spots with some solid starters, then this group could become one of the better offensive lines in the league.
Steelers overall offense grade for the 2022 season: C+
There was a tale of two stories from this offense as the schedule pushed on. They struggled to do much of anything in the first half of the year but started to make some magic happen to win games in the latter portion. This is a young offense and there is hope for the future of this group, but changes need to be made.
No matter their rankings statistically, this offensive line needs to be fixed along the left side of the trenches. There needs to be a new offensive play-caller brought in, or someone that could take over Canada’s job midseason if need be. There is some hope for this group, but that does not mean that improvements and change should be shied away from.
Overall, it was not a great season for the Steelers offense behind some first-year quarterbacks in this offense. There will be some hope sprinkled onto the conclusion of their year, but the lack of points being added to the board throughout the season should be a major red flag.