Pittsburgh Steelers Heavy Favorite Despite Offseason Losses
By Dan Salem
Despite some offseason losses and one big suspension, the Pittsburgh Steelers are heavy favorites in the AFC. Get a third receiver and youth on defense, then watch out.
We’re tackling each team in the league, traveling alphabetically to debate their biggest offseason issues. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
The Pittsburgh Steelers were in a cap crunch this offseason. We knew that going in. On the whole, they lost a few useful pieces but nothing crippling. Heath Miller retired, Steve McClendon and Kelvin Beachum signed elsewhere and Martavis Bryant was suspended. The latter point, having nothing to do with the cap or anything the Steeler front office could control, is probably the biggest news out of Pittsburgh.
Bryant is a special talent who meshes so well with Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton. The wide receiving corps is not quite as potent without one piece. Folks think that newly signed tight end Ladarius Green may be able to fill that Bryant void, let alone the Miller void, but he is a career underachiever to this point. I’m not buying him as a difference-maker.
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It sort of hurts Pittsburgh’s depth and ability to build roster balance because the team is always so good. It doesn’t pick until the 20s in the 2016 NFL Draft. There will be a useful piece around in the first round, but the Steelers have to be so perfect all the time to actually get a starting-caliber player in the 20s. As a franchise, they haven’t selected earlier than 15th in since Roethlisberger was drafted at quarterback. And they haven’t picked in the top 10 since the year 2000.
If they manage to add a defensive back who can make a difference Week 1, as many mock drafts (courtesy of CBS Sports) suspect, that will help. What will help most is this team’s best players staying healthy. All of Le’Veon Bell, Ben Roethlisberger, Ryan Shazier and the offensive line have had trouble staying healthy. It isn’t going out on a limb to say this, but a healthy Pittsburgh team is the best team in the AFC North. I wish it could have added more depth this offseason to help cover injury concerns though.
DAN:
The Steelers were a hot pick last season to win their division and make a Super Bowl run, but injuries and circumstance mucked that up to the point where Pittsburgh nearly missed the playoffs, if not for an even worse job of closing by the New York Jets. The Steelers did notch double-digit victories and finished top five in passing yards and points on offense, despite missing some core offensive talent for much of the season.
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All of that noise was a long way of saying that Pittsburgh is in great shape for 2016. Heath Miller will be missed, but his impact last season was far from irreplaceable. New tight end Ladarius Green may be a career underachiever, but if any franchise can get him going its the Steelers. Playing for an all-time great team with a superstar quarterback is the best motivation available to achieve. If Green falters then he’s a lost cause. I see him slotting in nicely and producing admirably.
Bryant’s suspension is what worries me. I know Pittsburgh got by without him last year, but this team needs a reliable third option at receiver. The passing game is their biggest strength (understatement) and Roethlisberger is at his best with three weapons to work with and a fourth out of the backfield. While I’ve always liked Darrius Heyward-Bey, he’s not a true threat any longer. Sammie Coates may emerge to be a dynamic player, but he was barely a blip in Pittsburgh’s offense last season, so I have no idea how best to quantify his abilities at this point of the year. The Steelers did check out one wide receiver in pre-draft workouts, Pharoh Cooper out of South Carolina. With a pick in each of the draft’s seven rounds, I’d like to see the Steelers select a receiver in round three or four.
What was considered a potential weakness of this team may soon be a strength once again. Pittsburgh is going hard at defense in the draft and the unit wasn’t all that bad last year to begin with. Yes they ranked 30th in passing defense, but they were 5th in stopping the run. The unit overall was in the middle of the pack and nearly cracked the top ten in points allowed per game. Even an average impact from a rookie defensive back can push the Steelers’ defense up a few notches, more than enough to support its thriving offense.
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The Steelers remain a heavy favorite next season and stability on offense and at quarterback is a huge reason why. This is still a playoff team and my favorite to win the AFC North in 2016.