It was an eventful offseason for the Steelers, and a lot of new faces have found themselves on the roster. This team underwent a major facelift in the hopes of bucking some of their recent, and disappointing, trends.
The defense suffered less turnover than the offense, but we still have quite a few new names to note. Darius Slay takes over for Donte Jackson, while the defensive line got some notable rookies added to the roster.
As for grading which rooms got better or worse, the criteria are simple. We will look at each position group as a whole vs what the room looked like last summer before the season started. The new faces vs the veterans lost will be an obvious talking point. I will also consider the potential development of players new to the team and where they are projected to go.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive improvements
Steelers defensive line room
This group saw some notable investments come by way of the draft, as well as a lot of low-end free agents to help fill out the depth chart. Will the results be instant? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean this room is necessarily worse.
Larry Ogunjobi, the only notable departure, was playing some mediocre at best football. His loss won’t be felt by the team. I don’t think it is a stretch that Derrick Harmon can replicate his impact as a rookie. Daniel Ekuale also boosts the overall depth in the room.
Because of the unproven nature and learning curve Harmon will have to go through, this won’t be a massive overhaul. That said, I fully expect the line to play at the same level as last year, if not better. Given the youth now in the room, that is an improvement.
Verdict: Got better
Steelers edge rushers
Probably the most straightforward room to rank on the entire team, as the overhaul isn’t that substantial. The top three remain the same, and the only notable difference is rookie Jack Sawyer, now the likely fourth edge rusher.
While his impact won’t be notable as a rookie, he has more upside as a prospect than Jeremiah Moon last year, and while he has to carve out a special teams role, I think he will be fine there. This room is better, even if we won’t necessarily see that impact right away.
Verdict: Got better
Steelers linebacker room
This was a solid group last year that benefited from its depth. I expect mostly the same this year. The overall changes have been both good and bad.
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On the negative side, I think the Malik Harrison for Elandon Roberts swap was a mistake. On the plus side, Payton Wilson should be able to grow into his role as a starter. Add in Cole Holcomb’s return as well as Patrick Queen hopefully being more settled in, and I think you have a winning combination this year.
Verdict: Got better
Steelers cornerbacks
Did the Steelers get better at cornerback this offseason? Slay was the big signing, but at his age, he could regress at any point. I think he can outplay the departing Donte Jackson, but I’m not sure the results are widely better.
Outside of that, the depth is about the same. The hope is that Beanie Bishop and Joey Porter Jr. take the next steps, but that isn’t a lock. At the end of the day, they marginally moved the needle forward, but this is close to a wash.
Verdict: Got better
Steelers safties
Rounding out the list is another wash. There were no major additions or subtractions to this group. Essentially, the Steelers swapped out Damontae Kazee for Juan Thornhill. Had this been a few years ago, that would be a clear upgrade.
However, Thornill is coming off his worst season as a pro and a bad stint overall in Cleveland. Given his youth, I’ll give him the slight edge over Kazee, but it's close. That means that by virtue of this improvement, the entire room is slightly better off.
Verdict: Got better