The Pittsburgh Steelers: How To Go From First To Worst

The Pittsburgh Steelers: How To Go From First To Worst

Not all clinics are good, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have given the football world a clinic on going from first to worst. The Steelers return only one starter from the offensive line, and they have done next to nothing to improve the roster.

Months ago, I said that the 2020 season was the last chance for the Pittsburgh Steelers to be Super Bowl Champions. Their window is now officially closed. Barring injuries to every great quarterback in the league or Ben Roethlisberger managing to turn the clock back a decade, the Steelers have no chance to win the Super Bowl or even make a deep playoff run.

Quarterback

Roethlisberger is nowhere near good enough to lead this roster to a Super Bowl. He can help mask some of the holes on the team, but can he carry this piss-poor offensive line? Probably not. Rookie running back Najee Harris will take some pressure off of Roethlisberger, but riding a lone running back to a title is impossible in the modern game.

Offensive Line

This offensive line is filled with question marks and strange decisions, although some may make sense in time. To begin, the Steelers’ offensive line did not play well last season. Letting Matt Feiler walk in favor of Kevin Dotson was a solid move – Feiler switched from right tackle to left guard and was not good enough to justify keeping with what he got paid by the Chargers. Tackle Alejandro Villanueva regressed big time. I was hoping to see Pittsburgh help the offensive line through the draft, as Teven Jenkins would have been an excellent choice in round one, but Pittsburgh moved in a different direction. As if the problems resulting from retirements and expired contracts were not enough, the Steelers released David DeCastro and in the process created another hole on this offensive line.

I Was Right About the Pittsburgh Steelers, But No One Listened

Given how the board played out, I would have drafted the Steelers’ first three rounds like this. Teven Jenkins in round one, Creed Humphrey in round two, Michael Carter in round three. They finally got rid of Randy Fichtner, but I doubt that will be enough to pry open a window that has been firmly welded shut.