Pittsburgh Steelers: Offseason Wants, Needs & Preview

[Finished 12-4 Overall]

The Steelers smashed the competition and began the 2020 season to the tune of 11-0. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster was dancing on opponents' logos, TikToks were being recorded, and sports analysts everywhere were asking “can the Steelers really go undefeated?” As the season progressed, opponents adjusted to the quick strike, short passing game plan, and the riddle of Pittsburgh’s offense became all but mysterious.

Once LB Bud Dupree got hurt, the ferocious defense was far from the steel curtain. Pittsburgh finished 1-4 over its last four games, offensive coordinators were fired, and talks about QB Ben Roethlisberger's future went from MVP candidate to retirement rumors. Given the disappointment of how the season finished, Big Ben reworked his contract to relieve Pittsburgh $15M in salary cap to allow them the flexibility to fix their roster for 2021. So, how did a team that achieved an 11-0 record to start, end up being blown out by a team that was missing most of its starters and its head coach? Not to mention the fact that said team had been historically dominated by the Steelers franchise for years.

Without a doubt, COVID-19 played a big role in the Steelers' 2020 season, and not because of lost players, but because schedule-shuffling eliminated this team's bye week. In 2020, no other team had to play as many games in such a short period of time as did Pittsburgh. Losing in the gut-wrenching fashion that the Steelers did to both Cincinnati and Washington showed how poor this team was despite its undefeated start. Pittsburgh does host plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball for fantasy purposes, but can they rebound to excellence and dial up the successes of years past with Big Ben under center?

Offensive Unit

The combination of Big Ben's health issues and the lack of rest in the second half of the season really dampened this offense's ceiling. After setting an NFL record for the most punts in a playoff game, it became clear and obvious that a change was needed. Newly-hired OC Matt Canada has been put in place to maximize this team's strengths. Moving forward, the Steelers have to get away from the slow tempo (27th) and lack of running game (27th).

Quarterback

There are many reasons that Pittsburgh may find it difficult to finish 12th in overall scoring again. At the top of the list, we have Big Ben returning as the starter. While Pittsburgh passed at a tremendously high rate, they found little success through the air, ranking 28th in completion rate. Big Ben's lack of mobility and arm strength validate skepticism about this offense heading into 2021. Roethlisberger is set to return for his 18th season with pressure building to secure a postseason win. He hasn't taken the Steelers past the first round of playoffs since the 2016 campaign. This offseason, Roethlisberger will have to devote a ton of time to get his body physically and mentally ready for 2021. Step 1 to getting Pittsburgh back to playoff glory is making sure Big Ben can remain healthy through the entirety of the season. Regarding Ben's contract situation, Steelers owner Art Rooney II said, “I think we’ve been upfront with Ben in letting him know that we couldn’t have him back under the current contract. I think he understands we have some work to do there.” Roethlisberger wanted to play another year and was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. “I don’t care about my pay at all this year,” Roethlisberger told The Athletic. With the Steelers' limited salary cap, the improvement of the AFC North, and no clear-cut future quarterback on the roster, it will be intriguing to see if Pittsburgh opts to draft a quarterback in this year’s draft.

Running Back

RB James Conner is a free agent who is not expected to be brought back in 2021. Snail-paced RB Benny Snell, change-of-pace RB Anthony McFarland, and pass-catching specialist RB Jaylen Samuel may all get a turn at running back duties this coming season. With all three projected to get touches on the field, that makes it a no-touch in fantasy leagues and a play-the-game-script for DFS tournaments. It wouldn’t be shocking if they drafted another running back in this year’s draft to try to figure out who will be the bell cow of this backfield. One thing of note is new OC Matt Canada coached both Anthony McFarland and Jaylen Samuel in college.

