For the 2024 season to be a success, the Pittsburgh Steelers need to give a foundation to believe in on the offensive side of the ball. That may seem vague on the surface but let me explain.
What’s a successful season for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024?
A playoff berth shouldn’t be the barometer by which fans gauge this season as a success or not for the Steelers. However, plenty of fans will likely disagree with that. After all, the fan base is as hungry as ever for playoff success, with Mike Tomlin currently riding an underwhelming seven-season streak without a playoff win.
Fixing the offense
Pittsburgh’s invested heavily in the offensive line in recent seasons. The Steelers traded up for Broderick Jones in 2023. They also spent their first two selections in April on Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier. That makes for quite a bit of youth and inexperience in the trenches, but there’s a good bit of talent there as well. Even if that talent isn’t necessarily fully formed just yet.
The Steelers struck out in their attempts to add another wide receiver, but we know that George Pickens is immensely talented and coming off an exciting sophomore season. Meanwhile, Pat Freiermuth was recently given an extension which gives fans every indication that he will be a cornerstone on that side of the ball for years to come.
Given new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s run-heavy approach, we know the game plan will flow through their running backs’ ability to keep them ahead of the chains on the ground. That’s where the questions start to heat up.
Will it work?
How do all of these pieces fit into Smith’s system? What did he learn from his failures in Atlanta? Is this scheme still practical enough to succeed in today’s version of the NFL?
If we know anything about how the Steelers have handled their coaching staff historically, Smith’s leash will be long. In fact, it’s likely to extend well beyond this season regardless of how this year transpires. The offensive coordinator decision is the most important hire a head coach can make. For this franchise in particular, it’s of the utmost importance.
A quarterback fix?
It’s no secret that there are massive questions regarding the state of the quarterback position in Pittsburgh, with a pair of new signal callers set to take the stage.
Russell Wilson brings championship pedigree as he attempts to revive his career after an abysmal stint in Denver. Meanwhile, Justin Fields is loaded with raw tools but has yet to establish himself as a consistent enough passer to be relied upon as the face of a franchise. Neither of those players are under contract beyond this season.
Ideally, one of those players steps up and offers enough stability to give the organization confidence to ride with them beyond this season. If not, the team needs to move on. Yet even if the solution isn’t in-house right now, Steelers fans could still leave this season feeling optimistic about where they’re headed.
Realistic expectations for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024
Perhaps it’s unrealistic to predict breakouts for every single one of the Steeler’s young players, rookies included. But what a difference it would be to see most of those players trending in the right direction as a better version of themselves in this system. The offensive line specifically is a group that should be better with time and hit their stride in the second half of the season so long as they remain healthy.
If that unit finishes the season on a positive note, the duo of Pickens and Freiermuth are enough to build a functional passing game around with Smith reinventing himself as a play caller. Because of that, there should be a lot of optimism around this team heading into next spring.
At that point, fans can feel good about potentially dropping a young quarterback into this system. Or perhaps the team could even make a big splash by signing or trading for a player to put them over the top.
To summarize, the Steelers need to prove they have an offensive identity worth building on; with talented prospects turning into foundational pieces for the future. Anything more than that would be a bonus. It’s been a while since the Steelers have given fans much to be excited about on the offensive side of the ball. It’s past time to change that.
