5 dream scenarios for Steelers fans during the 2023 season

A lot of things could go right for the Steelers this upcoming season, but a lot of things could also go badly. There is still plenty for this team to accomplish before they can even turn their attention to the 2023 regular season. Both training camp and the pre-season will become a grind for the final 53-man roster which will be settled right before week one of competition.

Fans always dream about different scenarios that could play out in a positive light for their beloved football club that calls Pittsburgh home. Many will hope that this team will be better than what most have them projected as, which is an average group. A lot of football to be played and this young roster still has a lot to prove this year.

Broderick Jones emerges as the top tackle in his rookie year

One area of weakness that has tested the patience of the fans has been the offensive line, tackle in particular. The Steelers saw the issue and heard the troubled fans and made some moves to pair up the front group, including the addition of Broderick Jones in the 2023 NFL draft. They traded up to select him, so hopefully he can start sooner rather than later.

It seems like Jones might be brought along slowly, but the dream would be that he can start day one and have a positive impact. Everyone that roots for the black and gold would love to have him become the best tackle immediately and transform into a franchise player. The rookie has a high ceiling, so this scenario could very well play out.

The Steelers offense finds a way to consistently put up 25 point or more

Even though the black and gold's offense ended their season on a good note last year, there was still a lot left to be desired from that group. They have added a good number of talented players to hopefully spark higher scoring numbers in 2023. Matt Canada is back as the offensive coordinator for this upcoming campaign and that will leave a lot of fans sighing in disappointment.

Not every single issue from the offense could be blamed on Canada, but he was a big part of their short comings. Having a second-year quarterback and a lot of upgrades at receiver and the offensive line leaves little excuse for the coordinator. This upcoming season might not be perfect, but it should see a nice steady level of improvement shown.

Fans are not asking for perfection, even though they do struggle to appreciate a good offensive attack when it's there. It is unlikely that this will be the best offense in the NFL, but a reasonable dream scenario might be this offense somehow putting up a consistent attack of 25 points or more per game. Hopefully, that is not too much to ask.

Even if the Steelers offense was able to apply more than 21 points on the board per game, that would seem like a vast improvement from last year. Fans should be expecting more from this group as they are much improved on paper and Kenny Pickett should progress in year two. One should dream of a day when Pittsburgh adds a lot of points on the board without too many stops against them.

Someone becomes the long-term answer at middle linebacker for the Steelers

One of the weak points on defense has been middle linebacker. It has been a problem on the defensive side of the ball for the Steelers ever since Ryan Shazier suffered his career-ending injury that fateful night in Cincinnati. There have been plenty of attempts to try and find a stable linebacker to occupy the middle of the defense, but there has not been success.

Vince Williams would have at least stabilized that spot, but he retired at a younger age than most. Devin Bush was a draft bust that was not able to ever get his footing in the NFL while wearing the black and gold colors. Now the club enters the 2023 season with new additions and inexperienced options to hopefully emerge as a top linebacker.

Cole Holcomb seems like the obvious choice to emerge as the top linebacker for the Steelers if they find a long-term answer from this group. He signed a nice contract during free agency to join Pittsburgh in their efforts. There are some other options on the team that could potentially become an underdog story that arises to a star caliber player.

Mark Robinson might have one of the highest ceilings among this group of inside linebackers. Overall, they are not a talented group on paper and very little is expected of them. Robinson showed some promise in his short number of snaps last year. Perhaps he could jump into training camp and earn a starting job and go from there.

Kenny Pickett becomes a top ten quarterback in the NFL, or better

It might seem like a nearly impossible feat to see Pickett become a top ten quarterback in the NFL after this season. Unless he sets the field ablaze with his performance, it is unlikely he will be held in that high of regard. Even if he has a year in 2023 that shows vast improvements, he will struggle to become labeled top ten in the NFL.

Dreams do become true sometimes and a lot of this one becoming reality is the health and progression of Pickett in year two. If he can stay healthy and away from the concussion issues, he could have a chance at improvement. Pickett should understand the offense in its entirety with his second year under Canada as coordinator.

As of now, it would take Pickett to show enough to get into the conversation of top ten quarterback by being better than a handful of quarterbacks from both conferences. He would have to be consistently better than players like Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, Trevor Lawrence, and Aaron Rodgers to name a few.

If Pickett can become better than those guys, then the Steelers could be in good shape for a long time. Quarterback is the most important position in the league and the upcoming campaign will go based off the success of the second-year signal caller. This dream scenario is a little hard to see become true, but it’s not entirely out of the question.

The Steelers find success and wind up winning the Super Bowl this season

It's been seven years since Pittsburgh has seen their hometown team win a playoff game. They have not been to the Super Bowl in 13 years, which is a lifetime for fans that are used to success. People around town are clamoring for success in sports around the city again, especially with the Penguins and Pirates showing their own signs of struggle.

There are a lot of things to like about this roster for the Steelers, even though there are some obvious weak points. There are a lot of unknowns for this upcoming group that need to find answers internally as the external options seem to be drying up. If there are players that emerge in a positive light among those question marks, then this team could make waves.

Most would appreciate a playoff win or somehow getting the divisional crown, but a Super Bowl would be icing on the cake. No one believes that this team will do much more than be back in the hunt for the playoffs, let alone win any playoff games. Most of that outcome will result from the types of answers that come out of those question marks on the roster.

The ultimate dream for Steelers fans and their club every year is winning a championship. It is a feeling like no other when your team wins, and no other club can dispute that your group was the best for that year. It has been far too long since Pittsburgh has seen their team in that spotlight, and it would be a dream come true for them to see it again.