Wide Receiver

While Pittsburgh currently has an excellent group of receivers with Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, and Chase Claypool, they ranked just 28th in air yards. Pittsburgh used short passes to make up for the lack of running game, but defensive coordinators eventually caught on. Opposing units dropped defenders down in the box to eliminate the slants, crosses, and screens that Pittsburgh got away with at the start of the season. Diontae Johnson led the 2019 and 2020 wide receiver unit in targets. He also led the unit in receptions and receiving touchdowns in 2019 and in yards in 2020. Johnson was great when he caught the ball, and Chase Claypool's huge upside potential makes this pair an exciting one heading into 2021. Those rooting for a JuJu departure will have to wait another season as he signed a 1-year $8M deal. JuJu was targeted 128 times last season. A source told ESPN's Field Yates that Smith-Schuster's $8M contract with the Steelers has a $7M signing bonus, $1M base salary, and four void years. The contract's structure will result in a $2.4M cap hit in 2021 and a $5.6M cap hit in 2022, ESPN's Dan Graziano reports. “This is my home, they're gonna need a wrecking ball to take me outta here! PITTSBURGH I LOVE YOU, LET'S GO!!!!!" Smith-Schuster posted on Twitter. In 2020, JuJu bounced back in the slot, recording 831 receiving yards and a career-best nine touchdowns. He was Roethlisberger's go-to target on third downs and received praise from his quarterback and the coach for grittiness and his ability to pick up yards through contact. In four NFL seasons, he has 308 receptions for 3,726 yards and 26 touchdowns in 58 games. JuJu was the WR25 per game in PPR leagues last year and has the 31st most PPR points through four seasons in the history of the NFL. We'll have to wait and see ho how targets will be distributed this season with the emergence of Johnson, Claypool, and deep-threat James Washington. Claypool finished the season with 873 yards and eight touchdowns. Since all of these wide receivers are at a very young age, they should continue to be viewed as fantasy studs in 2021. The Steelers have drafted plenty of wide receivers over the years. You have to go all the way back to the 1964 draft to find a three-year span without a 4th round or higher pick spent on a wide receiver. In each of the past 4 drafts, this franchise has spent a top 70 pick on a wide receiver.

Tight End

Pittsburgh doesn’t have much cap space and TE Eric Ebron could be a cut candidate with his expected $6.5M salary in 2021. If he does return, he is a fine mid-tier tight end option for fantasy players due to the high amount of passes that are called in this offense. Ebron finished his 2020 campaign with 56 receptions and five touchdowns. He came to the Steelers with a reputation for having questionable hands and unfortunately, he lived up to that claim. Ebron dropped seven passes, including a few in important games down the stretch. When accounting for Ebron’s below-average blocking ability, it’s obvious the Steelers have to focus their efforts on adding a competent run-blocker to the mix.

Offensive Line

The Steelers' offensive line got old in a hurry and is trending downward. In 2020, this team started the season rolling on offense. Even with Ben Roethlisberger showing a bit of rust and trying to build chemistry with his receivers on the fly, the Steelers were averaging 30 points a game with a top ten rushing attack. That all came crashing down, partly because teams figured out the patchwork scheme the Steelers had thrown together over an abbreviated offseason. However, it was also because of significant injuries on the offensive front. If you go back to Week 1 of the 2020 season, the starting lineup consisted of OT Alejandro Villanueva, G Matt Feiler, C Maurkice Pouncey, G Stefan Wisniewski, and OT Zach Banner. None of those players are currently Pittsburgh Steelers. C Maurkice Pouncey has retired while OTs Alejandro Villanueva and Zach Banner and G Matt Feiler are free agents. Veteran G David DeCastro is the only Steelers returning lineman that has started an NFL season as a starter. Pittsburgh must address this need in free agency and/or in the NFL draft. OC Matt Canada runs a much different scheme than the previous regime. Canada runs an outside zone scheme where athleticism is even more important, and players will need to be able to block while moving laterally. The offensive line needs to revamp several positions, and so it makes sense to look for players who have these skills when making additions to next season’s roster.

