With the New Year finally here, the Steelers have had a season to forget. Despite seemingly making a jump in the offseason, the team has fallen apart. Now, this team is set for another year of mediocrity as they head into the offseason. While things are gloomy, there are some players I have circled to watch in 2024.
This is for a wide variety of reasons. Some are players I think could break out and become stars on this team. Others are disappointing right now and need to right the ship. My only exclusion is the current drafted rookie class for the team. Those are players everyone will be keying in on as we hope to see a jump in their second seasons on the team.
With all of that said, here are the five Steelers we should be closely watching in 2024.
The Steelers could move forward with Jaylen Warren
The running back room hasn’t been as advertised this season. The hope was for a ground-and-pound tactic that would allow for long drives and an efficient passing game when needed. The main dog would be Najee Harris, the former first-round pick, while Jaylen Warren would spell him and provide a change of pace option.
While the run game as a whole has gotten better, this unit hasn’t lived up to the expectations that were laid out for the team in the offseason. The offensive line has been hot and cold as blockers, and defenses can key in on the running game due to the struggles the Steelers have had through the air.
Warren has shined though, and he better fits the offense right now. That isn’t to say Harris isn’t doing good, he has been fine, but Warren can break a big play whenever he touches the ball. That explosion is necessary for a stagnant offense.
It is hard to imagine Harris having his fifth-year option picked up next year. That means both he and Warren will be entering contract seasons. Assuming both are around next year, I would love to see Warren jump Harris for early work. This is a pair that works well as a tandem, but I will be closely watching to see if Warren can make the next jump and potentially earn a second contract with the team.
Steelers need to give Mark Robinson a chance
It appeared early on that the Steelers may have found a diamond in the rough in Mark Robinson. The seventh-round pick was new to the linebacker position, but he played with a lot of aggression and physicality. Comparisons to former Steelers linebacker Vince Williams were made, especially after a solid first preseason.
He finally got his shot late in his rookie season to see the field in a limited capacity, and he held up. The offseason was unkind to him though, as the Steelers blew up the position and added a plethora of new faces. Robinson was no longer poised for a second-year jump but was an option for the future and in case of injury.
That hasn’t even been the case this season either. Injuries struck the linebacker room during the middle of the season, and instead of calling upon Robinson, the team has looked everywhere else. This has led to the likes of recently unretired Blake Martinez and Mykal Walker getting the nod over him to poor results.
The team hinted at 2024 being Robinson’s chance to start, but I’m not sure how genuine that is. If they truly thought that, they would be giving him more opportunities now to play. It seems like he is in the doghouse for one reason or another with Pittsburgh.
While my hope that Robinson gets his shot is fading, it did take the aforementioned Williams a few years to get his own chance. The promise that he has shown makes him a player squarely on my watch list as we head into 2024.
George Pickens needs to get his head on straight for Steelers
While the previous two names are ones I am hoping for some sustained success, George Pickens is a player who has all of the talent in the world but seems to be regressing as a person. His talent isn’t in question and has been on display since his rookie season. His hands and body control are unnatural and it allows him to make some highlight reel catches.
The issue has quickly become his attitude. To be fair, the Steelers offense has been one of the league's worst over the past few seasons. The passing game has been inhibited by the likes of Matt Canada calling plays and Kenny Pickett throwing passes. Pickens is a supreme talent, but he is proving to be an afterthought in a lackluster scheme.
Now it is affecting his mental space. Pickens has started to make some offhand comments that don’t sound good for the team. Some of his routes have gotten sloppy, and his blocking, something he excelled at in Georgia, has been putrid. All you need to do is look at his poor attempt against the Colts.
Worse yet, Pickens clearly doesn’t seem to care off the field how he appears right now. His comments are lazy and uninspired, and he doesn’t seem to be concerned with how he is viewed by the fans. He almost seems annoyed that people are upset with his actions.
Receivers are notoriously a position filled with divas, but Pickens acting like this despite still being on a rookie deal is concerning. At this point, I’m not sure he will stick around on the roster through the next season. If he does though, all eyes will be on him to see if he can get his head screwed on straight.
Can the Steelers find a sleeper in Darius Rush
While I am not including the Steelers actual draft class in this post, I made an exception for Darius Rush. While a rookie, he wasn’t drafted by the team and has already bounced around a few rosters so far in his career. That said, he has everything the Steelers want in an outside cornerback and could figure into a defensive role next year.
Rush was a talented cornerback prospect in a deep group during this past draft. While Cam Smith was the more hyped prospect from South Carolina, Rush fits the mold of a new-age outside cornerback. The deep draft caused him to fall to day three, but the talent certainly was there.
He bounced around some practice squads earlier this year, but the Steelers opted to bring him on in place of Desmond King. He saw snaps early but has mostly been inactive this season. That makes judging him hard, as there won’t be a surplus of tape on him by year's end.
Pittsburgh will have a lot of cornerback questions heading into 2024 though. Joey Porter will be locked in as a starter, but the rest of the room is a question mark. Levi Wallace and James Pierre should both be gone, and Patrick Peterson is no lock to be around either. This could leave the door open for Rush to jump up the depth chart in year two.
The team will certainly add to the room in the offseason, but if Porter is the only holdover in the room, Rush should have an advantage next year. Fellow rookie Corey Trice will be returning from an injury, so he could even leap him on the depth chart. Rush could see a considerable jump in playing time in the new year.
Steelers need to learn who Kenny Pickett is
The most important player on this list, through two seasons of play we really don’t have a great feel for who Kenny Pickett is as a player. The hope was for a good-not-great option that could effectively manage a game and get this team back into the playoff hunt. The only thing that is safe to say right now is that Pickett isn’t going to be an elite passer in the league.
If you have followed along with my writing, you know my general feelings on Pickett. In short, it isn’t good. Even if his play were to improve slightly, I don’t think he is a dynamic player. He has been outperformed by a litany of players this season and lacks the inherent traits that could make him an elite quarterback.
The issue is that Pickett is likely locked into the starting role for next season. The team won’t spend money on a big-name free agent and will likely miss out on the top crop of draftable names. Assuming he is still the starter, we need a definite answer about who Pickett is.
I don’t care that there will be a new offensive coordinator and an offensive line that is developing, it is up to Pickett to show that he can be more than mediocre. If he can’t, the experiment needs to end. I don’t think it is very likely, but I want to see if Pickett can prove his worth next season.
With the new year upon us, the Steelers will once again be tasked with answering various different questions as the next season ramps up. My eyes will be on these players though. For some, I want to see if they can take the next step. For others, they need to prove their worth to the team.