What’s next for the Pittsburgh Steelers after 8-8 season?
By Samuel Teets
The Pittsburgh Steelers missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. How can the team get back to their winning ways?
For the second time under head coach Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. After an 0-3 start, the Steelers rebounded on the back of an incredible defense, but the team lost their final three games.
Of course, injuries played a huge role in what happened with the Steelers in the 2019 NFL season. From Ben Roethlisberger going down early to guys like James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster being banged up throughout the year, this team had some bad injury luck. Yet, they can get better beyond getting healthy.
How can Pittsburgh rebound from two disappointing seasons and return to their winning ways in 2020?
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Offseason focus
Pittsburgh needs talent and depth. That may seem very broad, and it is. The team’s defense is incredible, but it lacks depth at the safety position and, if Bud Dupree or Javon Hargrave leave in free agency, then the team needs to fill starting roles.
On offense, the Steelers need to figure out exactly how talented players like James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster are. Can they become six-year starters or are they just flashy players who already burned out? Depending on the answer, Pittsburgh can focus on adding depth to support or prop up those two.
Assuming Ben Roethlisberger is close to 100 percent — or even 80 percent — of his usual self, then it’s time to build depth. Roethlisberger deals with injuries almost every year, and he’s turning 38 years old before Week 1 of the regular season. Someone not named Devlin Hodges or Mason Rudolph should sit behind Roethlisberger on the depth chart.
Drafting a quarterback in the third or fourth round again would be a waste. In 2013, the Steelers drafted Landry Jones in the fourth round. 2017 brought Joshua Dobbs in the fourth round, and Pittsburgh drafted Rudolph in the third round one year later. That won’t work. Find a veteran instead.
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The offensive line, in particular, Ramon Foster at left guard, requires scrutiny after a disappointing season for the run game. There are several high-profile veterans on the line. It may be time to look for successors for some of those players, especially as Pittsburgh faces the cap crunch.
Draft needs
The Steelers built their current defense by trading away draft picks. The team traded their 2020 third-round pick in the package they sent to Denver for the 10th overall pick in 2019. Pittsburgh used that pick on inside linebacker Devin Bush.
Two weeks into the 2019 season, the Steelers traded their 2020 first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. That move took Pittsburgh’s defense to another level and gave the franchise their best safety since Troy Polamalu.
Pittsburgh still possesses five draft picks, including a second-rounder, two fourth rounders, and one pick in both the sixth and seventh rounds. It’s a bad year for the Steelers to not pick in the first round. The team can still retool for one final push before Roethlisberger retires, but missing out on a first-round pick makes that difficult.
If Dupree leaves in free agency, the edge rusher becomes a priority position. Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt are great, but that third wheel in the pass rush takes Pittsburgh’s defensive pressure to another level.
On offense, Pittsburgh needs a tight end. Vance McDonald and Nick Vannett are both free agents, assuming Pittsburgh declines the team option on McDonald’s deal. The Steelers never replaced Heath Miller when the former Pro Bowler retired following the 2015 season.
The team could also focus on the interior offensive and defensive line. Considering the situations with Foster and Hargrave, the team may need new starters at those positions very soon, possibly even before the start of the 2020 season.
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Of course, Pittsburgh can also add wide receivers and outside linebackers. Those positions tend to be the bread and butter of Pittsburgh’s front office. The team drafts players at those two positions almost every year, and that trend will continue in 2020.