Steelers Will See Importance of a Good Offensive Line in 2022
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When trying to decipher the elite teams of the NFL, the immediate question asked is always “do they have a top quarterback?"
It's tough to win in the league without one.
The casual fan would usually point to the offensive skill positions and the strength of their defense and completely gloss over the offensive line. In 2022, the entire Pittsburgh Steelers’ season could hinge upon the play of the offensive line.
The Steelers were able to complete a perfect preseason with their win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. Despite having a sea of black jersey’s being pushed back into them, Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett found a way around throwing a single interception in those three games. It was a rather impressive feat.
Last season’s offensive line prevented the Steelers from going much further than the first round of the playoffs. They still eked out a winning record but found themselves at the mercy of the Chiefs in round one. Ben Roethlisberger, an aging veteran on his final leg of his career, simply couldn’t get out of the pocket enough to have a chance to make a play down the field. Because of it, his stats and team’s performance took a hit.
Now, with Trubisky and Pickett providing much more mobile options, the offensive line's struggles could potentially be masked just a little bit better.
Pittsburgh invested a first-round draft selection in Najee Harris last season in hopes that his talent and size could overcome the struggles of the young and inexperienced offensive line. It took most of the season before Harris was able to finally see some breathing room on runs and not get stuffed at the line of scrimmage almost every time.
There was a point last season where watching Harris run for more than six yards on a singular carry brought the Steelers fans a thrill. Hopefully in 2022, he has more room to run. Sunday’ running back performance - 20 team carries for 57 yards - doesn’t exactly spell much confidence in that.
All of this brings me to the point: the Pittsburgh Steelers have constructed a roster that could legitimately win 10+ games and contend for a playoff spot. The offensive line could be the lone piece that holds them back.
They’ve got a very young offense with weapons like Harris, Chase Claypool, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth, just to name a few. The defense is loaded with stars like Minkah Fitzpatrick, T.J. Watt, and Cameron Heyward but has solid complementary players like Larry Ogunjobi, Tyson Alualu and a plethora of former first and second round draft picks.
Yet, their quarterback may have no time to throw and their second-year running back might be hitting a human wall at full speed just about every single play.
The Steelers went into free agency knowing they had to sign someone to help out the offensive line. The problem is that any high quality free agents would be worth too much for the organization to sign.
They settled on mid-tier free agents James Daniels and Mason Cole. That meant a large majority of the holdovers from last season would again compete for a spot. That group consists of Kendrick Green, Kevin Dotson, Dan Moore Jr., and the questionable re-signing and overpaying of Chukwuma Okorafor. With cut down day fast approaching, the Steelers may be able to scoop up other teams’ veterans that they decided to cut from the 53 man roster.
Daniels (right guard) and Cole (center) likely will assume their respective positions when the season kicks off in Cincinnati. Hopefully they’ll be better than their counterparts were there last season. It would be a massive boost to the offensive line.
In a perfect world, the line takes a few weeks to gel and the Steelers get off and running with a solid middle portion of the season. But if things go awry and Pittsburgh’s season is derailed because of the offensive line’s deficiencies, it will be pretty apparent what their free agency and draft preparation will focus upon.
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