Defensive Unit

This defensive unit is the team's bread and butter. The case could've been made for LB T.J. Watt as the defensive player of the year. Terrible Towels were waived loud and proud (virtually) as Watt led edge rushers in sacks (15.0), quarterback hits (27), and defensive stops (43) last year. The Steelers play man-to-man defense at the highest rate and blitz at a top-3 rate in the NFL. As Pittsburgh continues to shape and reshape their 2021 roster, some things become a little more clear while others, not so much. Looking specifically at the defensive side of the ball, the Steelers have retained several of their free agents including LB Robert Spillane, LB Marcus Allen, CB Cameron Sutton, and DE Chris Wormley. However, a few key stars have left too. Some names on that list are LB Bud Dupree, CB Mike Hilton, and DT Tyson Alualu.

Going into 2021, can LB Alex Highsmith fill the big shoes of Bud Dupree? A large portion of Dupree’s pass-rushing production over the past two seasons has come from a relentless motor combined with the attention that players like DT Cameron Heyward, DE Stephon Tuitt, and LB T.J. Watt garner along the line. Dupree has recorded a league-high 37 clean-up pressures since the start of the 2019 season, despite the time he missed this past year due to injury. Pittsburgh's defense was 3rd in the league in fewest points allowed and 1st in the league in total sacks. LB Devin Bush also missed most of the 2020 season, playing in only 5 games due to a torn ACL. Where Bush was missed the most was on the defensive rushing side of the ball. When Bush got hurt, Pittsburgh’s rushing defense went to the gutter and now, both of his backups are set for free agency. Pittsburgh must address the linebacker need or we will most definitely see a dip in production on rushing defense. The good news for Pittsburgh is Casey Heyward and Stephon Tuitt will return to the defensive line which will help in the rush and pressure department.

At corner, veterans Joe Haden and Steven Nelson had excellent seasons. However, the cornerback room remains a fluid situation to monitor depending on whether or not the Steelers stick with Haden and Nelson. Moving on from Haden could save the team $7M against the cap and releasing Nelson would free up $8.25M. It is rumored that Nelson is currently on the Pittsburgh trading block. If the two return, they form two of the best corner combinations in the NFL. S Minkah Fitzpatrick was a ball hawk who converted many turnovers into touchdowns. Touchdowns are highly variant and cannot be predicted year in and year out. With that said, expect Pittsburgh to still rank in the top ten overall in fantasy defenses headed into the 2021 season. S Terrell Edmunds shall remain at free safety, but we should expect to see Pittsburgh scavenger youth in later rounds of the draft with CB Mike Hilton leaving.

Too Long Didn't Read Version

With Big Ben likely on his last legs, drafting or signing his heir will be something to watch this off-season. QBs Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins have done little to prove they deserve to be considered as the future keepers of the throne.

Who will step up as the number 1 option at receiver? How will targets be distributed between JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, James Washington, Eric Ebron, and Diontae Johnson? Given the number of pass attempts and targets, fantasy production will certainly be attainable on this offense. In 2021, it's safe to assume that Claypool continues his red-zone production while Diontae Johnson will continue to be a PPR must-grab. Even though he led the league in drops, Johnson was still 10th overall in total fantasy points. In the case of this offense, drops are not the best metric to use. As much as we hoped Johnson would catch every ball thrown his way, how much was his fault and how much was Big Ben's inaccurate throws to blame? However, targets dropped are still targets, and targets are one of the best metrics to value success in a wide receiver. Do Juju's numbers take a dip as he moves into free agency again come 2022? JuJu smashed in his rookie season, but some may argue it was because he was playing with Antonio Brown. More recently, JuJu's numbers took a dip because of overall play and also because he moved into the slot. He traded his own big numbers for the team's overall “success.” There are other questions that linger on the offensive weapons front as well. Who will be the Steelers starting running back in 2021? Who will be their tight end?

Pittsburgh will continue to dominate on defense but will need to re-tool linebacker and add depth at cornerback. The main concerns for this franchise will be the talent on the offensive line and just how much gas Big Ben has left in the tank. The AFC North will continue to improve and the Super Bowl window may be closing on this team.