3. Steelers have retooled their offensive line
I struggled with where to put this on this ranking, as the Steelers desperately needed to add some elite talent to this line, but most fans are actively praising the moves made here this offseason. I opted for the middle in terms of how undervalued this is. That said, this was easily the most important move the team made this offseason.
For a team that preached physical play in the trenches, the offensive line had been neglected for quite some time. Even last year, when the focus shifted to building up this line, the only additions were two free agents, who did help the group, but were the only two consistently good players on the line.
The Steelers kept up the aggressive free agency strategy this year as well, first inking Nate Herbig to a moderate two-year deal. They followed that up by signing Isaac Seumalo to a healthy deal, meaning the interior is both strong and deep given the quality of depth there.
That didn’t stop this team from adding Broderick Jones in the draft as well. As opposed to waiting for him to fall, this team took a calculated risk to move up, giving up a fourth-round pick in the process. Jones was the last top tackle prospect in the class, so it was well worth the additional pick to acquire him.
This gives the team three starter-capable tackles and a strong interior of the line. Chukwuma Okorafor is likely the weak link on this line, but he is a consistent player at least. I’m fine with having him be the weakest link as opposed to the strongest one as he was just two seasons ago. The backup center is also up in the air, but regardless, this team finally committing to rebuilding their line was a huge win for this team.